Luminet Solutions is a Canadian telecommunications provider specializing in voice communication services. As its customer base expanded, manual billing processes became increasingly time-consuming and difficult to manage, creating delays in invoicing and increasing the risk of errors. To overcome these challenges, ZillTech developed a custom Zoho-powered billing automation system that streamlined the entire process from call record imports to online customer payments.
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Challenge
Luminet Solutions relied on a manual process to generate customer invoices from call detail records (CDRs). Every billing cycle required importing call data, calculating charges, preparing invoices, and creating recurring invoices for customers. The process was time-consuming, prone to human error, and delayed billing by up to two days each month.
The company also lacked a self-service portal where customers could review their call history, billing details, and make online payments.
Solution
A custom Zoho Creator application was designed and implemented to automate the complete billing workflow.
Key Features
Call Data Import:Â
- Imported monthly call detail records (CDRs) into Zoho Creator, demonstrating how businesses can build scalable custom applications similar to those discussed in our guide on building custom business apps with Zoho Creator
- Validated and processed large volumes of call records.
Automated Call Cost Calculation
- Calculated the cost of every call using predefined billing rules and customer-specific rates.
- Generated accurate monthly billing totals automatically.
Zoho Books Integration
- Integrated Zoho Creator with Zoho Books using custom Deluge functions.
- Automatically created customer invoices.
- Generated recurring invoices where applicable.
- Eliminated manual invoice creation.
Customer Billing Portal
Built a secure client portal with role-based permissions.
Customers could:
- View detailed call logs.
- See the cost of each individual call.
- Review monthly billing summaries.
- Access invoice history.
- Pay invoices online.
- Track payment status.
Billing History
- Maintained a complete history of invoices and customer transactions.
- Simplified record keeping and customer support.
Technologies Used
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Zoho Creator
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Zoho Books API
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Deluge Scripting
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Zoho Client Portal
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Custom Billing Logic
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Workflow Automation
Results
The automation transformed Luminet Solutions’ billing operations.
Business Benefits
- Reduced monthly billing time from 1–2 days to approximately 2 hours.
- Eliminated repetitive manual invoice creation.
- Improved billing accuracy through automated rate calculations.
- Reduced the likelihood of human errors.
- Accelerated invoice delivery, improving cash flow.
- Provided customers with complete transparency into their call charges.
- Enabled customers to access invoices and billing information 24/7.
- Improved customer experience through online invoice viewing and payment capabilities.
- Reduced administrative workload for the finance team.
- Centralized billing, customer data, and financial records within the Zoho ecosystem.
- Created a scalable billing platform capable of handling increasing call volumes without additional administrative effort.
