Yair Sakov is vice president of marketing and business development at FTS, the OSS/BSS systems provider best known for its Leap billing system which is in deployment at more than 40 carriers. Here, Sakov explains why FTS is best positioned to address the current real-time billing, customer self-management, business control layer and bundled service challenges and how it leads prepaid/postpaid convergence.
Real-time billing is increasingly seen as a means for carriers to bring new types of service to consumers. However, much hype surrounds the subject and there are conflicting definitions of what actually constitutes real-time billing in the market place. What is FTS’ understanding of real-time billing and how is it being offered in FTS systems to enable carriers to deliver new services accurately to users? FTS’ vision is that we shouldn’t really be talking about real-time billing; we should be talking about real-time customer interaction. When a customer interacts with a system it creates events but today’s systems only look at events from a billing point of view. For instance if a user SMS votes on Pop Idol it is a real-time interaction not just a billing one. The user is being charged €1 not 20c so there’s more to it. The user is identifying themselves as someone prepared to pay a premium and also identifying that they come from a known demographic. This enables the provider to make them a relevant offer such as immediately offering them regular Pop Idol score updates for €2. In this scenario the provider is acting on an event from a business standpoint. Each event has a billing implication and a business implication and the industry needs to focus on both to increase revenues and customer satisfaction.
How does this vision come to play in the growing trend for prepaid/post-paid convergence? The focus is the customer and how to provide a compelling set of services enticing them to interact more and spend more. Leap Billing is one of the few solutions delivering true convergence with a single rater, single product catalog, single customer database and a single CRM. This provides high OPEX efficiencies coupled with the ability to deliver exciting new services of all kinds. For example, at Euroset, a Russian MVNO, we are providing services for GSM, fixed-line, VoIP, broadband and more. All through a single Electronic Wallet. FTS has been recognized by Yankee Group and others as a leader in this market space with extensive implementation experience.
How important is it for carriers to empower their subscribers to manage their own services? Is this of greatest importance when the services in question are of low value? Shifting power from provider to customer is highly important. Customers are fed up of buying packages forced on them by providers. Allowing customers to pick and choose and only buy what they want is a key element in customer retention. The issue of low value services isn’t important anymore because the issue is retention – if you don’t retain customers they have no value at all. However, there is a fine line between satisfying the sense of ownership customers would like – they have to be given enough options – on the one hand and not giving them too many choices on the other. Total freedom would wreak havoc on the OSS. Finding the right balance will yield substantial OPEX reduction as customers use self-provisioning vs. calling a CSR.
The latest generation of FTS Leap billing system includes a business control layer (BCL) technology. What is it and why is it important?
BCL is a software layer along side the network, OSS, BSS enabling providers to capture, analyze, and respond to customer interaction in real time. It allows dynamic adaptation of network or service behavior, at the customer level, increasing revenue and customer satisfaction. Since BCL simultaneously connects to multiple network infrastructures (mobile, wireline, cable, IP, etc.), it enables the creation of cross-network cross-product real-time services.
Are carriers now demanding business control functions within their BSS and OSS? Absolutely yes. I’ve recently met with tier one service providers eager to talk to us because they were intrigued by our business control layer solution. Their eyes lit up, they’re talking about blended services, real-time customer interactions and how to improve retention. They’re also looking at the intense price competition they face and how, even within a flat-rate scenario, they can still find ways to increase revenues using BCL technology. In all cases we’ve been invited in for a second meeting. Our Leap Business Control Engine solution works alongside existing systems so there’s no need to replace other elements. In addition, we have tremendous experience in integration due to our billing vendor heritage.
Fixed mobile convergence and bundled services are starting to come to market but what real value is being delivered to end users beyond ‘stapled’ bills? How do FTS’ systems aid carriers in bringing greater benefits to users? The multi-service challenge is to deliver customers meaningful and tangible value. The key is weaving different services together creating a whole new customer experience. For example, with a service such as free mobile calling to family members, why not offer it regardless of network (mobile, fixed-line, etc.)? Another example would be cross-selling and up-selling within a multi-play provider. For example, an MVNO offering coupled with Cable DSL could say that if a mobile user accumulates an additional €10 of spend they’ll get a free video-on-demand on cable. FTS enables providers to tie in services to one another regardless of infrastructure or source of the service. This is where the industry is headed and we are working hard to lead this transition.
For further information visit
http://www.fts-soft.com
