The Toll Call Message Accounting (TCMA) module is used for processing call detail records to produce billing or audit reports. The call detail records may be obtained through Automatic Message Accounting (AMA) by recording the output from a telephone switch using magnetic tape, direct telecommunications, or disk files recorded by a computer that is monitoring the switch. The call records may also be obtained from Other Common Carriers (OCC) as vendor bills on magnetic tape, disks, or Compact Disk Read Only Memory (CD-ROM). During or after the end of a reporting period, the call records can be processed by the TCMA software to produce a transaction file. The transaction file may be edited as necessary and then printed in a variety of formats to give a detailed listing of all calls, including billing information.

The software assigns a Call Type code to each call. Using a simple maintenance function, the operator can control which calls are billable and how charges are calculated, if necessary.

The Toll Transaction Report provides a detailed call listing. A variety of sorting and selection options can be used to print reports from the transaction file. Detail Toll Bills can be printed for subscriber billing. Either of these can be generated as text files on disk, with a separate file for each customer.

Powerful inquiry programs, combined with specialized call search reports, provide waste, fraud, and abuse detection.

Optional features provide for PIN generation and tracking, Credit Card tracking, call billing from comprehensive V&H rating tables, and detailed switch parameter reports to verify switch operations directly from the raw call data.

PR/CR Interface

The Toll Call Message Accounting (TCMA) module interacts with the Plant Record/Cable Record (PR/CR) module if it is installed on the system. The TCMA module references certain files in the PR/CR module during call processing, file maintenance, and reporting.

PR/CR data files contain a Billing Account Code (BAC) for each telephone number.

When the PR/CR end-of-month sequence is processed, the PR/CR data files are updated to contain toll charge information.

When the Detail Toll Bill is processed, the PR/CR data files are referenced to obtain equipment and service charges to print on the bill.