External Systems Interfaces

CMPClosed Converged Monetisation Platform. The MDS Global product that supports customer care and billing for digital service providers. supports a number of business processes that require integration with third partyClosed Of software; a reusable component developed to be either freely distributed or sold by an entity other than the original vendor of the development platform. systems to effect the end-to-end process, for example financial institutions for payment authorisation or debt recovery agencies for the recovery of outstanding debt on an accountClosed In the Cloud Monetisation Platform, a billing entity that can be used to manage payments on one or more subscriptions or payments for services. An account can hold details such as payments or invoices..

CMP has three types of integration mechanisms:

Specific file formats required by external systems are pre- or post-processed to, or from, the appropriate JSON format by adapters. Adapters can be provided as part of the CMP product or developed and delivered by MDS Global Professional Services. The required automatic processing sequences can be set up through the Administration ConsoleClosed An operations web console that allows batch jobs to be scheduled, run manually and monitored. The console also provides for viewing and modification of business and user applicable system configuration. described in CMP Administration Console.

Address Lookup

CMP AgentViewClosed The graphical user interface of the CMP that is typically used by Customer Service Agents to access CMP customer and billing data. In versions prior to CMP 8.0, this was called the CMP GUI. optionally provides the capability to retrieve a list of possible addresses from an entered postal code. The address lookup capability integrates with a third party API to provide a list of addresses matching the postal code.

Bank Lookup

As part of entering bank account details required for direct debit registration for example, CMP can optionally verify the bank sort-code entered to return the details of the corresponding bank branch.

Order Fulfilment

Order Request

When a hardware sales order is completed through CMP, a corresponding order request file is sent to the warehouse to provide details of the specific order, including a list or items ordered for pulling and dispatch.

CMP provides a standard JSON format for the order request file. Where the warehouse has specific formatting requirements an adapter is required to convert the standard CMP output into the specific warehouse format.

For more information, see the CMP Batch Job and JSON Schema Guide.

Order Dispatch

Once an order request has been satisfied and dispatched, that information on the status of the order and the time of dispatch is provided back to CMP. The file contains item serial numbers and other item attributes as appropriate.

CMP provides a standard JSON format for the order dispatch file. Where the file provided is in a warehouse specific format an adapter is required to convert from the warehouse format to the standard CMP format before upload into CMP.

For more information, see the CMP Batch Job and JSON Schema Guide.

Bill Print

Once the bill print files have been generated at the end of the Billing process, the bill print file is made available to an external print vendor that is responsible for the generation of the PDF bill for distribution and enquiry.

The format of the PDF bills is customisable to meet the specific needs of the Digital Service ProviderClosed The owner of the infrastructure in which accounts will be created. The Service Provider can host and operate the instance of CMP, or CMP can be provided as a Managed Service. including branding, styling and layout.

Once the PDF bills have been generated the system can automatically email the bills out to end customers based on the email address provided in the bill file. The formatting process also supports generation of PDF bills for printing or distribution in other media types such as Braille or audio.

The PDF bills can either be pulled back onto CMP for local storage and subsequent enquiry through AgentView or from an external system using the CMP web services, or can be viewed from an external print bureau using third party APIs.

Financials

At the end of the billing process a sales ledger extract is generated that provides a list of all invoice transactions posted to the CMP Sales Ledger. This can then be used by an external Sales Ledger system.

CMP provides a standard JSON format for the sales ledger extract file. Where the external sales ledger has specific formatting requirements then an adapter is required to convert the standard CMP output into the specific format required by the external sales ledger system.

For more information, see the CMP Batch Job and JSON Schema Guide.

Direct Debit Instructions

A direct debit is an instruction from a customerClosed In the context of the Cloud Monetisation Platform, an individual or organisation who has signed an agreement to take goods and services from a service provider. A customer receives a bill associated with one or more subscriptions, and can be a single end user or a large company with many subscriptions assigned to one agreement. (debtor) to their bank or payment services provider, authorising an organisation (creditor) to collect variable or fixed amounts from their account, as long as the customer is given advance notice of the collection amounts and dates. This instruction is referred to as a Direct Debit mandate.

Mandate Registrations

Periodically CMP generates a batch of new direct debit instructions for transmission to external payments systems, which in turn transfer these instructions to the paying financial institutions.

CMP provides a standard JSON format for the direct debit instructions file. Where the external payments system has specific formatting requirements then an adapter is required to convert the standard CMP output into the specific format required by the external system.

For more information, see the CMP Batch Job and JSON Schema Guide.

Mandate Revisions

When new direct debit instructions are sent to an external payments system, some instructions can fail, for example, due to incorrect bank details. Successful instructions may also subsequently be amended or cancelled by the customer. As a result, CMP may receive files from the external payments system containing rejected, amended or cancelled instructions that are automatically detected by CMP and the relevant mandate records updated or cancel. Cancellation in CMP typically involves reverting the account to a manual payment type.

CMP provides a standard JSON format for the external payments system mandate revisions file. Where the file provided is in a vendor-specific format then an adapter is required to convert from the third party format to the standard CMP format before processing by CMP.

For more information, see the CMP Batch Job and JSON Schema Guide.

Offline Payments

Recurring Payments

At the end of the billing process, CMP creates a batch of payments due for accounts that have been configured to pay by either direct debit or recurring credit or debit cards. The batch also includes accounts that have approved refunds by credit or debit card due.

CMP provides a standard JSON format for the recurring payments file. Where the external payments system has specific formatting requirements then an adapter is required to convert the standard CMP output into the specific format required by the external payments system.

For more information, see the CMP Batch Job and JSON Schema Guide.

BACS Adapter

The UK banks' payment clearing service is managed by Banker's Automated Clearing Services (BACSClosed Bankers Automated Clearing Services. A system in the United Kingdom for making payments directly from one bank account into another.). When CMP is being used in the United Kingdom, the Direct Debit and Credit files generated and processed by CMP need to be converted to, or from, the formats processed by BACS applying the specific processing logic that BACS dictates.

CMP automatically carries out these conversions and supports:

Recurring Pre-payments

Customers can purchase pre-paid bolt-onClosed An addition to a subscriber's main plan or product; also sometimes called an add-on. packages which are paid for on a recurring basis, for example every 30 days. Payments can be done by credit/debit card or from the customer's pre-paid cash balance. CMP creates a separate batch for payments that are due for settlement by card and settlement from a pre-paid balance.

CMP provides a standard JSON format for the recurring card pre-payments file and a different JSON format for the recurring balance pre-payments file. Where the external payments system has specific formatting requirements then an adapter is required to convert the standard card pre-payments CMP output into the specific format required by the external payments system. Balance pre-payments are handled by the integration to the Online Charging System (OCS).

For more information, see the CMP Batch Job and JSON Schema Guide.

Non-recurring Payments

Non-recurring payments occur when, rather than opting to pay their bill automatically each month, a subscriptionClosed A billing entity that incurs a charge. Examples include a network attached device whose usage you want to measure and charge for, or a monthly software subscription chooses to pay on their own terms, a payment by cash, for example. Records of these payments must be loaded into CMP from an external payments system and reconciled against the subscription’s account.

CMP provides a standard JSON format for the external payments system non-recurring payments file. Where the file provided is in a vendor-specific format then an adapter is required to convert from the third party format to the standard CMP format before processing by CMP.

For more information, see the CMP Batch Job and JSON Schema Guide.

Payment Rejections

When recurring payment and refund transactions are sent to an external payments system, some transactions can fail, for example due to insufficient funds or lost and stolen cards. These rejected transactions must be processed by CMP to reverse the corresponding payment in the Sales Ledger.

CMP provides a standard JSON format for the external payments system payment rejections file. Where the file provided is in a vendor-specific format then an adapter is required to convert from the third party format to the standard CMP format before processing by CMP.

For more information, see the CMP Batch Job and JSON Schema Guide.

Online Card Payments

CMP provides the ability for agents to take one-off card payments through AgentView that requires integration to an external financial institution to perform payment authorisation. When a one-off payment is required, CMP will redirect the agent to the third party payment entry screen to capture the payment amount and card details. No card details are stored in CMP.

Integration to the external financial institution is achieved through API integration.

Debt Recovery

Extract

After an account has been through the credit control process and the operator is still unable to recover the unpaid debt, the collection of that debt can be assigned to a third party known as a Debt Recovery Agency (DRAClosed Debt Recovery Agency. Companies that specialise in collecting debt when the original creditor cannot get the arrears repaid.).

Debt Recover Extract provides a JSON format output that includes accounts to be referred to a DRA. The batch includes details of the debts be recovered and customer contact information.

CMP provides a standard JSON format for the DRA extract file. Where the DRA has specific formatting requirements, an adapter is required to convert the standard CMP output into the vendor-specific format.

For more information, see the CMP Batch Job and JSON Schema Guide.

Response

Once the extract has been provided to the DRA, they can subsequently provide feedback on any amount recovered and/or payment plans imposed. When CMP receives debt recovery response files, these are automatically detected by CMP and the corresponding account details are updated to reflect the debt recovery progress.

CMP provides a standard JSON format for the DRA response file. Where the file provided is in a vendor-specific format, an adapter is required to convert from the third party format to the standard CMP format before upload into CMP.

For more information, see the CMP Batch Job and JSON Schema Guide.

Credit Reference Extract

The Credit Reference Extract provides a Credit Reference Agency (CRAClosed Credit Reference Agency. A company that collects information relating to the credit ratings of individuals and makes it available to banks, finance companies, and so on.) with information to enable them to determine peoples’ credit ratings. This information is provided as a JSON format extract when the Credit Reference Extract process is run, typically once a month.

CMP provides a standard JSON format for the credit reference extract file. Where the CRA has specific formatting requirements, an adapter is required to convert the standard CMP output into the vendor-specific format.

For more information, see the CMP Batch Job and JSON Schema Guide.

Equifax Insight 2001 Adapter

When CMP is being used in the United Kingdom the extract generated as described in Credit Referencing Extract must to be converted to a format that major Credit Reference Agencies accept.

CMP automatically carries out a conversion to the Equifax Insight 2001 format that is accepted not only by Equifax Insight but also by Experian Credit Account Information Sharing (CAIS).

Number Management

Managed Numbers

A CMP subscriberClosed The end user of a network. can have serial numbers associated with them. Typically, the primary serial numbers are the Mobile (MSISDNClosed Mobile Station International Subscriber Directory Number, often referred to as a Mobile Number. A number uniquely identifying a subscription in a mobile network.) and SIMClosed Subscriber Identity Module. A smart card (electronic chip) inside a mobile phone that communicates with the network and carries an identification number unique to the owner. The SIM can also store personal data. numbers. These numbers are referred to as managed. CMP maintains the central pool of serial numbers that can be used for new subscriptions. The repository of available managed numbers is populated by uploading files containing individual numbers or ranges of numbers. Each file contains only one type of managed number.

CMP provides a standard JSON format for the managed numbers upload file. Where the file provided is in a vendor-specific format, an adapter is required to convert from the third party format to the standard CMP format before upload into CMP.

For more information, see the CMP Batch Job and JSON Schema Guide.

SIM Profiles

A SIM profile is the specific details of the physical SIM card including SIM type – nano, mini SIM as well as electronic details such as SIM serial number (ACCEDE) and PIN/PUK values. The SIM profile may also contain any pre-allocated MSISDN. The SIM profile is typically provided by a SIM card manufacturer and uploaded into CMP for use in creating new subscriptions or performing SIM swaps on existing subscriptions.

CMP provides a standard JSON format for the SIM profile file. Where the file provided is in a SIM manufacturer-specific format, an adapter is required to convert from the third party format to the standard CMP format before upload into CMP.

For more information, see the CMP Batch Job and JSON Schema Guide.

eSim

An electronic SIM, or eSIMClosed Electronic SIM, or eSIM, is a digital SIM card embedded into a device. They allow remote activation and switching between network operators without a physical SIM swap., is a digital SIM card that is embedded into a device. This allows you to activate a plan without a physical SIM card, have multiple SIM profiles on a single device, change networks/service providers remotely, and bar and unbar the eSIM.

Subscriptions can be provisioned with an eSIM-enabled device.

Network Provisioning

When an agent or an external system performs an action in CMP that requires interaction with the networkClosed In the context of CMP, the infrastructure on which usage of registered customers will be measured – this could be a mobile phone network, broadband network or other non-telecommunications network. to which CMP is integrated, a network action provisioningClosed In telecommunications, the setup of equipment, wiring and transmission to deliver services to a customer. request is written to an outbound message queue for processing by interested adapters. Once the request has been processed by the network adapter, the result is written to a corresponding inbound message queue for processing by CMP Provisioning.

CMP provides a standard JSON format for both the outbound and inbound provisioning requests. For each network interfaceClosed The point of interconnection between two pieces of equipment, protocol layers in a computer network, or a computer and a network., a network adapter is required to convert the standard CMP output into the corresponding network commands to provision the network components and convert network responses into CMP standard JSON format.

For more information, see the CMP Batch Job and JSON Schema Guide.

Data Warehouse Extracts

CMP provides the set of extracts to provide information relevant to the deployed functional footprint to an external Data warehouse. These extracts are provided as CSVClosed Comma Separated Values. A simple file format used to store tabular data, such as a spreadsheet or database. CSV files can collect the data from tables so that it can be input to another table-oriented application such as a relational database application. files.

Online Charging

Provisioning

When CMP Network Provisioning writes a message onto the outbound network request queue, if the request requires action on the integrated OCS then the corresponding OCS service is invoked to perform the action. The corresponding response is written to the inbound queue for processing by CMP.

CMP provides a standard JSON format for both the outbound and inbound provisioning requests. An OCS network adapter is required to convert the standard CMP output into the corresponding OCS provision commands and convert OCS responses into CMP standard JSON format.

For more information, see the CMP Batch Job and JSON Schema Guide.

Rated Usage

Once the OCS has rated subscriber usageClosed The consumption of services, for example a subscriber using call minutes., it writes a usage data record to record the service consumption and any associated usage charge. Periodically a file of rated usage records is made available for CMP to process and upload into CMP against the corresponding CMP subscriptions.

CMP provides a standard JSON format for the rated usage upload file. Where the rated usage upload file is provided in a vendor-specific format, an adapter is required to convert from the third party format to the standard CMP format before upload into CMP.

For more information, see the CMP Batch Job and JSON Schema Guide.

Rated Charges

CMP allows for non-usage charges, such as one-off charges and monthly recurring changes, that have already been calculated outside of CMP to be uploaded into CMP for inclusion on the customer’s periodic invoice.

CMP provides a standard JSON format for the charge upload file. Where the charge upload file is provided in a vendor-specific format, an adapter is required to convert from the third party format to the standard CMP format before upload into CMP.

For more information, see the CMP Batch Job and JSON Schema Guide.

Customer Communications (SMS, Email, etc.)

CMP supports multiple forms of end userClosed A person with the capability to log in to the CMP GUI software, such as a customer service advisor or agent. communication such as SMSClosed Short Message Service. A text messaging service component of most mobile telephone systems. SMS uses standardized communication protocols to enable mobile phone devices to exchange short text messages., Push notification, email, letter or a generic message for enrichment and delivery by an external system. The communication delivery mechanism is dictated by the specific notification method: