As the workforce becomes wireless so does the ... - Connect-World

Automation Mobile payment and Mobile integration systemsaccesswhich the engineering and sales teams were ableto respond to the customer’s needs helped securethe sale.Previous approach to solution managementprevented rapid response timesComplex solution offerings must be amenableto dynamic change, enabling them to be rapidlyreconfigured to meet the unique needs of a widerange of customers. However, most providersare faced with lengthy design and sales cycles.Many business processes were previously rootedin inefficient procedures. As a result, inaccuratespecifications were able to make their way intodesigns and proposals - not only because ofthe large number of ‘moving pieces’ but alsobecause different internal organizations could noteffectively collaborate with each other.Today, service providers are increasinglyusing automation to overcome the manychallenges that prevent system engineers andother personnel from effectively and efficientlycollaborating on large projects. Customers oftenmake several iterative changes to designs toadjust price points, redundancy requirementsand other factors, so design validation hasgrown into a multi-step, time-consuming effortfraught with miscalculations.Design, configure and validateAmong the many hurdles that personnel typicallyhave to overcome are the numerous tasksrequired to gather information that is dispersedand often maintained in different formats.Labour-intensive processes not only increaseopportunities for errors, but sales engineerssometimes lack the expertise to correctlycollect and report the complete solution-designinformation that is required.Assembling all of the required information,which is typically maintained in disconnected‘silos’, requires an inordinate amount oftime and further increases the challenges ofproducing superior solutions. Overlapping,uncontrolled processes introduce inefficiencies,inconsistencies and contradictions, which makesit difficult to synchronize and manage changes.Further complicating matters is the fact thatcustomers often request proposals that includenon-standard equipment, non-standard serviceofferings, or a combination of both.Simplified and integrated processes ensureconsistency, accuracy and successful proposalsBy automating and integrating the end-toendprocesses involved in design, sales andprovisioning, Bell Canada has been able todramatically streamline workflows andsimplify work procedures for staff. All ofthe provider’s designers use the automatedsolution that includes a centralized repositoryof accurate data on more than 200,000networking components. The repositoryalso employs an expert decision-supportsoftware engine that uses over two millionrules to automate the process of analyzing anddesigning network solutions.A separate but integrated repository containsall of the design blueprints for the solutionsproduced on behalf of customers. All ofthe information about hardware, software,dependencies, slot allocations, port allocationsand network topology are clearly documentedand within easy reach. Utilizing this approachto developing designs and proposals enablespersonnel to easily employ best practices as aroutine part of their daily jobs.By integrating, automating and simplifyingprocesses for the sales support and sales teams,the provider is now able to more quicklyrespond to customer changes and customerrequests for customized, non-standard solutions.Additionally, deployed solutions are preciselyaligned with customer requirements. Serviceproviders and their customers benefit from thisautomated approach to lifecycle managementbecause future updates and expansion plans canbe implemented efficiently.With an automated approach to solutionmanagement, service providers are eliminatingmanual processes and significantly acceleratingtheir lead-to-order response times. Disparatetools that were previously used to support thesales and implementation cycles are beingdiscarded. Additionally, the integration of variousconfiguration tools and applications has openedup productive collaboration across organizationalentities and personnel.By using such an automated, structured andrules-based approach for capturing designinformation, Bell Canada now has the ability toperform a ‘one-click’ analysis that highlightserrors for missing information or conflictingdefinitions. Flags for non-standard componentsand inaccuracies in the design are immediatelyhighlighted, and numerous options for addressingthe situation at hand are now immediatelyavailable to designers instead of scattered acrosstools and organizations.Other benefits of an automated and fullyintegrated solution include:• All design diagrams are automaticallygenerated and provide a precise,diagrammatic description of the solutionand network topology.• An automatically generated bill ofmaterials report provides a list of CPE(customer-premises equipment) standardand non-standard elements included in thesolution, addressing both new and existingequipment.• A design summary report describes thehighlights of the solution for a quickoverview.• A detailed design document provides theinternal technical documentation for theservice provider’s staff.• A customer design document providesan attractive, customer-facingpresentation that illustrates the final listof services to be sold along with a readilyunderstandable diagram of the proposedsolution.One click document generation: Bill of Materialsand Equipment Configuration hierarchyUsing automation and integration has not onlyaccelerated the sales cycle but has also enabledthe provider’s sales team to spend more time onreal design issues and less time on tedious copy/paste and clerical functions. The time requiredto respond to customer requests has beensignificantly shortened by standardizing pre-salesprocesses via the use of baseline templates andrelated design tools. Additionally, the processof handing-off design information betweenteams has been greatly improved by enforcingconsistency in the processes of gathering therequirements and producing the design.Quick re-designs are possible because staffcan begin the process from a known anddocumented ‘as built’ state. A shorter salescycle now allows faster deployment of larger,more complex, and next-generation solutions.Designed solutions are also better positioned forthe successful provisioning of add-on services.Additionally, using this approach to solutionmanagement has lowered costs for personnelbecause staff with less technical expertise canbe utilized to achieve greater results.Automating the requirements-gathering andproposal-generation processes significantlyincreases productivity for service providers.Design and proposal teams can use an integratedtool to perform work that previously requiredmultiple tools and applications. Collaborationamong engineers and sales staff is easier, andcomplex, customized solutions no longer presentobstacles to fast turnaround times. •North America 2010 • 25