Customer service records

The customer service record (CSR) is a copy of how a customer’s record appears in the local carrier’s computers. Like other computer records, the CSR is arcane and not much fun to look at. However, a complete telecommunications audit should include at least a cursory review of your CSRs. Most local phone bills lump multiple charges under one heading labeled “monthly service” but the bill does not itemize the charges. This post explains each item on a sample CSR, lists the most prevalent CSR errors, and lists the most common codes used in CSRs. The main value of being able to interpret a CSR is that you can see, in detail, exactly what charges are being billed.

Some local phone companies, such as Pacific Telesis, send their customers one copy of the CSR each year. Most carriers will provide a CSR copy in a few days at no charge or for a small fee.

Universal service order codes
The CSR is a database record that uses universal service order codes (USOC) to describe each detail of your account. USOCs were used before divestiture, when all of the RBOCs were still part of the Bell System, so many of them are still consistent today. Independent LECs such as GTE and SNET use CSRs but their USOCs differ from the RBOCs.

Your monthly telephone bill is generated based on the items in your CSR. Each item is billed according to the rate assigned to that USOC. If the USOC is incorrect, your phone bill will be inaccurate, and you will either be overor undercharged. This is how one flat-rate business line with touch-tone service will appear on a CSR:

1FB - $20.00

TTB - $5.00

9ZR - $8.30

Total: $33.30


1FB is the USOC for one flat-rate business line. The USOC for a measured-rate business line is 1MB. TTB is the USOC for touch-tone business. 9ZR, if itemized on the phone bill, is the FCC line charge, which is also called the end user common line charge (EUCL). The EUCL rate is raised regularly, and, ironically, this money does not go to the FCC. This fee goes straight to the local carrier and is more accurately described on some bills as the “FCC-approved line charge.”

These are the most common USOCs, but thousands of others exist, and new ones are invented daily to describe carriers’ new offerings. Appendix 10A contains a list of 100 of the most commonly-used USOCs, but keep in mind that USOCs are not universally used by each carrier. Most LEC customer service representatives will take time to explain the details of your CSR. If you plan to review a large number of CSRs, you should try to sweet-talk your LEC representative into giving you its internal USOC dictionary.

Armed with a list of USOCs, and a little patience, you should be able to interpret your own CSRs and audit them for accuracy. If you have complex services and want to be absolutely sure your records are accurate, hire a consultant to perform a detailed audit of your CSRs. Because CSR auditing is so tedious, the consultant will probably charge an hourly rate in addition to 50% of the monthly savings and refunds implemented on your behalf.