System and method for auditing a communications bill
A computer-assisted system and method for auditing a communications bill wherein billing information is collected, reformatted and stored for use in a set of automated audits. The system and method for auditing a communications bill further collects data from other external systems such as a work order system, a trouble ticket system, an inventory system, an AMA/SMDR data source, an SS7 event record data source, or another source of call records or billing records. The data collected is used in a set of automated audits to determine if the communications bills contain errors. The system and method will further perform historical audits, and generate and manage the billing dispute process. The system and method will further provide audit reports and interface to an accounts payable system.
1. A system comprising:
an interface module configured to receive billing data information from at least one vendor in a vendor specific format and to convert the billing data information into standard format billing data information;
a data structure configured to store:
the standard format billing data information;
non-billing data including work order data wherein the work order data is based on a work order related to a communications service; and
at least one processor operatively coupled to the data structure and configured to:
analyze the standard format billing data information and the non-billing data to determine that a communications bill includes an error;
analyze previous billing data information in the case that the standard format billing data information includes the error;
determine a total billing error amount based on the error in the communications bill and the previous billing data information; and
generate a dispute form including the total billing error amount.
2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the data structure is configured to store Signaling System #7 (SS7) record data and the processor is further configured to:
perform a plurality of audits on the billing data to determine if at least one of a plurality of predetermined conditions exist in the billing data wherein at least one audit compares the SS7 record data with the standard format billing data information to determine if there is an error in at least one of minutes used and charges billed; and
generate an audit report based on the comparison of the SS7 record data and the standard format billing data information.
3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the standard format billing data information comprises text messaging data.
4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the data structure is further configured to store trouble ticket data, and wherein the processor is further configured to match the trouble ticket data to the standard format billing data information.
5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to match the work order data to the standard format billing data information.
6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to match inventory data to the standard format billing data information.
7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the system further comprises an accounts payable interface module.
8. The system of claim 1 , wherein audit logic used by the processor to determine that the communications bill includes the error can be modified by a user.
9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to automatically e-mail an audit report to one or more designated e-mail addresses, wherein the audit report is indicative of the error.
10. The system of claim 1 , wherein the interface module comprises an interface that is configured to be used through a web browser.
11. A method comprising:
receiving, at a computing device, billing data information in a vendor specific format from at least one vendor and non-billing data including work order data, wherein the work order data is based on a work order related to a communications service;
converting the billing data information into standard format billing data information;
analyzing the standard format billing data information and the non-billing data to determine that a communications bill includes an error;
analyzing previous billing data information in the case that the standard format billing data information includes the error;
determining a total billing error amount based on the error in the standard format billing data information and the previous billing data information using a processor; and
generating a dispute form including the total billing error amount.
12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
receiving event records;
receiving a selection of an algorithm for comparing the event records to the standard format billing data information; and
comparing, with the selected algorithm, the event records to the standard format billing data information to generate an audit report.
13. The method of claim 11 , wherein the standard format billing data information comprises text messaging data.
14. The method of claim 11 , further comprising initiating a dispute process based at least in part on the audit report, wherein initiating the dispute process comprises notifying a vendor of the error and tracking credits received from the vendor for the error.
15. The method of claim 11 , wherein the non-billing data includes Signaling System #7 (SS7) record data and the processor is further configured to:
perform a plurality of audits on the billing data to determine if at least one of a plurality of predetermined conditions exist in the billing data wherein at least one audit compares the SS7 record data with the standard format billing data information to determine if there is an error in at least one of minutes used and charges billed; and
generate an audit report based on the comparison of the SS7 record data and the standard format billing data information.
16. A tangible computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon, the instructions comprising:
instructions to receive billing data information from at least one vendor and work order data, wherein the work order data is based on a work order related to a communications service, and wherein the billing data information is in a vendor specific format;
instructions to convert the billing data information into standard format billing data information;
instructions to analyze the standard format billing data information and the work order data to determine that a communications bill includes an error;
instructions to analyze previous billing data information in the case that the standard format billing data information includes an error;
instructions to determine a total billing error amount based on the error in the standard format billing data information and the previous billing data information using a processor; and
instructions to generate a dispute form including the total billing error amount.
17. The tangible computer-readable medium of claim 16 , further comprising instructions to e-mail the dispute form to one or more designated e-mail addresses.