Towards improved understanding of success criteria for telecoms billing & revenue management systems: from implementation to practical value

Abstract

Billing and Revenue Management Systems (BRMS) represent a key enterprise application across the entire telecommunications industry. However, their inherent complexity makes them notoriously difficult to implement, meaning projects often either end in complete failure, or arrive late and overshoot budgetary costs. A clear understanding of the factors by which implantation success is measured will reduce the likelihood of these negative outcomes. This study therefore has two objectives: first to empirically validate an established conceptual model for IS success (developed by DeLone and McLean) in a BRMS context; specifically, we applied structural equation modelling techniques to validate the model using data obtained from key informants from several telecom service providers. We then prioritize our technical findings from the study, with a view to more targeted use of billing and revenue resources and equally important, consider the potential role of BRMS in driving pricing policy and dynamic product offerings. The novelty of our work lies in the adaptation of an existing model for predicting and measuring IS success at organizational level and the ensuing benefits accruing to companies beyond mere use of BRMS as a tool for managing accounts receivable.