Patent Publication Number: US-2005137936-A1

Title: Methods and systems for pricing products utilizing pricelists based on qualifiers

Description:
FIELD OF INVENTION  
      The present invention relates generally to methods, systems, and computer-readable mediums for pricing products and services. More particularly, the present invention relates to varying pricing of telecommunications products utilizing pricelists based on one or more qualifiers.  
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      Historically prices for telecommunication services were based on authorized tariffs where each tariff has a class of service. Tariffs are charges authorized by the Public Service Commission for telephone companies to use in providing products and services to the public. Tariffs are typically authorized based on the capital needs to build a facility and provide a service. For example a telephone company that only provides a POTS service may not be authorized to charge as much as a telephone company that provides data access. Over time telecommunication companies are selling more advanced services and the public has higher expectations. Today pricing is driven more by customer desires instead of cost to build facilities. For example customers desire creative products traditionally not offered such as wireless combined with wireline services.  
      One limitation to servicing the varied market desires of customers is the current billing systems have a limited number of data elements that can be used as price qualifiers. For example, current billing systems can only vary prices by Basic class of service, Rate Group, Tariff Exception Indicator, and Contract Identifier. These qualifications do not meet the needs for wireless, broadband, and other non-regulated products. Modifying current billing systems to include new data elements such as wireless, broadband is an expensive and complicated process.  
      Accordingly, there is a need for a method and system for varying prices of telecommunication products and services based on an unlimited number of qualifiers or data elements. It is with respect to these and other considerations that the present invention has been made.  
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      Embodiments of the present invention provide methods and systems for pricing telecommunications products and services utilizing pricelists based on qualifiers. A price qualifier is any data element that results in a price variation of the same product. The present invention provides the capability to vary prices for products by many different qualifications, such as customer qualifiers, location qualifiers and product qualifiers. The present invention also greatly simplifies the process of determining a price for a product for any application that requires price determination capability such as billing, ordering, or customer service for a telecommunications product provider. Products such as wireline, wireless, broadband service are varied in price by the present invention thereby offering customers market driven competitive pricing. Any product line where prices are differentiated, such as a cable communications product, a satellite communications product, and an Internet product, have applicable uses for embodiments of the present invention.  
      Multiple pricelists can be related to any product. The qualifiers are encoded to serve as the unique identifier for the pricelist. When a product is sold to a customer, the appropriate pricelist is selected based on the qualifiers for the specific customer. The unique identifier for the pricelist is associated with the product code for the product. Thereafter, other applications that need to acquire the price for the product are directed to the appropriate price with a need to use the qualifications to determine the price. Further, as the values of the qualifiers change, no system changes are needed in the applications that use the pricelist concept to determine the price of the product. As qualifiers are changed, only the applications that encode the qualifiers into pricelist identifiers need to be updated. Applications that utilize the result are not required to change.  
      One embodiment is a method of pricing products based on qualifiers. The method involves defining a pricelist for a product being offered. Defining the pricelist includes establishing one or more qualifiers for determining a price of the product. Each qualifier established for the pricelist is an attribute of the pricelist that results in a price variation for the product being offered. The method also involves encoding the qualifiers necessary to fully qualify a price of the product into a pricelist identifier. The pricelist identifier references the price list is a concatenated key of qualifiers that references the pricelist. The pricelist for a product is defined as the price of the product once the qualifiers necessary to fully qualify a price have been established. The method enables differentiation of prices for the product based on an unlimited number of qualifiers.  
      Another embodiment of the present invention may be a pricelist defined for at least one product that includes a data arrangement. The data arrangement includes a price for the product based on a number of qualifiers necessary to fully qualify the price. The number of qualifiers necessary to fully qualify the price is the number that accounts for fulfilling at least one of the qualifier categories of product, location, or customer type. The data arrangement also includes a pricelist identifier. The pricelist identifier in this embodiment is also a concatenated key of the qualifiers provided to other applications having a need to price the product. The data arrangement further includes a product code associating the product with the pricelist such that applications seeking a price of the product and having the product code and the pricelist identifier retrieve the price from the pricelist without knowledge of the qualifiers necessary to fully qualify the price.  
      Still another embodiment of the present invention may be a computer-implemented system for pricing products based on qualifiers. The system includes a server computer providing a graphical user interface operative to receive data to define at least one pricelist for a product being offered. Defining a pricelist includes establishing one or more qualifiers for determining a price of the product. The server computer is further operative to encode the qualifiers necessary to fully qualify a price of the product into a pricelist identifier referencing the pricelist. The system may also include a database operative to store at least one entry for the product in a data arrangement. The entries may include the qualifiers necessary to fully qualify a price of the product and or a pricelist including a fully qualified price associated with the product. The entries may also include the pricelist identifier referencing the pricelist and a product code representing the product.  
      These and other features and advantages, which characterize the present invention, will be apparent from a reading of the following detailed description and a review of the associated drawings. It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and are not restrictive of the invention as claimed. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       FIG. 1  is a simplified block diagram showing interaction between a product database/server system and a plurality of applications and systems according to an embodiment of the present invention.  
       FIG. 2  is a block diagram of the product database and server system according to an embodiment of the present invention.  
       FIG. 3  is a simplified block diagram illustrating qualifier categories of a product maintenance graphical user interface (PMGUI) and qualifiers received at the PMGUI and stored in the product database according to an embodiment of the present invention.  
       FIGS. 4A-4C  are computer screen displays showing an illustrative PMGUI for creating and displaying pricelists according to an embodiment of the present invention.  
       FIGS. 5A-5B  are computer screen displays showing an illustrative PMGUI for creating and displaying pricelists lines according to an embodiment of the present invention.  
       FIG. 6  illustrates a sample service order with billing instructions generated upon executing an order for a product priced by a pricelist according to an embodiment of the present invention.  
       FIG. 7  illustrates a flow diagram showing an illustrative routine for pricing products utilizing pricelists based on qualifiers according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
      As described briefly above, embodiments of the present invention are directed to systems and methods for pricing products utilizing pricelists based on qualifiers. In the following detailed description, references are made to the accompanying drawings that form a part hereof, and in which are shown by way of illustrations, specific embodiments or examples. These embodiments may be combined, other embodiments may be utilized, and structural changes may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention. The following detailed description is therefore not to be taken in a limiting sense and the scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.  
       FIG. 1  is a simplified block diagram illustrating interaction between a product database system (PDS)  107  and a plurality of applications and systems via a web services layer  110  according to an embodiment of the present invention. The applications and systems include rating/billing systems  120  of various product providers, common business service applications (CBS)  117 , customer service interface applications  115 , and a product maintenance graphical user interface (PMGUI)  114 . The rating/billing systems  120  and the customer service interface applications  115  have the capability to store customer records  108  containing customer data in their respective data stores. As will be described in greater detail below with reference to  FIGS. 3-7 , the PDS  107  includes an arrangement of data elements in the product database  102  that associate one or prices with a product based on qualifiers. Each product may be referenced by a product code  103 . The prices are in the form of pricelists  105  where each pricelist is defined for at least one product and referenced by an identifier  104 . Each identifier  104  is a concatenated key of the qualifiers  101  necessary to fully qualify the referenced price of the product in a pricelist  105 .  
      The PDS  107  may interface with one or more general purpose computing systems and execute software program applications operative to provide price variations of products based on predetermined qualifiers  101 , for example type of customer purchasing the product, location of the customer, and other products purchased by the customer. The qualifiers  101  may be of an unlimited quantity for each pricelist  105 . As illustrated in  FIG. 1 , it should be appreciated that the associations between products and pricelists  105  is recursive such that multiple pricelists, for example  105 A and  105 B, may be defined for one product, as referenced by the product code  103 A. Further, a single pricelist  105 A may be defined for multiple products as referenced by the product codes  103 . It should also be appreciated that a product may be defined by a group of other products serving as components of the product. As will be described below with respect to tables 1-3, the group of other products may have a single price point or may be component priced. Additionally each pricelist  105  may have a non-recurring, a recurring, and a usage component that may be referenced by the identifier  104  for the pricelist.  
      According to embodiments of the present invention the PDS  107  is employed for providing price variations for products based on qualifiers that demonstrate customer features, for example customer preferences and characteristics. The prices may be for the products of communication service providers such as wireless and wireline telecommunications service providers. According to embodiments of the present invention, rating/billing systems  120  of multiple communication services providers, such as a wireless and wireline communication services provider (wireline carrier), are illustrated for providing multiple communication services to subscribers such as wireless and local and long distance wireline services. As should be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the wireline carrier may operate a variety of telecommunications products such as wireline and digital data network communication services including conventional local and long distance wireline telephone services, Internet access services, digital data networks, wireline distributed computing networks, and other services. Also, as should be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the rating/billing systems  120  and common business service applications  117  may be components of communication services systems illustrative of conventional cellular communications networks and other wireless communications operating systems such as satellite-based and Internet-based wireless communications systems, ultra wideband wireless communications, low and medium range wireless communications such as wireless fidelity (WIFI) systems and the like.  
      According to embodiments of the present invention, the rating/billing systems  120  may include one or more general purpose computing systems, memory and software application programs operative to receive communication data record information associated with communication services such as wireless and wireline communication operated via a wireless or wireline carrier and to prepare periodic billing for communications services associated with service call data records, non-recurring charges, and recurring charges. For example, when a communication is sent or received via a communication services carrier, a call data record associated with the communication is received at the rating/billing system  120  of the carrier and is processed to determine whether or not a charge is associated with the communication data record. On a periodic basis, for example monthly, the rating/billing systems  120  of the carriers each generate a bill, or when shared generate a single bill, to subscribers of the carriers including charges for basic communication services subscribed to by the subscriber, non-recurring and recurring, and charges associated with individual usage, if required.  
      Prior to the generation of a bill, the pricelists  105  may be accessed by the rating/billing systems  120  utilizing pricelist identifiers  104  to reference pricelists for rating the products. The rating/billing systems  120  may communicate via a CBS application  117  that communicates with the PDS  107  via a network  112 , such as the Intranet or the Internet, through a web services layer  110 . The web services layer  110  provides an access messaging protocol for the CBS applications  117  and the PDS  107  to communicate with encoded information facilitating compatibility before receiving requests or sending responses over the network  112 .  
      Other entities may also interact with the PDS  107 . For example the customer service interface applications  115  may retrieve product information from the PDS  107  in order to respond to customer inquiries and/or orders for products. Furthermore, the PDS  107  may receive updates and additional pricelists via the PMGUI  114 . For example a marketing representative may offer a new or enhanced product in response to a marketing promotion by defining a new or updated pricelist  105  for the new product in the PDS  107  via the PMGUI  114 . The PMGUI applications  114  may also communicate over the network  112  through the web services layer  110 . Additional details regarding interaction with the PDS  107  will be described below with respect to  FIGS. 4A-5B .  
      With reference to  FIG. 2 , the PDS  107  includes the database  102 , a central processing unit (CPU)  210 , a system memory  202 , and a system bus  252  that couples the system memory  202  to the processing unit  210 . The system memory  202  includes read-only memory (ROM)  206  and random access memory (RAM)  204 . A basic input/output system  208  (BIOS), containing the basic routines that help to transfer information between elements within the RMS  160 , such as during start-up, is stored in ROM  206 . The PDS  107  further includes a mass storage device (MSD)  214  for storing an operating system  216 , a web server application  222 , and other application programs, such as real-time interface points  218  developed in JAVA from SUN MICROSYSTEMS of Mountain View, Calif. for interfacing with entities that have access to the data arrangement stored in the database  102 . The MSD  214  may also store a pricelist application  224  providing the business rule and qualifier logic and a web browser application  220  such as INTERNET EXPLORER from MICROSOFT CORPORATION of Redmond, Wash.  
      The MSD  214  is connected to the CPU  210  through a mass storage controller (not shown) connected to the system bus  252 . The MSD  214  and its associated computer-readable media, provide non-volatile storage for the PDS  107 . Although the description of computer-readable media contained herein refers to a mass storage device, such as a hard disk or CD-ROM drive, it should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that computer-readable media can be any available media that can be accessed by the CPU  210 .  
      By way of example, and not limitation, computer-readable media may comprise computer storage media and communication media. Computer storage media includes volatile and non-volatile, removable and non-removable media implemented in any method or technology for storage of information such as computer-readable instructions, data structures, program modules or other data. Computer storage media includes, but is not limited to, RAM, ROM, EPROM, EEPROM, flash memory or other solid state memory technology, CD-ROM, DVD, or other optical storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium which can be used to store the desired information and which can be accessed by the CPU  210 .  
      Communication media typically embodies computer-readable instructions, data structures, program modules or other data in a modulated data signal such as a carrier wave or other transport mechanism and includes any information delivery media. The term “modulated data signal” means a signal that has one or more of its characteristics set or changed in such a manner as to encode information in the signal. By way of example, and not limitation, communication media includes wired media such as a wired network or direct-wired connection, and wireless media such as acoustic, RF, infrared, and other wireless media. Combinations of any of the above should also be included within the scope of computer-readable media. Computer-readable media may also be referred to as computer program product.  
      According to various embodiments of the invention, the PDS  107  operates in a networked environment as shown in  FIG. 1  using logical connections to remote computers through the network  112 , such as the Internet, an Intranet, or a local area network (LAN). The PDS  107  may connect to the network  112  through the web services layer  110  via a network interface unit  212  connected to the system bus  252 . The web services layer  110  may utilize a simple object access protocol (SOAP) to encode requests for and provisions of data before receiving or sending information over the network  112 . It should be appreciated that the network interface unit  212  may also be utilized to connect to other types of networks and remote computer systems. The PDS  107  may also include an input/output controller  224  for receiving and processing input from a number of devices, including a keyboard or mouse (not shown). Similarly, the input/output controller  224  may provide output to a display screen, a printer, or other type of output device.  
      Referring still to  FIG. 2 , the pricelist application  224  in cooperation with the CPU  210  is operative to receive and respond to instructions via the real-time interface points  218  in real-time in order to create, update, and or retrieve data in the database  102 . The database  102  may be an ORACLE database from ORACLE CORPORATION of Redwood, Calif. or an INFORMIX database from IBM CORPORATION of White Plains, N.Y. The database  102  is operative to store qualifier data elements  101  for each pricelist  105  defined for at least one product that may be referenced by a product code  103 . Once a price for a product is fully qualified, an identifier  104 , created as a concatenated key of the qualifiers  101  for the price of a product, is stored for referencing the pricelist  105 . A pricelist  105  is the fully qualified price of a product once qualifier categories have been accounted. Additional details regarding qualifier categories will be described below with respect to  FIGS. 3-5B .  
       FIG. 3  is a simplified block diagram illustrating qualifier categories presented and qualifiers received via the product maintenance graphical user interface (PMGUI) and the resulting data elements stored in the product database according to an embodiment of the present invention. The PMGUI  114  outlines at least three qualifier categories whereby a marketing representative or user may define pricelists  105  stored in the product database  102  by selecting the qualifiers  101  necessary to qualify a price. Defining the pricelists  105  includes establishing one or more qualifiers  101  for determining a price of products associated a pricelist. Each qualifier  101  established for a pricelist  105  is an attribute of the pricelist that results in a price variation for the product being offered. Most qualifiers are covered by at least one of the three categories described. A customer type category  302  designates characteristics of the customer defined by one or more business rules. For example, customers that spend over a threshold quantity on telecommunications products may be designated as being a ‘GOLD’ type customer. In addition or in the alternative, customers who have been purchasing products for a certain period of time may also receive a certain customer type status. As illustrated, the qualifier  101 A for the customer type category  302  has been designated as ‘GOLD’.  
      A location category  304  designates a location of the customer, for example a state  303  where the customer resides and/or a location of a wire center  305  servicing the customer in the case of a telecommunications product. As illustrated, the location qualifier  101 B has been designated as ‘ALABAMA’. The location category is further designated by a qualifier  101 C for a wire center location designated as ‘BIRMINGHAM’. The location category  304  may also include the city where the customer resides as well as the county or region. The number of qualifiers to fully qualify a price may be unlimited.  
      Additionally, a product type category  307  designates a product purchased by the customer that anchors prices the customer pays for other products. For example, customers that purchase premium products may qualify for different pricelists  105  than customers that purchase entry products. Thus, when a qualifier  101 D for the product type category  307  has been designated as purple bundle ‘PBUN’, customers that have purchased PBUN products qualify for the prices listed in pricelist  105 A for products and product components associated with the pricelist  105 A. PBUN may be defined by other products such as call waiting, call screening, and wireless service. When a customer purchases PBUN, the customer qualifies for pricelists  105  that designate PBUN as a qualifier  101 D for the product category  307 . Thus, when the customer orders a new product that is associated with a pricelist  105  designating PBUN as a qualifier, the customer receives a price discount because they have purchased PBUN.  
      The qualifiers are received via the PMGUI  114  by the PDS  107  server (not shown) and stored in the product database  102 . The data arrangement in the product database  102  includes the pricelist  105 A qualified by the price qualifiers  101  and associated with the product code  103 A. In this case the product code  103 A represents a product called ‘Call Forwarding Blue’. The data arrangement also includes a tag  308  and a tag value  104 A. The tag  308  identifies the tag value  104 A as a pricelist identifier referencing the pricelist  105 A. The tag value or pricelist identifier  104 A is the concatenated key encoding the designated qualifiers  101  for the pricelist  105 A. In this case the pricelist identifier is ‘X112K’.  
      It should be appreciated that designated qualifiers for each pricelist are associated in a hierarchical relationship. For example, the qualifier for the wire center  305  serves as a sub-qualifier for the state  303  such that a pricelist  105  without a wire center qualifier  101 C, but having a state qualifier  101 B, inherits the properties associated with the higher level or broader qualifier, in this case the state qualifier  101 B. Thus, a product without a wire center qualifier will inherit the properties of being located anywhere in the state, in this case ‘Alabama’. Similarly, pricelists without a state qualifier, thereby creating a null value in  101 B, will inherit the properties of being located anywhere, if the state qualifier  101 B is the highest level for the customer location qualifier category  304 . A pricelist  105  with a null value for the customer location qualifier category  304  will be qualified based on the customer type qualifiers and/or the product qualifiers located anywhere. Other examples include a single product, such as call waiting, may be a sub-qualifier for a wireline product package. The wireline product package may in turn serve as a sub-qualifier for a product bundle including wireline and wireless products. Additional details regarding defining pricelists  105  will be described below with respect to  FIGS. 4A-5B .  
       FIGS. 4A-4C  are computer screen displays showing an illustrative PMGUI  114  for creating and displaying pricelists according to an embodiment of the present invention.  FIG. 4A  is a screen display  400  illustrating the PMGUI  114  where a user may select the pricelist tab  402  to define, create, or update a pricelist  105 . Next the user may select a ‘Qualified Product Type’  404  for a Category Selection Menu. The qualified product type, in this case Internet service, determines what qualifiers are available to fully qualify the pricelist defined.  
       FIG. 4B  is a screen display  407  of the PMGUI  114  where a user may enter values for the various qualifiers available for the qualified product type  404 . The user may initiate data element entry by selecting the new button  408  thereby displaying text boxes and menus. The sales channel qualifier  412  may differentiate the price of the product  103 . The sales channel may be a phone order, an Internet order, a third party order, or other negotiation channel. The customer type qualifier  302  may also be entered to differentiate the price of the product. Next the location category qualifiers for state  303  and wire center  305  may be entered to vary the price. Additionally, a product category qualifier  307  may be entered in the form of a product bundle. Once the necessary qualifier values have been entered, the user applies the qualifiers to the pricelist by selecting the apply button  414  and the save button  417 .  
       FIG. 4C  is a screen display  410  illustrating the tag  308  ‘ZPRL’ indicating a pricelist and various pricelist identifiers  104 A,  104 B, and  104 C for pricelists  105  defined via the PMGUI  114 . Each identifier represents a different pricelist  105  having varied qualifiers  101  that differentiate the price of associated products. Additional details regarding assigning products, product components, and setting prices will be described below with respect to  FIGS. 5A-5B .  
       FIGS. 5A-5B  are computer screen displays showing an illustrative PMGUI  114  for creating and displaying pricelists lines according to an embodiment of the present invention.  FIG. 5A  illustrates the screen display  520  for a user to enter a price for the products associated with the pricelist defined. The screen display  520  is accessed by retrieving a defined pricelist and selecting the new button  408 . The product code  103  may be selected by the link  524  showing the available products to associate with the pricelist. As described briefly above, it should be appreciated that multiple products may be associated with a single pricelist.  
      Next a list line type  526  may be selected, in this case for price. Other list line types  526  may include percentages and non-monetary benefits, such as bonus usage minutes. The price type  528  is further defined by selecting a price component category such as base price, recurring charge, non-recurring charge one time charge, activation charge, shipping and handling charge, installation charge, connection charge, savings amount, savings percentage, savings benefit, discount price, or usage price or other price components. A business code  530  and description  532  of the pricelist line maybe also be entered. The description  532  may be used in the text of a bill to describe price saving features. Further, the price  534  of the product or product component referenced by the product code  103  is entered. An indicator as to whether the price is eligible for being waived may also be entered. A start date  538  and an end date  540  of the price are also entered to facilitate activation and expiration. The entries are applied and saved by selecting the apply button  414  and the save button  417 .  
       FIG. 5B  shows a screen display  550  illustrating various products associated with the pricelist referenced by the pricelist identifier  104 A ‘X1112K’. Each product is referenced by the product codes  103  and associated with a price  534 . The price types  528  in this case are all recurring rates.  
      Once the data elements are entered via the PMGUI  114  pricelists for products and product bundles will be created in the product database  102  in the form of a product catalog as illustrated in the following tables.  
               TABLE 1                          PBUN (Purple Bundle). Single Price Point                             Product   Price Lists Prices                             Description   Code/USOC   X1112K Price   X1114N Price               Purple Bundle   PBUN   $27   $30       Wireline Component   1FR       BSLD Component   BSLBB       Wireless Component   CINBB                  
 
     
       
         
           
               
             
               
                 TABLE 2 
               
             
            
               
                   
               
               
                   
               
               
                 GBUN (Green Bundle). Component Priced 
               
            
           
           
               
               
               
            
               
                   
                 Product 
                 Price Lists Prices 
               
            
           
           
               
               
               
               
            
               
                 Description 
                 Code/USOC 
                 X1112K Price 
                 X1114N Price 
               
               
                   
               
               
                 Green Bundle 
                 GBUN 
                   
                   
               
               
                 Wireline Component 
                 1FR 
                 $20 
                 $25 
               
               
                 Wireline Component 
                 ESC 
                  $1 
                  $1 
               
               
                 BSLD Component 
                 BSLBB 
                  $5 
                  $7 
               
               
                 Wireless Component 
                 CINBB 
                 $10 
                 $15 
               
               
                 DotNet Component 
                 DNBB 
                 $30 
                 $35 
               
               
                   
               
            
           
         
       
     
                     TABLE 3                          CFB (Call Forwarding Blue). Component Priced                         Price List Prices                                     X1112K   X1114N           Product   Price   Price                                     Description   Code/USOC   RC   NRC   RC   NRC               Premium Call Forwarding   ESC   $5   $1   $7   $0       Wireline Component                    
 Table 1 illustrates a product defined by other products in the form of a product bundle called PBUN. In this case PBUN is defined by a wireline, a long distance, and a wireless component combined in a bundle grouping. The individual components may comprise individual products or product packages including a plurality of individual products. PBUN is associated with two pricelist in the product database  102 . PBUN has a single price point, meaning that the grouping of products is priced as a whole. On one pricelist referenced by the pricelist identifier ‘X1112K’, the price for PBUN is $27 and on the other pricelist referenced by ‘X1114N’ the price is $30. 
 
      Similarly, in table 2 the product Green Bundle (GBUN) is defined by other products and associated with two pricelists, however GBUN is component priced. Component pricing, prices the individual components of GBUN based on being a part of GBUN. Thus a customer who purchases GBUN and meets the qualifications for the pricelist referenced by the pricelist identifier X1112K will receive the wireless component for $10. Another customer purchasing GBUN and meeting the qualifications for the pricelist referenced by the pricelist identifier X1114N will receive the wireless component at a higher price of $15 due to the varied qualifiers.  
      Table 3 illustrates a single product, Premium Call Forwarding for wireline service (ESC), not defined by other products. Here the price of non-recurring (NRC) and recurring (RC) charges are illustrated, differentiating in price based on the qualifiers associated with each pricelist. Upon receiving an order inquiry for any product, a customer service representative, via the customer service interface applications  115 , may retrieve a price quote from the product database  102  base on the qualifiers  101  and product code  103  requested. Also, upon executing an order the customer service representative may add the product code and the pricelist identifier to the customer records  108 .  
       FIG. 6  illustrates a sample service order  600  with billing instructions  612  generated upon executing an order for a product priced by a pricelist according to an embodiment of the present invention. The service order  600  includes the product code  103 ′ associated with the field identifier tag  308  ZPRL that signals a pricelist and the pricelist identifier  101 ′. When a product needs to be rated for billing purposes, the pricelist identifier  101 ′ identifiers the row in the pricelist where the price associated with the product code is found. The following table illustrates the information that billing has access to due to the pricelist identifier.  
               TABLE 4                          Product Information Sent to Rating/Billing                                                     Product                                       Component               Requires   Revenue   Account   Print       Product   Code   Price List ID   Price   Entity   Activation?   Allocation   Code   Description               PBUN   PBUN   X1112K   $27   N/A   N   N/A   ?   Purple                                       Bundle for                                       Silver                                       Customers       PBUN   1FR   X1112K    $0   BST   N   10%   abc       PBUN   BSLBB   X1112K    $0   BSLD   N   50%   def       PBUN   PBUN   X1114N   $30   N/A   N   N/A   ?   Purple                                       Bundle for                                       Gold                                       Customers       PBUN   1FR   X1114N    $0   BST   N   10%   abc       PBUN   BSLBB   X1114N    $0   BSLD   N   50%   def       PBUN   CINBB   X1114N    $0   Cing   Y   40%   hij       GBUN   GBUN   X1112K    $0   N/A   N   N/A   ?   Green                                       Bundle       GBUN   1FR   X1112K   $20   BST   N   $20   abc       GBUN   ESC   X1112K    $1   BST   N    $1   nop       GBUN   BSLBB   X1112K    $5   BSLD   N    $5   def       GBUN   CINBB   X1112K   $10   Cing   N   $10   hij       GBUN   DNBB   X1112K   $30   dotNet   N   $30   klm       GBUN   GBUN   X1114N    $0   N/A   N   N/A   ?   Green                                       Bundle       GBUN   1FR   X1114N   $25   BST   N   $25   abc       GBUN   ESC   X1114N    $1   BST   N    $1   nop       GBUN   BSLBB   X1114N    $7   BSLD   N    $7   def       GBUN   CINBB   X1114N   $15   Cing   N   $15   hij       GBUN   DNBB   X1114N   $35   dotNet   N   $35   klm       ESC   ESC   X1112K    $0   N/A   N   N/A   nop   Premium                                       Call                                       Forwarding       ESC   ESC-RC   X1112K    $5   BST   Y    $5   nop   Recurring                                       Charge       ESC   ESC-NRC   X1112K    $1   BST   Y    $1   nop   Non-                                       Recurring                                       Charge       ESC   ESC   X1114N    $0   N/A   N   N/A   nop   Premium                                       Call                                       Forwarding       ESC   ESC-RC   X1114N    $7   BST   Y    $7   nop   Recurring                                       Charge       ESC   ESC-NRC   X1114N    $0   BST   Y    $0   nop   Initial Fee                                       Waived                    
 The information includes, among other features, the product code, the product component code, the pricelist identifier and description language that may be on the printed bill describing savings qualifiers. For example a description could read as follows: “Due to your status as a silver customer you have saved $5 on your purchase of PBUN”. 
 
      The logical operations of the various embodiments of the present invention are implemented (1) as a sequence of computer implemented acts or program modules running on a computing system and/or (2) as interconnected machine logic circuits or circuit modules within the computing system. The implementation is a matter of choice dependent on the performance requirements of the computing system implementing the invention. Accordingly, the logical operations making up the embodiments of the present invention described herein are referred to variously as operations, structural devices, acts or modules. It will be recognized by one skilled in the art that these operations, structural devices, acts and modules may be implemented in software, in firmware, in special purpose digital logic, and any combination thereof without deviating from the spirit and scope of the present invention as recited within the claims attached hereto.  
       FIG. 7  illustrates a flow diagram showing an illustrative routine  700  for pricing products utilizing pricelists based on qualifiers according to an embodiment of the present invention. The routine  700  begins at start operation  702 . The routine  700  then continues to operation  704  where one or more pricelists  105  are defined for products being offered. Next the routine  700  continues to operation  706  where defining a pricelist  105  includes establishing one or more qualifiers  101  for determining a price of the product. Each qualifier established for the pricelist  105  is an attribute of the pricelist  105  that results in a price variation for the product being offered.  
      The routine  700  then continues to operation  708  where the qualifiers  101  necessary to fully qualify a price of the product are encoded into a pricelist identifier  104  referencing the price list  105 . Each pricelist  105  includes a price of the product once the qualifiers  101  necessary to fully qualify a price have been established. The number of qualifiers available to differentiate the price of a product may be unlimited. The routine  700  then continues to operation  710  where an entry associating the product with the pricelist is created in the product database  102  in the form of a product catalog entry. The entry is available for retrieval in response to inquiries and executed orders.  
      The routine  700  then asynchronously continues to operations  712 ,  719 ,  716 , and  718  described below. At operation  712 , a determination is made as to whether more pricelists  105  are to be defined. This may be in response to the selection of the pricelist tab  402  via the PMGUI  114 . When more pricelists are to be defined the routine  700  returns to operation  704  described above.  
      At operation  719 , a determination is made as to whether an order inquiry has been received. When order inquiries are received, the routine  700  continues to operation  720 . At operation  720  the qualifiers and product code of the order inquiry are received. The receipt of the qualifiers and product code may be via the customer service interface applications  115 . In response to receiving the qualifiers and product code, the routine  700  continues to operation  720  where a price is provided based on the received qualifiers for the product represented by the received product code. The routine  700  then asynchronously returns from operation  721  to operations  712 ,  719 ,  716 , and  718 .  
      At operation  716 , a determination is made as to whether an order has been executed. When an order is executed, the routine  700  continues to operation  722  where the product code ordered and the field and pricelist identifiers are added to the customer records  108  and the service order  600 . The routine  700  then continues from operation  722  to operations  712 ,  719 ,  716 , and  718 .  
      At operation  718 , a determination is made as to whether a billing cycle is being executed. When a billing cycle is being executed, the routine  700  continues to operation  725 . At operation  725 , billing instructions  612  including the product codes  103  and the pricelist identifiers  104  are sent to the billing rating system  120 . The routine  700  then continues from operation  725  to operation  727 . At operation  727 , the products are rated based on the pricelist  105  referenced by the pricelist identifier  104  associated with the rated product code  103 . The routine  700  then continues to operations  712 ,  719 ,  716 , and  718  described above.  
      Thus, the present invention is presently embodied as a method, system, computer program product or computer readable media encoding a computer program for pricing products utilizing pricelist based on qualifiers.  
      It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications or variations may be made in the present invention without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention. Other embodiments of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from consideration of the specification and practice of the invention disclosed herein.