How Telecoms Can Profit: The SOA Advantage (Cont'd)

At best, telecom companies employ what could be called “company-centric” systems. Every operation has its own process for each transaction, and data is stored in disparate, discrete systems, making effective data sharing a challenge. Or even worse, a “network-centric” approach based on OSS solutions built upon providing support for a single set of network elements and services with a single order-taking channel. Instead, companies need to adopt a customer-focused approach, in which requests may come in through separate channels, but is combined and stored in a singular data bank that is more easily accessible by all units and departments within the business.

Does this mean the telecom industry should just rip out their computer systems entirely and start over with an integrated model? That would certainly fix things, but it would be quite costly and time consuming.

The Solution: SOA Integrates and Adds Flexibility
By implementing an SOA that works with existing infrastructure and systems to enable the customer-focused system, telecom companies will be able to leverage existing infrastructure as well as gain more flexibility in integration. In fact, flexibility is one of the ultimate benefits of an SOA. SOAs provide the ability to react to change, something that the outdated OSS networks lack. Such adaptability makes it easier to identify what steps and people constitute each business process as well as to identify all of the business processes within the enterprise. A holistic view of operations allows for greater control throughout the organization and provides the foundation for effective integration.

By adopting an SOA foundation, companies will also be able to add new services with ease as well as phase out older services due to the “plug-and-play” capabilities of SOAs. Specifically, SOA’s interoperability with many of today’s leading EAI and BPM providers lends itself to a very strong fit in most providers’ infrastructure. With technology changing as rapidly as it is today, the ability to add and subtract functionality quickly and easily is critical to meeting customer needs and service expectations. The goal of integration is not only to create a smoother flow of information, but also to make things easier on customers and, in turn, provide them with greater value.

So how does integrating business systems lead to more satisfied customers? Integrating systems makes everything more visible, which in turn makes it easier to support the customer. Currently, if a customer is a broadband subscriber as well as a wireless phone subscriber, those two records are more than likely kept independent from each other. If the customer calls with a question about both of these services, it turns into two phone calls. With an integrated system, the service representative answering the customer’s call regarding broadband would see that this customer is also a wireless phone subscriber. This makes it easier for the company to determine what bundled rates are available to the customer, and also gives the service representatives access to the information that could help them up-sell or cross-sell a customer to a new bundled package. Retailers do this all of the time. Think back to the last time you were in a store shopping for clothing. Didn’t the salesperson suggest another item to complement what you were purchasing? Business integration via an SOA affords the service representatives of telecom companies’ similar opportunities to offer complementary items in a bundled package.

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