Unified data integration; a New Approach

If the overall objective is strong and sustainable business growth, and the strategic solution is transformation, then a new approach is required that can deliver immediate gains in efficiency and growth and has a clear line of sight to long-term business objectives.

As a new approach to Business Support Systems (BSS), the introduction of a unified data integration layer, enabled by process analytics, can provide horizontal business-enablement that enables CSPs to leverage their existing asset base and reduce congestion on middleware. The integration layer approach offers consolidation of data, process and product for a seamless and adaptive customer experience.

Through the integration layer, data can be extracted from any number of vertical billing systems, potentially each with their own unique format, and can be transformed from a disparate data set into a common data set according to dynamic business rules. This can also be applied to unbilled records, whereby the requirement becomes real-time.

With data integration, customer records historically spread across multiple billing systems are unified to present a single view of the customer that, for the CSP, provides meaningful insight and an increased awareness of true customer value. This can significantly improve customer experience and help to support retention activities.

With a common data set, the CSP can offer one invoice or e-bill for all services, provide an adaptive online experience, and support a single point of contact for all inbound enquiries, all of which help to reduce the cost to serve and promote customer loyalty.

The integration layer also delivers a single point of reporting that presents the CSP with timely and relevant information across its business – ‘pools of knowledge’ rather than ‘oceans of data’. This is an essential enabler of meaningful and consistent customer interactions.

Convergent Offerings through Product Integration

Established service providers will typically have more than two thousand tariffs across multiple vertical catalogues, and launching new products and services can take anywhere between 6-12 months. The complexity of new product introduction means that most CSPs are restricted to very few launches each year. The dilemma exists that products and services in a convergent offering are -in addition to billable traffic - priced items, software licenses and content based. Implementing these products and service types does not require the product and tariff code based pricing

Order Management and Service Delivery through Process Integration

The business processes associated with order management and service delivery have touch-points that spread across the customer lifecycle, including acquisition and in-life moves and changes. This is especially relevant in the delivery of convergent services, which introduce new challenges in all areas.

For customer acquisition, there are concurrent processes for service and hardware provision that have unequal delivery cycles within the same customer order. An example of a short-running cycle could be the delivery and activation of a SIM card. A long running cycle might be the deployment and configuration of an IP PBX. Process integration enables the CSP to balance these unequal delivery cycles and provide a seamless on-boarding experience.

For in-life support, there is a need to dynamically synchronise and manage customer moves and changes, including changes to their fixed and mobile dial plan. Additionally, Unified Communications and advanced Fixed-Mobile Convergence services can introduce IP, SIP and Low Power GSM elements as part of a solution, which can involve additional systems from third-party service providers. Process integration enables the CSP to dynamically synchronise moves and changes across all service elements in real-time, removing the cost and complexity of manual support and delivering the capabilities to support volume sales.