Golden Rules for Maintaining an Accurate Voice Rating Configuration

We’ve been maintaining voice rating configuration for many of our customers for several years. Data is obtained from numerous different sources such as regulatory and carrier, and we’ve built a myriad of control checks to ensure accuracy. These controls continue to be reviewed and developed because mistakes will flow onto a bill and reputations will suffer.

Some of the original sources for National Premium dial codes and rates are huge, containing millions of rows of data with changes to individual premium rate destinations every single day. Others original sources change weekly or monthly, though are questionably formatted excel spreadsheets or text files. Our teams scrutinise, identify and manage these changes, building them accurately into client outputs ensuring they are transferred in a controlled manner following an agreed process.

From our experience, here are some golden rules to consider when managing or assuring such data:

Golden Rules for Managing Rating Configuration Changes

  • Never type in a dial code or rate – always copy to avoid typos.
  • Always be on the lookout for new commercial opportunities, as you may be the first to know.
  • Look ahead for announcements of regulatory changes.
  • Always double check a dial code change for reasonableness. This should be done both before implementation and in the context of the numbering plan. Regulators and Carriers make mistakes too.
  • Understand the tariffs – for example some tariffs or destinations need International Premiums or mobiles and others do not.
  • Understand the bundling – some destinations are included, and others are not, so do please avoid expensive mistakes.
  • Use accurate mapping tables to bring in rates and charge bands – don’t type.
  • Sort the data to view the changes in context and see how they fit into their place within the overall data set.
  • Separate out additions, removals and modifications into distinct data sets for review.
  • Reconcile all changes.
  • Ensure controls for checking and approval of all key steps.

Alternatively – you can just outsource this process to the experts. Interested in a Proof of Concept? Simply email us at:  info@biaas.com