The following items are the most common errors that can easily be located when auditing customer service records. Each item is an example of local telephone company overbilling, wherein the customer should be entitled to a refund.
Wrong PIC
To keep track of which long-distance carrier a customer is using, the local carrier uses the PIC code of that carrier. The PIC code may be expressed numerically on the CSR as in “222” or with letters, as in “MCI.” AT&T’s most commonly used PIC code is 288. The PIC code is stored in the local carrier’s central office and in its billing records. It will be printed on the CSR.
If a customer’s phone lines have the wrong PIC code, his long-distance traffic will be routed to that carrier. This is a very common problem, especially in the case of slamming, when a fraudulent carrier changes a customer’s PIC without the customer’s authorization. When auditing CSRs, you must check the PIC code on each line. If it is wrong, call your local carrier and have the company change it. Call your long-distance carrier if you do not know its correct PIC code. Appendix 10B lists common PIC codes.
Wrong LPIC
As a result of the Telecom Act of 1996, customers can now select their carrier for intralata calling. On the CSR, the code LPIC appears and is followed by the PIC code for the carrier. Many customers have moved their intralata traffic to their long-distance carrier, so their PIC code and LPIC code should be the same. If the wrong LPIC code is on the CSR, your calls will be handled by the wrong carrier. In the sample CSR in Figure 10.1, the second phone line shows “/LPIC TCB,” which means the intralata calls from that line will be carried by Telephone Company B. The customer should call Telephone Company C and have the company change it.
Too many 9ZR charges
As stated above, the 9ZR is the USOC for the end user common line charge, which is about $9 per line. Sometimes, the number of 9ZR charges is greater than the number of lines. This is especially true for large Centrex accounts that bill the 9ZR as one single-line item separate from the line charge. When auditing your CSR, count the number of lines and the number of 9ZR charges. If you are being overbilled, contact your local telephone company.
Wrong tax area
The code TAR indicates which tax area you are in. Taxes are based on where the customer is physically located. Some customers have a city address but are located outside the city limits. Such a customer should be exempt from any city taxes. In other cases, the local carrier enters the tax area of the billing address instead of the physical address of the customer. For example, a company based in downtown Chicago has a manufacturing facility in the suburbs. The taxes are lower in the suburbs, but if the phone company enters the wrong tax area, the customer will be overbilled.
Incorrect hunting sequence
HTG is the code for hunting service. If an incoming call finds your main number busy or gets no answer, hunting allows the call to automatically transfer to another line. If the second line is busy or unanswered, the incoming call hunts for another line. At the end of this “hunt group” of lines, the call will “rollover” back to the first line. Hunting is designed to prevent a business from missing out on important business calls.
A common error with hunting is that one of the numbers in the hunt group may be an old number that is no longer in use. In this case, the call will not work. Another problem is with the rollover feature. At the end of the hunt group, the call should be transferred back to the first number. If this is not set up properly, calls will be lost.
Hidden wire maintenance charges
Many local telephone bills do not offer an itemized list of all charges. Even simple phone bills with only one or two lines may contain hidden charges. You must check the CSR for these charges. The most common hidden charge is for wire maintenance. It is very common for a phone bill to simply say “monthly charge for local service” but the CSR lists MNTPB, the code for wire maintenance plans. If the customer has not ordered wire maintenance, this charge should be canceled.
Wrong mileage—first 1/4 mile
Point-to-point data circuits are billed according to the bandwidth and mileage of the circuit. The rate for the first 1/4 mile is higher than the rate for additional 1/4 miles. A 5-mile circuit will, therefore, be something like this:
First 1/4 mile:
$30
19 additional 1/4 miles @ $20:
$380
Total:
$410
If the data entry clerk makes an error when provisioning the above circuit, the customer may be billed each 1/4 mile at the higher “first mile” rate.
Wrong mileage—too much mileage
Another common error has to do with the exact mileage, which should be calculated according to the “airline mile” distance between the two local serving offices (LSO) at the ends of the circuit. If the carrier calculates the mileage according to the physical address of the two sites instead of the mileage between the two LSOs, you will be overbilled.
If you do not have access to telecom pricing software, you can double-check the mileage by giving the NPA-NXX (area code + prefix) for each location and requesting a new detailed circuit price quote from the carrier. Many carriers share software, so if you feel your current carrier may not be truthful, you can get the same information from another carrier.
Wrong mileage—double billing
Data circuits crossing LATA boundaries are usually provided by an LEC and an IXC, or long-distance carrier. The bill is handled by one of the carriers, normally the IXC. Sometimes, both carriers provide a bill for their percentage of the circuit. The customer might be billed 60% of the circuit by U S West and 40% of the circuit by WorldCom. The ratio is determined according to mileage. If 60% of the mileage is provided by U S West, then the customer’s rate will be multiplied by 60%. Unfortunately, some customers end up being billed 100% by each carrier. To ensure that you are not being overbilled, match each CSR and each phone bill to your corporate network diagram.
Hanging circuit
Each data circuit must connect two points. If a customer disconnects an unneeded circuit, she should no longer receive a bill for the circuit. But sometimes, the carrier only disconnects one of the two locations. It is difficult to catch this error by looking at the phone bill alone. This error is very obvious on the CSR, however. If the CSR reads CKL 1 (circuit location 1) and there is no CKL 2, you have found a hanging circuit. The LEC should completely disconnect the circuit, stop the monthly billing, and issue a refund.
You should also check the addresses at each end of the circuit. A travel agent had dedicated lines to an airline. The agent stopped selling tickets for that airline but never canceled the billing for the dedicated lines. When the CSRs were audited, the airline’s address showed up as CKL 2. The customer knew he was no longer doing business with the airline, so he canceled the circuits, saving the business about $3,000 per month.
Term plan error
Signing a 12-month term plan agreement will discount voice or data service pricing by 5% to 15%. Longer-term plans will generate greater discounts. Carriers frequently enter the wrong term plan on a CSR, resulting in missing discounts for the customer. To verify discount amounts, check the original term contract with the actual CSR. If the given discount is lower than the contracted discount, the LEC should issue a refund and correct the problem going forward. If neither customer nor carrier can produce a copy of the original contract, you may be out of luck. However, some have used this situation to eliminate an existing term commitment with the carrier.
Sliding scale line rates
Local accounts with more than 12 lines may qualify for sliding scale pricing. This is especially true with Centrex pricing. The billing may work like this:
First 25 Centrex lines @ $20 each:
1,$500
Next 100 Centrex lines @ $15 each:
$1,500
Next 100 Centrex lines @ $12 each:
$1,200
Total:
$3,200
Auditing the CSR might reveal that all 225 lines are being billed at the higher $20 per month rate. In this example, the customer would pay $4,500 per month instead of $3,200. This customer is entitled to a significant refund. To detect this error, the auditor must be familiar with the original contract terms or be willing to wade through the actual tariff to determine how the lines should be priced.
Loose calling cards
Few customers use the calling cards provided by their local telephone company. Lower rates are available through long-distance carriers. When a business changes calling card providers, it sometimes fails to cancel the old cards. A review of the CSR may reveal that active calling cards are still on the loose. This will not be evident by looking at the phone bill, unless someone uses the cards to make calls. Old cards should be deactivated anyway to avoid the risk of future billings if the cards are used by ex-employees or someone else.
Unused voice lines and data circuits
A very valuable piece of information on the CSR is the service address. Companies with multiple locations will often find, after they audit their CSRs, that they are still paying for lines at closed locations or at an ex-employee’s home. Some businesses detect this problem many years after they quit using the lines. They may have even placed a disconnection order with the phone company. If you have documentation to prove that the lines were canceled, you are entitled to a refund. Most carriers and customers fail to keep good records, however, and the customer will never get a refund.
Showing posts with label CSR. Show all posts
Showing posts with label CSR. Show all posts
Friday, February 15, 2008
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Sample CSR
The CSR has four different sections: header, list, bill, and service and equipment. The header section is repeated on each page of the CSR and contains information such as account number and bill date. The list section contains information about how the customer will be listed in the white pages, yellow pages, and directory assistance. The bill section contains the billing address, billed name, and tax jurisdiction. The final section, service and equipment, details all of the lines and services the carrier is providing for the customer.
Figure below is a sample CSR for a fictional customer in New York. The customer has two measured-rate business lines. Most of the RBOCs use a similar format for their CSRs. The following list offers a detailed explanation of the most relevant parts of this CSR. In the sample, many blocks are empty because there is no pertinent activity to document.
Account number This is the main telephone number followed by the three-digit customer code. Telephone companies use different customer codes to separate the records of this customer from the records of the previous customer who had this phone number. Some phone company CSRs use the code BTN, which stands for “billed telephone number,” for the main telephone number.
Class of service This is usually 1FB or 1MB, which stand for one flat-rate business line or one measured-rate business line, respectively.
Directory This block is used as a reference point, indicating which letter of the alphabet this business listing falls under in the directory.
Page The page number of the CSR.
Bill period This shows the most recent bill cycle.
Record statement Depending on the carrier and customer’s specific services, the CSR may have up to seven sections (or segments): Account, Line & Station, Key System, Special Service, Extra Listings, Account Summary, and S&E Cross Reference.
Print date This is the actual date this paper record was printed.
Print REA This block explains the reason for printing. BD indicates the record was printed because of the bill date.
Quantity This column shows the quantity of items listed in the next two columns: service and description.
Service This shows the USOCs that correspond to the customer’s services.
Description This column is as close as we can get to an actual plain-English description of customer services.
L This stands for the last service order action that was performed for the item listed in the description column. The possible codes are E, I, and T, which stand for enter, in, and to, respectively.
Activity date This is the date of the last action for the item.
Total This column shows the charges for each item. Where no charge appears, as in the case of HTG (or hunting), it is a free service.
T This column uses numeric codes to show the tax status of each item. The following codes determine which taxes apply to each service:
Federal, state, and local;
No taxes;
Federal;
State and local;
Federal and state;
State.
A The activity column contains an asterisk when an item has been changed since the printing of the last CSR.
LN Listed name. This column shows exactly how the business will be listed in the white pages and directory assistance.
LA Listed address. This column shows how the address is listed in the white pages and directory assistance.
SA Service address. This is the physical location of the phone lines.
LOC Location. This column indicates the floor or building number where the service is located. This field helps telephone company technicians locate the physical location of the service.
YPH Yellow pages heading.
BILL This shows the start of the CSR’s bill section.
BN Bill name. The name of the business as it appears on the phone bill. This may differ from the listed name.
BA Bill address. The actual address where the phone bill is sent. In this fictional example, the bill is sent to Acme Manufacturing’s home office in Dallas.
PO This shows the city, state, and zip code of the bill address.
CCH This field indicates the number of calling card holders.
TAR This indicates the tax area of the customer’s physical location and determines which taxes are in effect.
S&E This shows the start of the CSR’s service and equipment section.
BSX This shows that the customer has two active calling cards.
LUD This is the USOC for a telephone company’s Local Usage Discount Plan.
1MB One measured-rate business line. In the description column, “/PIC TCE” shows that Telephone Company E is the PIC. “/LPIC TCE” shows that Telephone Company E is the carrier for intralata calls. Further down in the CSR, notice that the second line has Telephone Company B as the LATA PIC (LPIC). The intralata calls will be carried by Telephone Company B, not Telephone Company E.
RJ21X This is the USOC for a common type of wall jack used by local carriers. The RJ21X jack serves as the demarcation point where the phone company’s network connects to the customer’s inside wiring. Note there is no charge for the RJ21X.
TTB Touch-tone business. With many carriers, this is not a free service, but this telephone company does not charge for touch-tone.
ALN Additional line or auxiliary line. The main number on a telephone account is often called the BTN (billed telephone number) and additional lines are called WTNs (working telephone numbers). A simple technique for CSR auditing is to verify that each ALN shows up as an exact repeat of the others. If they are not exactly the same, you may have found an incorrect PIC or LPIC, or you may have found hidden charges such as wire maintenance.
MNTPB Wire maintenance plan. The actual phone bill may not itemize this service. Note that MNTPB only appears on one of the two lines. This indicates that the customer is probably unaware of this charge, and it should be canceled.
HTG Hunting. In this example, if the calls are not answered on 555-1000, the call is forwarded to 555-1001.
CHN Card holder name. This shows the name of the employee who has been assigned a calling card. If you recognize the name of an ex-employee, cancel the card to avoid fraudulent charges. Most CSRs do not show names.
9ZR This shows the number of FCC line charges. In this example, the customer is being charged three 9ZRs but only has two lines. This error should be corrected, and Telephone Company C should issue a refund.
Figure below is a sample CSR for a fictional customer in New York. The customer has two measured-rate business lines. Most of the RBOCs use a similar format for their CSRs. The following list offers a detailed explanation of the most relevant parts of this CSR. In the sample, many blocks are empty because there is no pertinent activity to document.
Account number This is the main telephone number followed by the three-digit customer code. Telephone companies use different customer codes to separate the records of this customer from the records of the previous customer who had this phone number. Some phone company CSRs use the code BTN, which stands for “billed telephone number,” for the main telephone number.
Class of service This is usually 1FB or 1MB, which stand for one flat-rate business line or one measured-rate business line, respectively.
Directory This block is used as a reference point, indicating which letter of the alphabet this business listing falls under in the directory.
Page The page number of the CSR.
Bill period This shows the most recent bill cycle.
Record statement Depending on the carrier and customer’s specific services, the CSR may have up to seven sections (or segments): Account, Line & Station, Key System, Special Service, Extra Listings, Account Summary, and S&E Cross Reference.
Print date This is the actual date this paper record was printed.
Print REA This block explains the reason for printing. BD indicates the record was printed because of the bill date.
Quantity This column shows the quantity of items listed in the next two columns: service and description.
Service This shows the USOCs that correspond to the customer’s services.
Description This column is as close as we can get to an actual plain-English description of customer services.
L This stands for the last service order action that was performed for the item listed in the description column. The possible codes are E, I, and T, which stand for enter, in, and to, respectively.
Activity date This is the date of the last action for the item.
Total This column shows the charges for each item. Where no charge appears, as in the case of HTG (or hunting), it is a free service.
T This column uses numeric codes to show the tax status of each item. The following codes determine which taxes apply to each service:
Federal, state, and local;
No taxes;
Federal;
State and local;
Federal and state;
State.
A The activity column contains an asterisk when an item has been changed since the printing of the last CSR.
LN Listed name. This column shows exactly how the business will be listed in the white pages and directory assistance.
LA Listed address. This column shows how the address is listed in the white pages and directory assistance.
SA Service address. This is the physical location of the phone lines.
LOC Location. This column indicates the floor or building number where the service is located. This field helps telephone company technicians locate the physical location of the service.
YPH Yellow pages heading.
BILL This shows the start of the CSR’s bill section.
BN Bill name. The name of the business as it appears on the phone bill. This may differ from the listed name.
BA Bill address. The actual address where the phone bill is sent. In this fictional example, the bill is sent to Acme Manufacturing’s home office in Dallas.
PO This shows the city, state, and zip code of the bill address.
CCH This field indicates the number of calling card holders.
TAR This indicates the tax area of the customer’s physical location and determines which taxes are in effect.
S&E This shows the start of the CSR’s service and equipment section.
BSX This shows that the customer has two active calling cards.
LUD This is the USOC for a telephone company’s Local Usage Discount Plan.
1MB One measured-rate business line. In the description column, “/PIC TCE” shows that Telephone Company E is the PIC. “/LPIC TCE” shows that Telephone Company E is the carrier for intralata calls. Further down in the CSR, notice that the second line has Telephone Company B as the LATA PIC (LPIC). The intralata calls will be carried by Telephone Company B, not Telephone Company E.
RJ21X This is the USOC for a common type of wall jack used by local carriers. The RJ21X jack serves as the demarcation point where the phone company’s network connects to the customer’s inside wiring. Note there is no charge for the RJ21X.
TTB Touch-tone business. With many carriers, this is not a free service, but this telephone company does not charge for touch-tone.
ALN Additional line or auxiliary line. The main number on a telephone account is often called the BTN (billed telephone number) and additional lines are called WTNs (working telephone numbers). A simple technique for CSR auditing is to verify that each ALN shows up as an exact repeat of the others. If they are not exactly the same, you may have found an incorrect PIC or LPIC, or you may have found hidden charges such as wire maintenance.
MNTPB Wire maintenance plan. The actual phone bill may not itemize this service. Note that MNTPB only appears on one of the two lines. This indicates that the customer is probably unaware of this charge, and it should be canceled.
HTG Hunting. In this example, if the calls are not answered on 555-1000, the call is forwarded to 555-1001.
CHN Card holder name. This shows the name of the employee who has been assigned a calling card. If you recognize the name of an ex-employee, cancel the card to avoid fraudulent charges. Most CSRs do not show names.
9ZR This shows the number of FCC line charges. In this example, the customer is being charged three 9ZRs but only has two lines. This error should be corrected, and Telephone Company C should issue a refund.
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