Posted on August 7th, 2009It doesn’t matter what industry you operate in, having the ability to efficiently bill your customers is a must. Ideally, this system should be easy to set up, use and maintain. There are many different types of billing systems available to you and this article will shed some light on how they work.
Basic Features and Capabilities
Most billing software applications aim to not only help you bill your customers, but also process orders, send out emails and other automated tasks. A common functionality is the integration with payment gateways and terminals for processing credit and debit card payments online. Other features you may find allow you to create and monitor invoices, screen for fraudulent activities and provide your customers with various support options directly through the interface. Some of these programs come in the form of downloadable software that is to be installed on your computer or server, others are hosted solutions managed by an IT company. You also have desktop versions that interface with payment gateways or third-party processors to facilitate automated payments. Almost all of these systems are designed to streamline the process of invoicing and maintaining customer relationships.
Support Features
As we eluded to above, many billing systems are being created with comprehensive support features to improve customer relations. Some of the most notable of these features include support ticket systems, live chat, FAQs and knowledge bases, download areas and overviews that provide customers with the current status of the underlying server or system. These same applications generally allow you to automatically create, suspend or delete accounts while delivering fully automated billing processes with accounting functionality and detailed reports. With the right tool at your disposal, your clients will be billed and payments processed with very little effort on your part. These are just some of the benefits of a reliable automated billing system.
Licenses and Requirements
The market for billing systems is expanding and some of the most popular options currently include ClientExec, Modern Bill, Whois.Cart and WHM Autopilot. These software products generally have two types of licensing and payment options: perpetual licenses and lease licenses. With perpetual licenses, you typically pay once for the license, which allows you to use the software and get one to two years of free technical support and updates. After the original license expires, you still get to use the software, but must pay for additional support and updates. Leased licenses provide you with an option to pay for the billing system on a monthly, quarterly or annual basis. With this scenario, you can continue to use the software, receive for support and updates as long as you keep renewing the license.
When shopping for automated billing software, it is important to make sure the product supports your computer and operating system. You should be happy to know that most of the industry leading products support popular operating platforms such as Windows or Linux as well control panels like cPanel and Plesk. Just keep in mind that a system that is both powerful and easy to use will most often provide you with the best results.