Cloud-based billing systems are growing in popularity, and understandably so. SMEs don't have the time or resources to manage onsite infrastructure and systems, and the back-ups, updates etc that go with it.
This is according to Brian Timperley, MD at Turrito Networks, who notes that cloud-based billing systems enable SMEs to sign up, pay monthly as the company grows and gain instant access to the system without having to understand how it's configured or maintained. That's the providers' responsibility - its utilities-based access to anything SMEs need, that's the benefit of cloud.
Billing is about accuracy, and because accuracy ultimately affects cash flow, this has a direct knock on SMEs, he says.
Timperley notes that for SMEs, the majority of well-known billing systems are more than capable of doing what SMEs need them to do.
He points out, however, that the issue lies less with the billing system itself, and more with how the business uses the billing system.
If businesses are billed inaccurately, they query the bills. They expect to pay an agreed amount for services, and if the services are unclear or incorrectly billed, the billing queries begin, he explains.
If the service provider is at fault, it will use up valuable resources and time to meet with the customer, understand the problems and credit/re-invoice accordingly. This creates warranted delays on payment, and if the problem persists across invoices, cash flow is the biggest impact to an SME, he adds.
Timperley says if SMEs have a stringent process of inputting meaningful information, in a logical order; the result is a billing system that will work well for the business, and for the customers serviced.
Network services are typically well-detailed in network contracts - or at least they should be, says Timperley.
He points out that services should be broken down into individual line-items, which show all the individual services together with set-up costs, and then totalled for the monthly recurring cost.
"Once a network contract is signed, the same details should appear on the invoice, preferably in the same order, which gives customers the benefit of referencing each line-item to their contract. If they match, payment is straight forward; if they don't, it's easy enough to find the conflicting line-item and bring it to your service providers attention," says Timperley.
He recommends cloud-based billing systems for small and medium business. "Pay-as-you-use services in today's market are abundant, professional, secure and give companies the ability to work while being mobile. Small and medium businesses need to be agile, and cloud-based systems empower that agility."
Timperley says for large/enterprise businesses, the choice is more complicated. Many will choose to hold their data locally, and many have the in-house skills to manage and support their own infrastructure, so the choices broaden, he points out.
"Ultimately, there are dozens of exceptional cloud and locally-based billing solutions, but my recommendation is always to start with the 10 most vital aspects of your billing system such as: access, mobility, cost, backup, support etc," he explains.
"You will always own the data, regardless of whether it's cloud-based or not, which means if your chosen system does not deliver, it's easy enough to migrate to one that does," he concludes.
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