The following are standard telephony requirements used when issuing a request for proposal (RFP) for a new billing system or an enhancement to an existing one:

• customer-interface management—The billing system must be able to handle customer-initiated contact, oversee outbound customer contact, and manage the contact life cycle.

• sales and marketing—A satisfactory billing system should answer customer query, handle commissions, provide sales support, track prospects, manage campaigns, analyze product performance, and acquire multiple dwelling units (MDUs).

• order handling—It is crucial that the billing system maintain customer-account information, manage the order-entry life cycle, and oversee the order-completion life cycle.

• problem handling—Billing systems should also be able to manage trouble-ticket entry, coordinate trouble-ticket closure, and track the resolution progress of a trouble ticket.

• performance reporting—A satisfactory system will provide performance reporting, ensure quality-of-service (QoS) reporting, create management reports, and generate regulatory reports.

• invoicing and collections—It is important that the system perform billing inquiry, generate bills, handle collections, process deposits, perform account administration, maintain tax and fee information, process financial information, and manage customer-premises equipment (CPE) inventory information.

• rating and discounting—Billing systems must manage products and services, coordinate rate plans, and rate customer-usage records.

• installation and maintenance—The system should also provide workforce scheduling and manage activities performed at the customer premises.

• usage and performance data collection—An adequate system will collect data and handle interface from other providers.

• information-systems management—Billing systems might also be called on to perform configuration management, ensure security management, oversee fault management, monitor performance, and manage accounts.

• systems architecture and environment—A billing system should perform data audits and integrity checks and ensure year-2000 compliance.