How does IPsmarx SIP Based Calling Card Solution work? – IPsmarx.com

How does IPsmarx SIP Based Calling Card Solution work?

You are the owner of an IPsmarx SIP Based Calling Card Solution with several cards in the market:  Your customer purchases one of your calling cards in a retail location or online. The customer dials the local or 1-800 access number shown on the card from any phone. (Cell Phone, Landline, Payphone) Your IPsmarx Calling Card Platform will respond with an IVR message prompting the customer to enter a PIN – or if the card is PINless the message will ask for the destination number. Once the PIN is entered, the IPsmarx Calling Card Platform will authenticate the caller, announce the account balance to the caller, and invite the caller to dial the destination number. The IPsmarx IVR system announces the amount of minutes available for that destination. Your IPsmarx Calling Card Platform sends the call over the internet to the carrier of your choice. The carrier routes the call to the destination. When the call is terminated, the complete CDR (call detail record) for that call will be stored in the system for statement, reporting, and business analysis purposes. Using the E-store module, your customer may go on-line and check their balance, call history, and recharge their account at any time.

To get a closer look at the solution and enhanced features, please contact us to schedule a demonstration.

Calling Card Solution – Add-On Modules – IPsmarx.com

IPsmarx Add-On Modules are optional features you may choose to add when customizing your VoIP Calling Card Platform Solution.  These modules can be easily installed with no down-time. Home Service Module Reseller Management Module IPsmarx IVR-Switch Module Flexible IVR Module IPsmarx E-Store Module Enhanced System Administration Reporting Module Speed Dial Module Auto Recharge/Recurring Billing Module Payphone Surcharge Module Recharge through IVR

Home Service Module Allow your customers to create an account with you so they can pre or postpay for their usage. They can check their usage report and recharge their account at any time. They will have a local access number to dial when they want to make long distance calls and will never have to enter a PIN because the module has ANI recognition. IPsmarx billing for Residential/Business services provides you a complete toolkit to manage billing, customer and call information related to both prepaid and postpaid service options. Features include: Invoicing for postpaid and prepaid customers Low Balance Email Alerts Automatic Invoicing via Email Optional additional fees such as surcharge or connection fee. Online Customer Registration (With the purchase of Online Payment) Reseller Management Module With our multi-level reseller management tool you can create permissions and access levels for your resellers and agents, who can promote your calling and/or home service. Manage Resellers You can allow your resellers to log in to a web interface to generate their own PINs, set their own rates, and sign up their customers online. When invoicing a customer, your resellers can issue the invoice with their own company and contact information. You can even allow them to have their own website to sell calling card services online under their own brand. Resellers will also have access to their own CDR and profit/loss reports.   Manage Agents You can also sign up agents and offer them a percentage commission or a discounted rate. Agents also have the ability to send invoices to their end users. This module includes a reseller approval tool which allows resellers to request refunds that will go through only after administrator approval. IPsmarx IVR-Switch Module The IPsmarx IVR Module allows you to enable IVR-Switch for your postpaid or prepaid customers. Using this module, the system will announce the virtual call time, however the real time of the call duration may be different. This concept is also referred to as ‘minute shrinking’. You can set up the IVR percentage for each destination. For example, if your percentage for a destination “A” is setup at 80%, the call will be disconnected when 80% of announced time is used. Flexible IVR Module This module allows you to customize your own IVR messages and import them in to the system using a .wav file. IPsmarx E-Store Module The IPsmarx Development Team will integrate a complete E-Store Module into your existing website. Through the IPsmarx E-Store Module, you customers can buy your Calling Card or Home Service Products. We also customize the interface of the module to match it with your existing website. During the registration procedure, your customers will receive an email, including PIN number, access number and all other necessary information. This add-on module includes the Online Payment Module and End-User Interface Module. Online Customer Registration Purchase Calling Cards Online Home Service Online Account Recharge Supports up to 2 Payment Gateways User Account Management (users can choose to make their account PINless) CDR Reporting Payment History Reporting Online PIN-less Management Check Account Balance Manage User Profiles Includes a rate calculator so you can quickly determine call charges to specific destinations. Speed Dial Module With this feature, your customers can set up a favorite list, similar to an address book, to make calling their friends quick and easy. Redundancy The IPsmarx Calling Card Solution uses MS-SQL as its database.  If you require a redundant platform, IPsmarx engineers will design and implement a failover/replication structure for your database.  This will require the purchase of an additional service to act as your secondary database in the event of a power outage or other natural disaster. Auto Recharge/Recurring Billing Module This module allows your clients to save their credit card information online so when their balance gets low, their card is automatically recharged. **Note that you should always check with you local authorities regarding credit card procedures. Administrators must have Authorize.net merchant account in order to support this module. Payphone Surcharge Module This software allows you to import payphone phone numbers and rates in order to add an additional charge to your customers dialing from a payphone. You can also define any other access number that will have an additional charge associated with it. Recharge through IVR For those customers who prefer to recharge their card over the phone – you can allow them to recharge through the IVR (Interactive Voice Response) system using this module. *Note that you should always check current regulations for charging credit cards before implementing this module.

Calling Card Solution – Key Features – IPsmarx.com

Advanced IVR Menu

IPsmarx SIP Based Calling Card Platform come equipped with standard and advanced IVR messages. The IVR can announce account balance, an option to redial the last number dialed and it can ask the user if they wish to make the card PINless upon next use. Note that the Flexible IVR add-on module can also be added to the platform in order to create custom messages.

User Friendly Dialing Plan

Because there is no gateway configuration necessary the dialing plan and carriers can be managed through one user friendly web interface – no Quintum or Cisco certification necessary!

Online Call Monitoring Tool

With this tool, administrators can view the number of calling card users online along with some additional information regarding their activity.

Web-based GUI

IPsmarx billing platform is web-based, allowing administrators to log in from anywhere they have internet access in order to manage their system.

Online Backup System

This tool allows administrators to backup their database online. Using a link, their file will be available to save on a local hard drive, simplifying database restoration if needed.

Toll Free & Local Access Number Management

Defining toll free and local access numbers with various IVR options is easy with this feature. IPsmarx give the flexibility to define the following options for each access number: Announce Time Announce Balance Announce both Time and Balance No Announcement Charge Additional Per Minute Rate Add an Extra Charge Per Call Activate/Deactivate the Access Number

DID Provider Management

Manage multiple DID providers with IP based authentication and SIP/H323 support. This tool enables management of DID providers with multiple IP addresses. Administrators have the option to enable or disable accounts as necessary.

City/Country Management

Using this tool, administrators can import and export city and country lists and then add, modify, and delete individual cities or countries as necessary, making CDR reporting data specific to geographical regions.

Grace & Surcharge Time Support

Administrators have the option to define a grace period for which there is no cost for hanging up a call during the predetermined timeframe. They can also set up surcharge fees after a specified time is reached.

Rounding Support

Minimum connection time and minute rounding are supported by IPsmarx SIP based Calling Card Platform. Administrators can define their own rounding parameters, such as 30/6 or 60/60.

Email Notification System

Administrators have the flexibility to create their own customized email template and settings in order to notify their end users of low balance. When an end user’s balance goes below a predefined threshold amount, the IPsmarx system will automatically send them an email alert as specified by the administrator.

User Group Definition Tool

This tool allows administrators to group end users and define various billing parameters for each group such as: Validity Days & Expiration Date Administrators can define the amount of days a calling card will be valid for after the first use. An Expiration date can be set as the date service will end, regardless of end user usage. Maintenance Period & Fee The number of days in a maintenance period and fee that will be charged after each maintenance period can be defined. Administrators also have the option to stop charging maintenance fees after a maximum maintenance fee is reached. Monthly Fee A flat monthly fee can be charged to calling card and/or home service users. End users who sign up online can also be defined as a group in order to apply specific fees to them.

Customer Service Tools

Customer service is made easy with pre-defined access for customer service agents. Administrators determine the reports their customer service agents will have access to. From this access, agents can refund calls in any dollar amount, up to the cost of the call. For security measures, a call cannot be refunded more than the cost of the call. and status.

Unlimited PIN Generation

There is no limit to the number of PINs that can be generated. This feature also enables you to activate PINs in batches. For example, you can activate 50 PINs or 50,000 PINs at a time. You can also deactivate PINs as a way to safeguard your business.

Flexible PIN Definition

End users can define their own shortened PIN or vanity PIN number, making international calling convenient.

Manage Users / Define User Level Access

With this feature you can support multiple users with different levels of access, enabling you to seamlessly manage administrators, supervisors and customer service users.

Import/Export Capabilities

IPsmarx solutions are compatible with Microsoft Excel. For all available reports in the IPsmarx calling card platform, there is an export section that allows you to save reports in an Excel file and export them to your desktop. You can also create and manipulate files in Excel and then import them back into the application.

Enhanced VoIP Billing

IPsmarx enhanced billing features include the capability to create different rates for each country and city, generate dedicated rates-per-service, and differentiate rates for prepaid and postpaid customers.

Flexible Rate Management & Advanced Charges

Once a rate is defined for each country and city, you can set up different rounding and free-time for each individual route. Even within one selling package, clients are capable of setting up different surcharge fees, surcharge times, and rounding charges for their customers. Rates may also be setup for specific days and hours. For example, special rates could be set up for weekends or holidays. Advanced charges, such as surcharge and connection fees, can be applied to the calling card services. This feature also enables scheduled maintenance periods and maintenance fees for each individual service. Generally, charges are “after-call” charges. This means that the charge amount will be deducted from the client’s account when the call is terminated. In this scenario, if the client were to use the entire balance, the account deduction would go negative. The IPsmarx Calling Card Solution allows for defining upfront charges. In this scenario, the system will deduct the charges before the call is connected.

Centralized Administration

This feature allows all administrative and management tasks to be performed through a web portal. You can use your own dedicated web portal to check ASR (Average Success Rate), ACD (Average Call Duration), and CDR (Call Detail Record) Reports.

Unauthorized Access Protection

The system will automatically block an IP address after 8 unsuccessful login attempts.

Validity Date Support

This feature enables administrators to set an expiration date for their calling cards so that after the pre-determined date a card will not longer be valid.

Unlimited Carriers, Multiple Carrier, & Fail-Over

This feature allows for an unlimited number of carriers and enables the carriers to be prioritized. For example, if the call fails on the first attempt, the system will automatically forward the call to the 2nd available carrier and continue until the call is connected. This feature also offers the capability to define a specific destination to be terminated by one dedicated carrier.

Carrier Grade Reliability & Compatibility

The IPsmarx Calling Card Solution is compatible with end-point carriers that support IP-based (SIP & H323) or TDM (Time-Division Multiplexing).

Profile/Group Based Management

By creating batch tasks based on defined profiles or groups, providers can deposit, deduct, create, apply discounts, credit, and define points for customers.

Real-time Monitoring and System Alerts

Monitor your business in real-time by using IPsmarx calling card platform to check the status of all activity at any given time. This feature shows where calls are coming from, which accounts are calling, and the destination of the calls. Additionally, the application shows the terminating carrier. This information provides a complete view of live traffic and status.

Comprehensive Reporting

The IPsmarx Calling Card Solution provides a wide variety of comprehensive reports including: CDR (Call Detail Record) – A complete report that includes PIN, Service, Country, City, Duration (minutes), Final Duration (minutes after rounding), Rate, and Total Cost of each call. ASR (Average Success Ratio) – A Quality of Service Based report that shows the average success rate for calls to all or one particular destination or carrier. DID (Direct Inward Dialing) – This report enables you to determine which of the DID (access numbers) are handling most of the traffic. Comparison Reports – Using this feature, you can easily view and compare data over different time periods. Customer Reports – This report allows you to view your customers’ balance and view suspended customers. Advanced Reports -Segment by rate plan, country, city and date to view specific data. Calling Card Reports – Using this feature, you can check cards used, expired cards, and active cards.

High-Level Codec & Protocol Compatibility

The IPsmarx Calling Card Solution is compatible with all available codecs supported by the VoIP gateway (G723, G729, G726, & G711). It also supports codec negotiations and is capable of selecting different codecs for different carriers. IPsmarx solutions also support both SIP and H323 protocols.

Calling Card Solution – IPsmarx.com

As a leader in VoIP innovation, IPsmarx has successfully supported our clients in building their business
through our comprehensive solutions and products installed in over 62 countries.

Our SIP Based Calling Card Platform allows for rapid market entry, decreased overhead costs, and increased market share with the advanced technology and enhanced features you need to differentiate your calling card service in the market.
With the IPsmarx SIP Based Calling Card Solution you can:

• Position multiple calling cards in the market
• Route traffic to numerous carriers
• Maintain real-time management and analysis of your operations
• Offer web access to your customers
• Generate, activate and deactivate PIN number with our easy PIN and Serial Generation Tool, including Fraud Detection Support
• Take advantage of radius billing and AAA
• Set your own rates: peak and off-peak rates, flat rates, connection and service fees, taxes and promotional rates.
• Generate call detail records (CDRs) and reports (by carrier, country, city, card performance, profitability, and more!)
• Add-on modules to provide ANI Home Services including PIN-less Number Registration, customized IVR messages, daily alerts and allow customers to sign up online.
• Manage resellers and agents with our Reseller Management add-on module. Your resellers can have their own brand of calling card services complete with a website to resell for you.

For more detailed information on the IPsmarx Calling Card Solution visit:
http://ipsmarx.com/english/solutions/calling-card01.html

To view some our Calling Card case studies please visit:
http://www.ipsmarx.com/english/company/Cases/CS1.pdf
http://www.ipsmarx.com/english/company/Cases/CS15.pdf

If you have any questions or would like to discuss how IPsmarx can help you please feel free to call me or email me.

Thank you again for your interest in our solutions and I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

Shane Breen
IPsmarx Technology Inc.
48 Wall Street
Suite 1100
New York, New York 10005
United States
Tel: + 1.212.918.4990
Fax: +1.212-813-3277
Email: s.breen@ipsmarx.com
Web: www.IPsmarx.com

IPsmarx has joined the Blogosphere! Visit www.IPsmarx.com/blog