VoIP communication has almost swept the traditional mode of telephone network communication because of its unlimited benefits to both end users and businesses. As it is the happening trend, VoIP market is witnessing a surge in the number of new entrepreneurs taking up the VoIP business. But this business has its own set of challenges for them to succeed.

If you happen to be one of those aspiring VoIP providers, then you should understand few important things. With VoIP services you offer, there should be an efficient billing system that can track all your customers’ usage and bill accordingly. With every additional feature you offer, the billing system should provision it inherently and generate bill accordingly. This is made possible through VoIP billing software. So, the selection of right billing software is very essential for the growth of your business.

Ways to Secure VoIP Billing Software

There are two ways to secure this software. One is through VoIP softswitch and other is by having stand-alone VoIP billing system. When it comes to Softswitch, the billing software is inherently available as a separate module for which you need to pay and use. The combination will deliver functionalities such as Routing, Switching, Invoice & Billing, Report Generation, etc. On the other hand, stand-alone VoIP billing system is developed by Third Party Company that offers exclusive billing options.

The following factors will help you decide the right billing software for your business:

Cost Required: The cost required for acquiring billing software through softswitch is considerably low as it is available as a separate module and is run on the same server. Whereas stand-alone billing software requires dedicated server to effect its billing functions. Thus, it is very pricey!

Maintenance: As stand-alone billing system runs on a dedicated server it’s easy to carry out maintenance such as server updates and changing billing functions without having to turn off the switch server and disrupting the VoIP services of your clients. But in the case of softswitch, the entire switch has to be brought down as the VoIP billing system is located on the same server for maintenance. This causes unnecessary business problems.

Customization: You can fully customize a stand-alone billing system as per your VoIP business needs. This is not possible in the case of softswitch where the billing software has to deal with other switch functionalities.

Performance: The performance in either case differs and depends on the volume of clients your business handles. For example, if you are a small VoIP service provider then softswitch would be the right option as it is cost-effective and productive. But, if you are a big VoIP service provider then it is recommended to have a dedicated VoIP billing system to handle more VoIP traffic seamlessly. This may however involve some cost, but you’ll benefit in the longer run.

So, it’s your call to decide the right billing software for your business taking into account the above factors.