Newsletter Sign-Up

Receive the latest technology news and information.

MetraTech Helps ACT Communications Slice Billing Cycle

By Thomas Hoffman

September 23, 2002 12:00 PM ET

Computerworld - MetraTech Corp.
Category: Enterprise systems
URL: www.metratech.com
Location: Waltham, Mass.
Founded: 1998
Technology: MetraNet, a Web services-based billing system that uses XML technology
Key customers: BCE (subsidiary of Bell Canada), British Telecom Conferencing
How It Works: The MetraNet billing platform enables communications service providers to dynamically offer new services and package existing services in new ways. Customers can integrate the system with their existing infrastructure and third-party applications and provide pricing, revenue sharing and billing capabilities using XML and plug-and-play Web services.


Jim Culbert, vice president of technology

Tip: According to Jim Culbert, vice president of technology at MetraTech, there are some standard requirements for the system, like processor level. "When we engage with a customer, we have a fairly detailed set of business process we go through," says Culbert. "We first figure out what they're doing from a business perspective."

ACT Teleconferencing Inc. is a prime example of how MetraTech Corp.'s MetraNet Web-based billing and revenue sharing system is helping companies solve business problems and cut costs.
In late 1999, the Golden, Colo.-based provider of audio, video, data and Internet conferencing products and services began building a homegrown billing system to help it support its 20 domestic and international call centers, many of which had been picked up through acquisitions. Problem was, these call centers ran disparate billing systems that weren't well integrated. ACT executives decided at the time to go with a "build vs. buy" approach to creating a single, standardized billing system because there didn't appear to be any third-party billing systems on the market that could meet its needs and support multiple languages.
Teleconferencing and videoconferencing "is a difficult business to build" because billing isn't simply a matter of multiplying minutes times price. It involves a combination of tiered services purchased, such as having a "live" operator on a conference call or a Web stream attached to a conference, says ACT Chief Technology Officer Mark Kelly, who works out of the company's Ottawa office.
Enter MetraTech. After a MetraTech representative contacted ACT about its MetraNet system, the conferencing services provider quickly saw the benefits that the XML-driven billing system could deliver.
Since installing the MetraNet system, ACT has been able to shrink its billing cycles from 30 days to one day and receive payments from customers 20 to 40 days faster than before. In addition, ACT has saved "a couple of million dollars a year" through improved billing accuracy, eliminating rebilling and having a smaller support staff to maintain a single billing system, says Kelly. He estimates

Recommend Digg Twitter ShareThis

Email Print Send Feedback Reprints

Jump to comments

Networking

Additional Resources

Xerox

Win a color printer!

By using solid ink technology only from Xerox, you could save up to 65% by printing color for the cost of black and white. Enter for a chance to WIN a PhaserTM 8860 network color printer!

Microsoft

Upgrade to Internet Explorer 8 today.

Save time and mitigate security risk. Deploy it now.

Sybase

NEXT-GENERATION MOBILITY PLATFORMS

In this white paper, IDC analyzes the role of next-generation mobile enterprise platforms as organizations seek a more strategic deployment of mobile solutions.

Learn the important issues you must consider before starting your next mobility initiative. Get your mobility white paper from IDC now, compliments of Sybase.

White Papers & Webcasts

Informatica 9 Launch: Transform your Business. Transform your world.

LIVE Nov 10, 2009 12:00 PM ET

Architecting Business Intelligence Applications for Change: The Open Solution

LIVE Nov 12, 2009 02:00 PM ET

How to Secure and Accelerate Your Oracle Applications
Learn about the escalating application performance and security challenges facing corporations, today!

Aligning IT to Business: The Rising Importance of Application Delivery Networks
Application Delivery Networking (ADN) will play a vital role in helping enterprises incorporate strategic technologies to achieve business initiatives.

Optimize Performance of Datacenter to Datacenter Traffic
To get the backups and database synchronizations completed on time, enterprises rely on WAN optimization from Blue Coat.

Mitigate Risk, Lower Costs and Improve Network Efficiency
Create a stable IP network that not only meets today's challenges, but is flexible enough to also meet future demands.

Enterprise Application Delivery: No User Left Behind
Gain the ability to deliver applications to all users, using any device, across any network.

Preparing Your Business Services for the Future
Would you trust your network monitoring tools enough to know when something is truly halting a business service?

Practical Strategies to Accelerate Business Applications Across the WAN
Discover how Blue Coat SG appliances, uses five essential techniques to speed delivery of internal and externally hosted business applications

IPAM: Slashing Network Costs
Slashing Network Costs by Consolidating and Automating Core Network Services

Infonetics: WAN Optimization Appliance Market Highlights 1 Q09
Vendor market share positions shuffled once again in 1Q09, learn more now!

Horror stories: Managing IT Across Multiple Locations
How one extra sharp IT manager eliminates daily agony, hassle and repetition.

All White Papers | All Webcasts

Computerworld Reports

8 Questions To Ask About Your Intrusion-Security Solution

Computerworld Technology Briefings IT Service Management

Computerworld Briefing - Analytics: The Art and Science of Better

All Computerworld Reports

	Networking
	Computerworld Daily News (First Look and Wrap-Up)
	Computerworld Blogs Newsletter
	The Weekly Top 10
	Cloud Computing

resource center