Mtech Communications

Case study: Mtech scales up with aBILLity™ billing

Based in Christchurch, Dorset, Mtech Communications is a national supplier of communications and connectivity services to businesses in the UK. Since establishment in February 2018, the company’s growth has been remarkable, building an enviable customer base and growing from two to 25 personnel within just twelve months.

Managing Director, Martin Dunne, ascribes this success to hard graft coupled with a simple yet cost-effective proposition for customers. He explains, “The majority of companies we visit, typically use multiple providers to supply their various communication services. We can offer all these services and more under one roof, boosting efficiency and saving money for customers. Clear communication is also key, we avoid using jargon that could confuse customers or leave them unsure about what they actually need. In short, we’re offering one supplier, one phone number, no hidden costs and no surprises. Simple!”

Clearly this approach has resonated with the market, though success is not without its trials. Dunne continues, “The challenges you face in your first year are intense. You’re trying to do so many things, bringing on so many new customers, but what’s essential is to build a long-term revenue stream in a way that’s sustainable. With today’s tight margins, you have to know early on what’s working and what’s not.”

Managing customer billing in-house was critical to achieving this objective. Dunne elaborates, “We initially used a supplier to manage billing on our behalf. This made it quick to get started but the system was overly complex and billing through a third party offered us very limited reporting and revenue analysis.”

How aBillity Billing System Helped

Dunne chose Union Street’s aBILLity™ billing software to take control of this critical area of service delivery. He continues, “I wanted to make sure we had the right billing system from the outset to avoid upheaval further down the line. aBILLity’s use is widespread throughout the comms industry, it’s very much the industry standard. Based on its reputation for excellence and my own previous experience of the platform, I knew that it could provide the revenue assurance and analytics we needed. It would also enable us to scale up without dislocation and provide clear bills that our customers could rely on.”

Union Street’s engineers set to work, configuring and optimising aBILLity to provide a tight fit for Mtech’s billing operations. Dunne also opted to use Union Street’s Bureau Service, “Building a business doesn’t leave much time for billing. Union Street’s bureau service meant we could cost-effectively outsource management of aBILLity to Union Street’s team whilst retaining all the benefits of using our own platform.

“The bureau team are excellent and really helped us to get started quickly. They effectively act as an extension of our business and the expertise and guidance they provide, has been invaluable to increasing our profitability. Because Union Street’s bureau team work in accordance with Ofcom’s Total Metering and Billing Scheme (TMBS), we’re also assured of compliance with industry best practice and accuracy in this critical area.”

Following aBILLity’s implementation, Dunne has been pleased with the results. He continues, “aBILLity has given us the tools to forecast and drill into revenues, easily identifying areas where we’re making or losing money. With this information we can adjust our strategy and ensure we stay on the right track. The reporting functionality is comprehensive and provides valuable business intelligence on everything from debtors, to customer summaries, to business growth and more.”

The support services offered by Union Street have also proved useful for Mtech. Dunne explains, “The training and technical support we receive from Union Street is always excellent. Our Account Manager regularly visits the office to assist our team in getting the most out of the system and, at her suggestion, we will shortly be implementing Union Street’s out-of-the-box billing portal. By pulling data directly from aBILLity, this portal will enable our customers to view invoices, conduct reporting of their own and gain increased visibility of their services. It’s white-labelled with our branding and accessible from our website. Empowering customers by putting them in control of their business communications, can only be good for customer satisfaction.”

Dunne concludes, “Many customers that we take on have got into a mess with their billing, finding them difficult to read and decipher. They’re delighted that our bills are presented in a way that’s clear and easy to understand. aBILLity also provides the options to format the bills so that they’re in keeping with our branding. This gives a professional look and feel that lends instant credibility to our brand. Being able to combine all services into one bill for each customer is a great benefit and really plays to our strength as a single source supplier for all communications and connectivity services.”