Devices, Systems and Methods for SLA-Based Billing

• US 20110137772A1
• Filed: 12/07/2009
• Published: 06/09/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/07/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: McNamara, Justin Michael Anthony, Rector, Jay Daryl, Davis, John Potts III
• Application Number:
  US12/632,106
• Publication Number:
  US 20110137772A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/016 After-sales
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• 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 15/41 Billing record details, i.e. parameters, identifiers, structure of call data record [CDR]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/43 Billing software details
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/70 Administration or customization aspects; Counter-checking correct charges
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/73 Validating charges
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/735 Re-crediting user
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/80 Rating or billing plans; Tariff determination aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8016 based on quality of service [QoS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 Accounting or billing

Abstract

Devices, systems and methods are disclosed which relate to automatically detecting user dissatisfaction and billing a user accordingly. Systems for providing customer service to a user of a telecommunication network include a mobile communication device having logic for submitting a QoS complaint. A billing server on the telecommunications network retrieves a Service Level Agreement (SLA) for the user from a user account database. The billing server also communicates with a CDR database having CDRs associated with the SLAs. Some of the CDRs include QoS complaints from the user. A logic on the billing server references the CDRs. If the billing server determines that a user is not receiving the QoS that is defined in the SLA, then the billing server calculates a discount to apply to the relevant bill. If the billing server determines that the user is dissatisfied with the QoS they are receiving, when the QoS is consistent with the SLA, then the SLA is modified to increase the QoS, and the user is billed accordingly.

Claims

1. A system for providing customer service to a user of a telecommunication network, the system comprising:

a mobile communication device on a telecommunications network;

a complaint logic on the mobile communication device for submitting a Quality of Service (QoS) complaint including a complaint QoS, a time, and a location;

a billing server on the telecommunications network;

a user account database in communication with the billing server, the user account database having a Service Level Agreement (SLA) associated with the user, the SLA having a threshold QoS;

a Call Detail Record (CDR) database in communication with the billing server, the CDR database having a plurality of CDRs associated with the SLA, the plurality of CDRs including a CDR having the QoS complaint; and

a customer service logic on the billing server for

retrieving the plurality of CDRs,

comparing the complaint QoS with the threshold QoS, and

billing the user.

2. The system in claim 1, wherein the customer service logic:

determines the threshold QoS to be lower than the complaint QoS;

modifies the threshold QoS to exceed the complaint QoS, and

bills the user for the modification to the threshold QoS.

3. The system in claim 1, wherein the customer service logic:

determines the threshold QoS to be higher than the complaint QoS;

extracts a number of poor connections from the plurality of CDRs, and

discounts a bill proportional to the number of poor connections, the bill corresponding to the SLA.

4. The system in claim 3, wherein the customer service logic strengthens the signal corresponding to the location.

5. The system in claim 1, wherein the customer service logic associates the QoS complaint with a CDR.

6. The system in claim 1, wherein the customer service logic requests a location from the mobile communication device upon receiving a QoS complaint.

7. The system in claim 1, wherein the mobile communication device includes a GPS unit.

8. A method for providing customer service to a user of a telecommunication network, the user being associated with an SLA, the method comprising:

receiving a QoS complaint from the user, the QoS complaint including a complaint QoS, a time, and a location;

retrieving a CDR database having a plurality of CDRs associated with the SLA, the plurality including a CDR having the QoS complaint;

comparing the complaint QoS with a threshold QoS associated with the SLA; and

billing the user based on a difference between the complaint QoS and the threshold QoS.

9. The method in claim 8, further comprising:

determining the threshold QoS to be lower than the complaint QoS;

modifying the threshold QoS to exceed the complaint QoS, and

billing the user for the modification to the threshold QoS.

10. The method in claim 8, further comprising:

determining the threshold QoS to be higher than the complaint QoS;

extracting a number of poor connections from the plurality of CDRs, and

discounting a bill proportional to the number of poor connections, the bill corresponding to the SLA.

13. The method in claim 8, wherein the discounting further comprises discounting an amount proportional to the number of poor connections exceeding a threshold number of poor connections in the SLA from the bill corresponding to the user account.

14. The method in claim 8, further comprising extracting an average data rate from the plurality of CDRs corresponding to the user account.

15. The method in claim 14, further comprising charging an amount proportional to the average data rate to the user account.

11. The method in clam 10, further comprising strengthening a signal corresponding to the location.

12. The method in clam 8, further comprising:

receiving a QoS complaint; and

associating the QoS complaint with a CDR.

16. A method for discovering and improving poor locations in a telecommunication network, the method comprising:

receiving a plurality of QoS complaints from a corresponding plurality of users of the telecommunication network, wherein each QoS complaint includes a complaint QoS, a time, and a location;

associating the plurality of QoS complaints with a plurality of CDRs;

sorting the plurality of CDRs by location;

determining a location associated with poor connections; and

strengthening the signal corresponding to the location.

17. The method in claim 16, further comprising

sorting a plurality of CDRs by time;

determining a time associated with poor connections at the location; and

strengthening the signal corresponding to the time and location.

18. The method in claim 16, wherein strengthening the signal includes delivering more power to an antenna at the location.

19. The method in claim 16, wherein strengthening the signal includes clearing foliage at the location.

20. The method in claim 16, wherein the strengthening the signal includes adding one of an antenna and a relay to the location.