7 Essential Features Every ISP CRM Should Have

By WISPGate | Built for Modern ISPs

Running an ISP requires more than a customer database.

A modern ISP CRM should connect subscriber management, billing, payments, RADIUS, network infrastructure and customer support in one system.

If your CRM knows the customer but doesn't know their service, payment status or network access, it isn't managing the whole subscriber lifecycle.

Here are seven essential features to look for when choosing ISP management software.

1. Centralized Subscriber Management

Every subscriber should have one complete profile.

Contact details. Service plan. Billing history. Payments. Network devices. IP addresses. Usage. Tickets. Documents. Account status.

Your billing team, NOC and customer support team should all work from the same subscriber record.

A strong subscriber management system eliminates duplicate records and gives every team the same view of the customer.

• What to look for: 360° subscriber profiles, service history, package management, device assignment, documents, account status and complete activity logs.

2. Automated ISP Billing & Payments

Billing should run automatically.

Your ISP billing software should generate recurring invoices, manage billing cycles, calculate prorated charges, process payments, send reminders and reconcile transactions without constant manual work.

But automation shouldn't stop when the invoice is paid.

Payment status should trigger the next action automatically.

Payment received → Account updated → Service activated.

Payment overdue → Reminder sent → Policy applied → Service restricted when required.

The fewer billing tasks your staff perform manually, the easier your ISP becomes to scale.

• What to look for: automated invoicing, recurring billing, prepaid and postpaid plans, prorating, taxes, payment gateways, payment reconciliation and automated reminders.

3. RADIUS / AAA & Automated Provisioning

This is where an ISP CRM becomes fundamentally different from a generic CRM.

Your subscriber's commercial account and network access should be connected.

Through RADIUS AAA, the platform can authenticate subscribers, authorize services, apply policies and record network usage.

A package upgrade should not require someone to manually reconfigure the customer's network access.

Neither should a suspension or renewal.

CRM → Billing → RADIUS → Network.

One workflow.

• What to look for: RADIUS AAA, PPPoE, IPoE, Hotspot authentication, session management, bandwidth policies, automatic activation, suspension and reconnection.

4. Integrated Ticketing & Customer Support

When a customer reports a problem, your support team shouldn't start investigating from zero.

The ticket should already be connected to the subscriber.

The agent should immediately see the customer's plan, payment status, devices, network information, previous tickets and service history.

That context means fewer questions, faster troubleshooting and shorter resolution times.

A proper ISP ticketing system turns customer support into part of the same operational workflow instead of another disconnected application.

• What to look for: integrated ticketing, SLA tracking, escalation workflows, ticket history, notifications and subscriber-linked troubleshooting data.

5. Network & Device Integration

An ISP doesn't only manage customers. It manages the infrastructure delivering their service.

Your ISP management software should integrate with the network.

That can include MikroTik routers, OLTs, ONUs/ONTs, BNGs, RADIUS servers, ACS/TR-069 platforms and other network systems.

The objective is simple:

Customer data and network data should not live in separate worlds.

Your team should be able to connect a subscriber to the device, connection and infrastructure serving them.

• What to look for: MikroTik integration, OLT/ONU management, ACS/TR-069, device monitoring, provisioning, API integrations and multi-vendor support.

6. Customer Self-Service Portal

Not every customer request needs a support ticket.

A customer self-service portal should allow subscribers to access the information and actions they need without contacting your team.

Customers should be able to view invoices, make payments, check their package, review usage, update account information and follow support tickets themselves.

For the ISP, that means fewer repetitive support requests.

For the customer, it means immediate access.

• What to look for: online payments, invoices, service information, usage visibility, ticket tracking, notifications and secure account management.

7. Automation, Integrations & API

This may be the most important feature of all.

Having 50 features means little if they operate independently.

A modern ISP management system should automate the workflows between them.

Consider a new subscriber:

Signup → CRM → Verification → Billing → Payment → RADIUS → Provisioning → Activation → Notification.

Or a payment:

Payment → Reconciliation → Account Update → RADIUS Policy → Service Restoration → Receipt.

These workflows remove repetitive work and reduce human error.

APIs, webhooks and third-party integrations also matter because no ISP operates entirely inside one application. Payment gateways, SMS platforms, accounting systems, network equipment and external services must exchange data.

The Wrong Question

“How many features does this ISP CRM have?”

The Right Question

“How well do those features work together?”

How to Choose the Right ISP CRM

Don't choose an ISP CRM based on the longest feature list.

Test whether it can connect the complete subscriber lifecycle:

Customer → Subscription → Billing → Payment → RADIUS → Network → Support.

The right ISP management software should reduce manual work as your subscriber base grows—not create more of it.

Because an ISP doesn't really have separate billing, CRM, network and support operations.s

It has one subscriber lifecycle.

Your software should manage it that way.