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- Bolstering customer care. Many wireless startups are so pleased to get their technology working outside beta tests, to have the engineering perfected and then a growing number of paying customers, that customer service gets lost in the shuffle. So much time and effort is put into landing new customers and provisioning service that proper follow-up is neglected, service calls are not tracked properly, and opportunities to sell add-on services are missed.
- Carrier-class OSS and billing solutions enable emerging wireless providers to retain existing customers (minimize churn) and differentiate themselves from the impersonal and disinterested customer service for which larger carriers are notorious. Both broadband and fixed wireless providers often begin as local startups that are a recognized part of their communities, and even regional roll-ups have a bond with their communities that national players do not. It is imperative that these entrants continue to provide the high-touch customer care that first wins them notice: it is one of their greatest assets.
- Implementing industry-recognized platforms. Having achieved substantial scale, some emerging wireless providers receive late stage funding in order to put in place an exit strategy. These funds are meant to improve operating efficiency and ultimately maximize the valuation of their business, especially in the eyes of investors or potential suitors. In these situations, providers will be open to incorporating new OSS/BSS platforms that may bring greater legitimacy to their back office systems.
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OSS/BSS platforms that scale easily as providers grow would be the very definition of a competitive advantage. |
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- A high-growth wireless company that schedules provisioning and tracks customer pricing on spreadsheets may be an enticing value proposition, but prompt questions and second thoughts from investors during due diligence. Providers that demonstrate they are employing industry best practices, alongside systems similar to those used by the big boys, will have a much more convincing case to make.
Parting Thoughts
We have borne witness to the increasing importance of wireless service in buoying the economy. Confidence is growing in the reliability of both broadband and fixed wireless solutions. Unforeseen and unpredictable events will occur in the near term that can thrust these service sets over a critical threshold and into the realm of general acceptance. When this occurs, service providers can ill afford any missteps in customer care, service provisioning, network monitoring, or the like. Investing in scalable, extensible, and flexible back office support systems will be essential as emerging wireless providers prepare for future growth.
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