Frequently Asked Questions

The SAFE Billing Platform is a complete billing solution made for UK telecom resellers. It handles everything from CDR processing to invoice delivery and payment collection, helping you save time, cut down on errors, and get paid faster.

The platform is designed for UK telecom resellers of all sizes, from small startups with a handful of customers to larger businesses with thousands of users. It is ideal for anyone selling fixed line, VoIP, mobile, or data services.

Unlike generic billing software or expensive enterprise systems, SAFE is built specifically for UK telecom resellers. We offer UK-based support from industry experts, CDR processing for over 85 formats, white-label options, and built-in UK compliance. The platform is more affordable and easier to use than enterprise solutions, while being more capable than generic tools.

The SAFE Billing Platform is developed by Safe Online Billing Limited, a family-run UK business with deep telecom industry experience, founded in 2005. Being a small team means we can be more responsive and provide personalised service that larger providers cannot match.

For most telecom resellers, the platform can be set up and ready to use within 5 to 7 working days. The exact time depends on the complexity of your billing needs and the state of your current customer data.

Yes, we provide tools and help to move from your current billing system. We can import your customer data and service details to ensure a smooth switch. We have templates for preparing your data and can work with most standard formats.

We've designed the implementation to need minimal input from your team. You'll need to provide your customer data, branding assets, and rate cards. Someone from your team should be available to make decisions about platform configuration and to attend training.

The transition can be nearly invisible to your customers. With white-labelling, invoices and the customer portal will carry your branding. The main difference your customers will notice is clearer invoices and access to a self-service portal.

Yes, we can help you migrate from aBILLity to the SAFE Billing Platform. We have experience importing customer data, service configurations, and billing history from aBILLity systems.

The SAFE Billing Platform supports CDRs from major UK carriers for fixed line, mobile, and data services. We support 85+ CDR formats and regularly add new ones based on user requirements.

Yes, the platform offers full white-labelling. You can add your logo, colours, and branding to invoices, the customer portal, and all customer communications. Your customers will never see the SAFE brand.

Yes, the platform fully supports recurring billing for line rentals, monthly subscriptions, and other regular fees. You can set different billing cycles, handle mid-cycle changes with automatic prorating, and manage contract renewals.

The customer portal gives your customers 24/7 access to their billing information. They can view and download invoices, check usage with interactive dashboards, update payment details, and make payments online. The portal shows your company branding and can be accessed through your own domain.

The platform supports credit and debit cards via Stripe, Direct Debit through GoCardless, and secure payment links for one-time payments. Customers manage their payment methods through the portal. Payments are automatically reconciled to the correct invoices.

Yes, while SAFE is optimised for telecom services, you can also use it to bill for equipment, IT support, software licences, consultancy, and other recurring or one-time charges.

The platform is built for UK tax requirements. It automatically calculates VAT at the correct rates and produces tax-compliant invoices that meet HMRC requirements. The system can handle reverse charge VAT where needed, and tax rates are kept current.

Yes, the platform allows flexible pricing at customer, group, or service level. You can create custom pricing plans for different market segments, set up volume discounts, create promotional offers, and manage special pricing for specific customers.

Yes, the platform includes comprehensive reporting. You can analyse margins by customer, service type, or product line, comparing your costs against selling prices. Reports can be scheduled, exported, and shared with team members.

No, the SAFE Billing Platform is cloud-based. There is no software to install or keep updated. You access it from any modern web browser on any device with internet access.

Yes, the SAFE Billing Platform provides API access for connecting with your CRM, accounting software, or custom applications. We provide detailed documentation, code examples, and integration support.

The platform can collect CDRs via automatic retrieval from carrier SFTP servers, email attachments, direct API connections, or manual upload. We can set up automated collection for most major UK carriers.

The platform processes CDRs as soon as they become available from your carriers. Processing frequency ranges from monthly to near real-time, depending on your needs and how often carriers provide CDRs.

Yes, the platform handles VoIP billing including SIP trunking, hosted PBX systems, and softphone solutions. It supports billing for extensions, call groups, and VoIP-specific features.

The platform includes revenue reports by customer and service type, usage analysis, margin calculations, customer behaviour insights, payment collection reports, and custom report building. Reports can be exported to various formats.

SAFE includes error detection that flags potential issues before invoices are sent. These include unusual usage patterns, rating anomalies, and mismatches with carrier invoices. You can review and correct these before finalising bills.

Yes, you can configure the workflow to include an approval step where invoices are held for review before being sent. You can choose which invoice types require approval and which can be sent automatically.

SAFE automatically detects payment failures and starts a customisable workflow. The system can send notification emails to customers, retry the payment, or attempt alternative payment methods. All payment actions are tracked with a full history.

Yes, the platform includes anomaly detection that alerts you to unusual usage patterns. You can set thresholds for different services and receive alerts when usage exceeds normal patterns. This helps identify potential fraud or billing errors.

Security is a top priority. The platform uses strong encryption, full backup systems with point-in-time recovery, strict access controls, and is hosted in UK-based data centres with advanced physical security.

The SAFE Billing Platform is designed to meet GDPR requirements. We have put in place proper technical and organisational measures, including data minimisation and secure processing. The platform includes tools to help you meet your own GDPR obligations.

Card details are handled by Stripe, a PCI-DSS Level 1 certified payment processor, using tokenisation. We never store, transmit, or process raw card numbers, which keeps card data out of scope for our platform. Direct Debit collection is handled by GoCardless, an FCA-authorised payment institution.

Customer data is hosted in UK data centres. Where third-party processors are involved (for example payment providers), they are listed in our data processing documentation.

Data is backed up continuously with point-in-time recovery options. The system keeps multiple copies with both local and geographically separated backups. Daily snapshots of your customer database are available for download.

Yes, the platform is designed to help you meet your Ofcom obligations for telecom billing accuracy and dispute handling. The system supports the audit trail and reporting you need, and we update it when telecom billing rules change.

Yes, we maintain a comprehensive disaster recovery plan that is regularly tested. Our infrastructure is designed with redundancy at multiple levels. In the unlikely event of a major incident, we can restore service quickly from geographically separated backups.

We provide support during UK business hours (9am to 5:30pm, Monday to Friday) via email and phone.

Yes, we provide comprehensive documentation including user guides, available 24/7. The documentation covers all aspects of the platform and is regularly updated to reflect new features.

We release minor improvements and bug fixes monthly, with larger feature updates quarterly. Updates are applied automatically with no downtime, and we provide advance notice of any significant changes. All updates are included at no additional cost.