Processing telecom invoices automatically for MSPs

These are the key points

• Telecom invoices are more complex than other supplier invoices because they combine variable usage, CDR data and multiple cost types.
• CDR (Call Detail Records) are the detailed usage files from telecom suppliers. For each call they contain the date, duration, destination and cost.
• A telecom invoice contains three types of cost: fixed subscriptions, variable usage and bundle overages. Each one needs different processing logic.
• Automated telecom invoice processing happens in five steps: import, match, check, charge through and book.
• ResalePartners processes CDR data from telecom suppliers such as Dstny, Gamma, RoutIT and KPN automatically, connecting call costs to the right customer profiles and tariff plans.

In this article, we cover the following topics:

• Why telecom invoices are different from other supplier invoices
• CDR data: the heart of telecom invoice processing
• Three types of cost on a telecom invoice
• The five steps of automated telecom invoice processing
• Multiple telecom suppliers, one customer invoice
• What does non-automated telecom processing really cost?
• Frequently asked questions

Why telecom invoices are different from other supplier invoices

Most supplier invoices for an MSP are relatively predictable. A licence costs a fixed amount per user per month. A subscription is invoiced at the same rate every month. Discrepancies show up when the invoiced amount differs from what you expect.

Telecom invoices work differently. Call usage varies every month and per customer. Customer A makes few calls one month and significantly more the next. Customer B exceeds the bundle in three out of twelve months. Customer C has added an extra handset, with the line costs charged on a pro-rata basis. And all of that information is not on a compact invoice page but in a detailed CDR file that can run to hundreds or thousands of lines. That makes manual checking fundamentally unmanageable the moment you serve more than a handful of customers.

The second reason telecom invoices are complex is the variability in invoice structure between suppliers. Dstny invoices differently from Gamma, which in turn invoices differently from RoutIT or KPN. Every supplier has its own export format, its own definition of a tariff zone and its own way of managing bundles. Anyone working with two or more telecom suppliers at the same time quickly ends up with two or more completely different invoice formats to compare and merge by hand.

CDR data: the heart of telecom invoice processing

CDR stands for Call Detail Records. These are the detailed usage files that telecom suppliers provide alongside the invoice itself. For every call made through the platform, a CDR file contains: the date and time, the calling and called numbers, the call destination (national, mobile, international), the call duration in seconds and the purchasing cost per call.

For a telecom reseller or MSP, CDR files are the basis for charging customers correctly. You do not want to send your customer a vague, lump-sum telephony invoice: you want to be able to tell them exactly which calls were made, to where and at what cost. That is only possible once you have processed the CDR data, matched it to the right customer and tariff plan, and calculated it on the basis of your own sales rates.

Processing CDR data manually at scale is all but impossible. A telecom reseller with twenty customers and an average of five hundred calls per customer per month processes ten thousand CDR lines every month. Checking each one by hand is unrealistic. Automated CDR processing does it in seconds: the supplier delivers the file, the system matches every CDR line to the right customer profile and tariff plan, calculates the costs and applies everything to the customer invoice.

Three types of cost on a telecom invoice

A typical telecom invoice contains three types of cost, each requiring different processing logic.

1. Fixed subscription costs

Every active line, user or service carries a fixed monthly subscription amount. That is the simplest part: the number of active lines multiplied by the rate. The risk here lies in changes: have lines been added or removed and charged on a pro-rata basis? And does the number of active lines on the invoice match what is recorded per customer?

2. Variable usage

Call minutes, text messages and data usage above the bundle are invoiced separately on the basis of actual use. These are the CDR lines: every call, every message, every data packet has its own price based on the agreed purchasing rate. Variable usage is by definition unpredictable and has to be calculated per customer from the live CDR data.

3. Bundle overages

Many customers have a call bundle: a fixed amount of call or data usage per month. Once a customer exceeds the bundle, the extra units are invoiced separately at a different rate from the bundle rate. That distinction, in-bundle versus out-of-bundle, has to be calculated and charged correctly. Done by hand, it is a laborious calculation. Done automatically, it is simply a matter of letting the system apply the bundle limit and calculate the overage.

The five steps of automated telecom invoice processing

Automated telecom invoice processing with InkoopControle from ResalePartners happens in five fully automated steps the moment a telecom invoice comes in.

• Step 1: Import. The purchase invoice and any CDR files are retrieved automatically through the API integration with the telecom supplier or via CSV import. There is no need to log in to the supplier portal or download files by hand.
• Step 2: Match. Every invoice line and every CDR line is automatically connected to the relevant customer profile. The system knows which phone number belongs to which customer and which tariff plan applies.
• Step 3: Check. Subscription costs are compared against the expected number of active lines. Variable costs are compared against the expected usage patterns. Discrepancies are flagged immediately: a line that has been added but not yet recorded against a customer, a bundle that has been exceeded, a rate that differs from the contract agreement.
• Step 4: Charge through. Once approved, the telecom costs are charged to the customer based on the configured sales rates. Bundles are applied correctly. Overages are calculated separately. Customer-specific pricing agreements are included automatically.
• Step 5: Book. The approved purchasing data is passed through to the accounting system. Purchase and sales entries are created automatically. The customer invoice is ready to go.

Multiple telecom suppliers, one customer invoice

An MSP or telecom reseller rarely works with just one telecom supplier. One customer has fixed-line telephony through Gamma, another has cloud telephony through Dstny, a third has a KPN subscription and a fourth uses RoutIT. Every supplier has its own invoice format and its own CDR structure.

Doing this by hand means: logging in to each supplier, exporting, and then bringing everything together for each customer individually. Automating it means: all suppliers are connected through the ResalePartners ecosystem, the invoice data flows automatically into the central platform and the customer receives one clear invoice that combines all telecom services, regardless of which supplier you purchased them from.

That is the added value of an ecosystem approach: your own tariff plans apply to all your telecom services, regardless of the supplier behind the service. If you switch from Gamma to RoutIT or add a new supplier, nothing changes in the way your customer sees their invoice. Want to understand how 110+ suppliers and platforms are connected within the wider ecosystem? And how discrepancies in telecom invoices are detected as part of purchasing control?

What does non-automated telecom processing really cost?

The direct cost of manual telecom invoice processing is measured in hours: logging in, exporting, merging, checking and charging through. For an MSP with ten customers and two telecom suppliers, that quickly amounts to two to three hours a month. Scale that up to fifty customers and five telecom suppliers and the administrative burden becomes a structural capacity problem.

The indirect costs are greater. Bundle overages that go unnoticed and are never charged on. Variable usage that is not calculated correctly by hand. Rate changes a supplier has made but that slip through manual processing. Every missed charge-through is margin taken straight off the bottom line.

Automation solves both categories. Manual work all but disappears. Missed charge-throughs are prevented for good. Discrepancies are flagged before the customer invoice goes out the door. The purchasing data is traceable, auditable and transparent per customer. Want to understand how automated invoice processing works as a broader approach for MSPs? And how linking purchasing costs to customers it lays the foundation for correct telecom charge-through?

Want to see what telecom invoice processing looks like in your specific situation?

Book a free demo of InkoopControle and discover in 30 minutes how automated processing of Dstny, Gamma, RoutIT or another telecom supplier works for your customer portfolio. Bring a recent telecom invoice and show us how things work for you today.

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