System and method for identifying billing errors

• US 20040133488A1
• Filed: 11/03/2003
• Published: 07/08/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 11/01/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC (Goldman Sachs Group Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Goldman Sachs & Company (Goldman Sachs Group Incorporated)
• Inventors: Slusarz, James S., Daidone, Karen M.
• Granted Patent: US 7,657,485 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/102 Bill distribution or payments
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/02 Banking, e.g. interest calculation or account maintenance credit or loans G06Q40/03
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/12 Accounting
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/00 Arrangements for metering, time-control or time indication ; Metering, charging or billing arrangements for voice wireline or wireless communications, e.g. VoIP
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/43 Billing software details
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/44 Augmented, consolidated or itemized billing statement or bill presentation
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/73 Validating charges
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/80 Rating or billing plans; Tariff determination aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0104 Augmented, consolidated or itemised billing statement, e.g. additional billing information, bill presentation, layout, format, e-mail, fax, printout, itemised bill per service or per account, cumulative billing, consolidated billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0152 General billing plans, rate plans, e.g. charge rates, numbering plans, rate centers, customer accounts
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/7072 Validate charges

Abstract

a system, method, apparatus, and computer program code for identifying billing discrepancies includes receiving billing data from a billing entity, the billing data including an assessed fee and call details associated with each of a plurality of calls made by a customer, identifying, based at least in part on the call details received from the billing data, rate information associated with the customer, generating an expected fee for each of the plurality of calls, and comparing, for each of the plurality of calls, the expected fee with the assessed fee to identify discrepancies.

Claims

1. A method of identifying billing discrepancies, comprising:

receiving billing data from a billing entity, said billing data including an assessed fee and call details associated with each of a plurality of calls made by a customer;

identifyng, based at least in part on said call details received from said billing data, rate information associated with said customer;

generating an expected fee for each of said plurality of calls; and

comparing, for each of said plurality of calls, said expected fee with said assessed fee to identify discrepancies.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

analyzing each discrepancy to determine if each discrepancy is a billing error.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said analyzing further comprises:

analyzing the difference between said expected fee and said assessed fee to identify a pattern associated with a known surcharge.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein said analyzing further comprises:

analyzing discrepancies associated with said billing data to identify discrepancies associated with fixed charges.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein said analyzing further comprises:

analyzing discrepancies associated with said billing data to identify discrepancies associated with time-based charges.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said billing data further includes rate information identified by said billing entity for each of said plurality of calls.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein said identifying includes generating a set of customer data including said call details, said rate information associated with said customer, and said expected fee.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating a set of discrepancies identified as billing errors.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

communicating said set of discrepancies identified as billing errors to said billing entity.

10. A system for identifying billing discrepancies, comprising:

a memory; and

a processor in communication with said memory and coupled to receive billing data from a billing entity, the billing data including an assessed fee and call details associated with each of a plurality of calls made by a customer, the processor operative to identify, based at least in part on said call details received from said billing data, rate information associated with said customer;

generate an expected fee for each of said plurality of calls; and

compare, for each of said plurality of calls, said expected fee with said assessed fee to identify discrepancies.