Cerillion Blog
The Cerillion Blog provides a regular feed of company news, industry insight and informed opinion, all delivered by a team of recognised experts from across the company
Facebook brings conversation-based pricing to WhatsApp Business
Next year, WhatsApp will switch to a conversation-based pricing model for its Business app, charging companies per customer interaction. Could this model be the solution to its monetisation problem? And what can telcos learn about this value or outcome-based approach?
The psychology of subscriptions
Consumer psychology won’t let you brainwash customers into becoming loyal consumers, but it offers important lessons for subscription companies in designing their products and customer experience. We take a deep dive into the psychology of subscriptions, and try to separate the useful hacks from the useless hokum.
Low-income broadband: should telcos be obliged to provide?
Internet connectivity is increasingly being considered a utility, alongside gas, electricity, and water – but as a recent New York lawsuit has highlighted, telcos aren’t so excited by this news. To what extent should they be required to provide access to those on low incomes?
How TM Forum Open APIs are accelerating innovation & delivery at Cerillion
We all use APIs on a daily basis, without even realising; from signing into websites with a social media account to making payments online. Brian Coombs, Cerillion's Product Director, explains how TM Forum Open APIs are powering Cerillion products and continue to drive innovation.
Payment declines: how to fight back
More than a minor annoyance, payment declines are enough to halt a significant number of your online sales in their tracks. What can merchants do to protect themselves from the effects of these errors and safeguard their revenues, particularly when it comes to subscriptions?
The five challenges of moving to usage-based billing
Moving your business to usage-based billing is not without its perils – from how you implement it in your subscription plans, to whether your customers take the change kindly. Here are five common challenges that every business must overcome to shift successfully to a usage-based pricing model.
How can Managed Services help your business?
Though Managed Services have been around for years, the impact of the coronavirus pandemic and a rapidly changing telecoms landscape is generating renewed interest in this key IT strategy. What makes Managed Services such an attractive proposition for CSPs now?
CSPs rolling out new CCAPS offerings to boost ARPUs and customer satisfaction
As an increasing range of services are provided digitally, customers need increased protection for their devices, connections and personal data. How can Connected Customer Assurance & Protection Services (CCAPS) provide effective security against complex online risks?
World Economic Forum 2021: Circular economy and “The Great Reset”
Subscriptions are high on the agenda of the World Economic Forum, as part of their strategy for a Great Reset of global capitalism. How will subscriptions be integral to a circular economy? And will not owning anything really make everyone happy?
How often should subscription businesses bill their customers?
When deciding how often to bill customers, subscription companies must juggle a range of factors to ensure a steady income without pricing out new users. Which options are available, and what are the benefits and drawbacks of each approach?
To bill, or not to bill, that is the question
There is a common misconception that recurring billing and recurring payments are one and the same thing – a misunderstanding that can have profound implications on the likelihood of subscription success. Dominic Smith runs through the key differences between billing and payments, and explains why companies embarking on a subscription model need to look carefully at their recurring billing needs to avoid a Winter of Discontent.
Why communication is the key to unlocking 5G value
With a variety of factors leaving consumers still largely in the dark as to the promises of 5G, how can DSPs address this failure to communicate and convey its full potential? Guest blogger Teresa Cottam of Omnisperience examines a new approach to customer engagement.
Swallowing the fish: the risks of transforming your service into a subscription
Making the switch from product sales to subscription services comes with the inherent risk of alienating your existing customer base. How can you encourage your customers to become subscribers, rather than one-off buyers? And what does “swallowing the fish” have to do with it?
Free trials: something for nothing, or trial and error?
With an overabundance of subscription offerings all vying for the attention of potential customers, businesses must ensure that their free trials, the gateway to their service for many, provide a rounded customer experience without misleading expectations. How can subscription businesses accomplish this – and leave them wanting more?
Onboarding Made Easy with Cerillion Skyline
Now more than ever, it’s critical for subscription businesses to automate billing processes. How does Cerillion’s assisted implementation service ensure that a customer’s bespoke charging and billing platform is ready for launch in as little as three weeks? We break down the onboarding process from start to finish in simple terms.
Multicloud and distributed cloud: An industry primer
With more and more enterprises turning to multiple cloud services, a move to distributed cloud set-ups becomes increasingly likely – perhaps even necessary. What are the differences between these two discrete cloud implementations, and what are the relative benefits and drawbacks of each approach? Cerillion Product Director Brian Coombs writes.
The hard resell: dealers, distributors and Skyline
Large service providers are relying on smaller dealers and distributors to do the heavy lifting of product or service sales. How does a subscription billing system like Cerillion Skyline create a unified sales repository for these various resellers?
The doctor will see you now: subscription health apps
With the world facing the biggest healthcare crisis this century, subscription telehealth services are being deployed at an unprecedented rate, using mobile apps to deliver medical care outside the surgery. What are the pros and cons of telehealth treatments – and who foots the bill?
Zombie accounts and dark patterns: the ethics of billing inactive customers
With Netflix announcing their decision to close the accounts of inactive customers, should other subscription businesses reconsider how they deal with “zombie accounts” who pay their fees but don’t engage with a service? Is the decision a strictly moral choice, or is there a financial benefit behind it too?
Subscription Trends 2020: the mid-year assessment
We cast our minds back to the beginning of the year, once again, and to the five predictions that Cerillion made for the biggest trends for the subscription industry in 2020; how have recent developments treated these expectations over half a year later?
Smart Devices, Smarter Billing: Subscriptions in the IoT Age
Businesses across all industries are identifying new and increasingly innovative sources of revenue, thanks to the ever-growing opportunities presented by the Internet of Things (IoT). How can subscription businesses capitalise on the potential of embedded sensor-based technology?