Billing is often the most manual, error-prone part of a telecom operation. And also the easiest to automate when the right systems are in place. Zero-touch billing eliminates keystrokes, spreadsheet fixes, and late-night invoice corrections. With the right workflows, providers can move from “stuffing envelopes” to a predictable, automated revenue engine.
Below are the core tactics of zero-touch billing and how TimelyBill enables each one.
Automated Rating & Taxation
Zero-touch principle: Every usage record should rate automatically—no manual reviewing of CDRs, recalculations, or tax lookups.
How TimelyBill helps:
- Real-time and batch rating engine that automatically applies usage rates based on product, provider, jurisdiction, or custom rules.
- Integrated tax engine (SureTax) for automated jurisdiction detection, tax calculation, and compliance updates.
- Automated ingestion of CDRs/XDRs from switches, SBCs, wholesale partners, and carriers.
- Provider-specific rules (e.g., 8XX rating, overage thresholds, bundled services).
- Automatic rerating when product rules or tax logic change.
Result: Clean, accurate rating without human intervention, even at scale.
Scheduled Billing Runs
Zero-touch principle: Billing cycles should run on schedule without requiring human attention.
How TimelyBill helps:
- Fully automated billing cycle scheduler that runs daily, weekly, monthly, or custom cycles.
- Automated detection of cycle exceptions (missing data, unclosed orders, incomplete provisioning).
- Role-based notifications that alert staff only when intervention is required.
- Batch actions (usage processing, proration, fees, discounts) run without operators having to initiate them.
Result: TimelyBill becomes a set-and-forget engine.
Automated Invoice Generation & Delivery
Zero-touch principle: Invoices should be generated and sent automatically.
How TimelyBill helps:
- Dynamic invoice templates automatically apply branding, logos, product detail layouts, and important messages.
- Automated PDF generation for every bill, including usage detail, summaries, add-ons, taxes, and surcharges.
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Automated delivery mechanisms:
- Email delivery with custom content
- Secure portal delivery
- Automated attachments: Promotional pages can be added without manual assembly.
Result: No assembling, merging, exporting, or sending—customers receive accurate invoices automatically.
Data Alarms
Zero-touch principle: Fix issues before a bad invoice goes out.
How TimelyBill helps:
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Automated tolerance checks
detect:
- Zero-usage anomalies
- Unrated traffic
- Missing or duplicate CDRs
- Auto-suspension rules for customers who exceed limits or generate suspect activity.
- Automated credit limits and dunning workflows—reduce churn and revenue leakage.
- Validation alerts are sent to the right team before invoices are finalized.
Result: Fewer disputes, fewer credits, fewer embarrassing “oops” invoices.
Automated Payments
Zero-touch principle: Payments should match invoices without a single spreadsheet.
How TimelyBill helps:
- Automated payment capture from ACH, credit card, or bank-generated files.
- Auto-reconciliation between payments, open invoices, and aging.
- Configurable payment rules (apply oldest first, apply by service, prioritize past due, etc.).
- Integrations to accounting/ERP (e.g., QuickBooks, Sage, NetSuite) through direct sync.
- Automated refunds, reversals, and adjustments tied back to audit-ready logs.
Result: Faster revenue recognition.
Impact of Zero-Touch Billing
With these automations in place, telecom providers see definite gains:
- Shorter revenue cycles
- Fewer billing disputes
- Lower staffing requirements
- Higher accuracy
- Improved customer satisfaction
TimelyBill’s architecture was built to support fully automated revenue operations—not just by adding automation around billing, but by embedding it at every step of the billing lifecycle.