Element Delivers SaaS Billing to NCTC Members

Small cable operators have the same expanding service demands as large cable operators and require the same flexibility in their billing systems as large operators. However, they can’t afford the same Tier 1 billing systems.

To address the needs of the small operators among its members, the National Cable Television Cooperative negotiated a preferred billing and customer care agreement with Durham, N.C.-based Element Customer Care that will provide them with a software-as-a-service billing and customer care option.

Through a partnership with CSG Systems, Element provides billing services, technical support and a customer service call center to cable providers. Element has put together a standard package of the most required functionality of the CSG billing system and hosted it as a service that includes enough flexibility for small operators to meet their unique requirements.

Though it uses CSG components, including those obtained through its acquisition of Chicago-based Telution, Matt Zemon, president of Element Customer Care, insists the offering is more than “CSG Lite”, or a stripped down version of the Tier 1 systems.

“While the [basic package] is the same for all NCTC members, like most major software solutions there are many modules and customizations that can be added to it,” Zemon said.

Those modules include the most commonly used, including: enhanced statements, automatic past due notices, electronic bill presentment and payment, inventory management, work flow management and integration with other provisioning systems.

“We also recognize that NCTC members have trouble competing on a 24-by-7 basis, so we included a call center that is fully-trained on CSG customer support systems as well as on technical support for video and Internet services,” Zemon said.

Dan Mulvenon, vice president of communications for the NCTC, said a preferred vendor is one that has stepped up and completed a full service contract with the NCTC that outlines the terms and conditions under which all its members can do business.