In April of this year, Calvi hosted the Smart Charging & Payments Working Group Gathering at its headquarters in the Netherlands. The SC&P Working Group looks at the latest challenges related to billing & payments, opportunities, and strategies as well as the main business drivers influencing the billing environment.
As part of the Gathering, attendees brought samples of invoices that they send to their customers, to facilitate their discussion on the ‘ideal invoice’. The session resulted in tangible feedback for the attendees but also resulted in feedback on their billing approach. As a result, the working group members expressed their desire to formulate a Digital Billing & Payments Manifesto. This Manifesto will cover topics such as the definition of digital billing and why CSPs should transform in this direction. It will also focus on the future of billing and the latest challenges & opportunities surrounding billing & payments.
As part of the SC&P Working Group, Calvi will facilitate the research that must be conducted. We will share our knowledge and thoughts on digital billing with the members of the Working Group and provide them with insights gathered from years of continuous research and innovation. Through our collaboration with different stakeholders within this industry, we aim to share our vision, knowledge and best practices. Additionally, we look forward to compare, research and discuss our similarities and differences in order to learn from each other and create movement within the industry.
Expected to be ready for the next meeting at the annual ETIS Community Gathering in Lisbon, we are excited to be part of this research initiative and are looking forward to the collaboration with the Working Group members and other interested parties.
About ETIS
Founded in 1991, ETIS is a non-profit association run by its Members. They bring together the major telecommunications providers in Europe to share knowledge in a trusted environment. Their goal is to enable their members to reach their strategic objectives and to improve their business performance by sharing knowledge on industry challenges and by collaborating where possible.
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Managing business telecom expenses and making sense of complex bills can be a frustrating and time-consuming process for customers. Unclear charges, unexpected fees, cryptic proration rules and cumbersome dispute resolution often turn billing into a major pain point. With 40% of all contact center calls being billing-related—and “confusing bills” ranking among the top reasons for customer churn—a poor bill experience isn’t just an inconvenience; it’s a major revenue risk for service providers.
What do customers do when they don’t understand their bill or when they are billed far more
than they’d expected? They’re going to call their operator and ask for help.
Billing issues are one of the biggest causes of customer inquiries and dealing with these
inquiries takes a lot of resources and costs a lot of money. In fact, as Telecom Argentina’s Mariela
Fiorenzo explains, making just one customer support call can render a customer unprofitable for the month (and maybe even the next one!).