TMNG Global Provides Operations And Billing Support To Swiss Carrier

Challenge

TMNG Global Solution

In order for this engagement to be successful, the initial TMNG team was brought in to support the first billing system for GSM. The team remained in place to implement the second billing system, intended to support both GSM and LD billing. Through the course of the project, the client made several changes in the company’s direction.

The complexities of this engagement required that our team be segmented into nine different functional teams: operations, test, tables, post billing, revenue assurance, usage, dealer support on POS (Point of Sale), commissioning, and invoicing. Except for operations, almost all team members had responsibility for their areas on both systems. TMNG formed an additional team to support customer care on the new system.

 Tasks conducted by the nine different functional teams included the following:

•  The operations team had total responsibility for day-to-day performance, including 24/7 coverage, and provided a Team Lead that reported to the client’s Head of IT Operations. Operations provided support on all aspects of daily activity, including network, interfaces, reporting, and problem resolution.
• The test team provided support for the live system and was responsible for signing off on any changes made to that system. Testers also worked closely with the new billing vendor and the different user groups within the client company to derive requirements. During implementation, this team was responsible for test sign off.
• The tables team maintained the live system tables and provided functional user requirements for the new system. This team met with the many different departments that would interface with the new billing system. Due to the fast-paced growth of the client’s GSM business, its new products, and rapid product promotions, this team’s challenge was to keep the tables current and correct.
• The post billing team was responsible for monitoring day-to-day activities on the live system and for providing resolution when required. The post billing team also provided a multitude of daily reports to company executives that monitored payments, adjustments, deposits, credit scoring, treatment statistics, and fraud. This team was also responsible for developing, testing, and implementing post billing requirements for the new billing system.
• The revenue assurance team monitored daily activity, conducted studies, and researched problems in order to provide company executives with methods to improve overall company revenue statistics. This team worked intimately with the company’s financial officers and marketing representatives. The team resources also provided functional user requirements and acted as a liaison between finance and the billing vendor.
• The usage team provided daily support on the live system. It monitored network records for billing customers as well as network records exported and imported from international carriers. This team researched daily usage discrepancies, compiled reports, and provided advice for resolution to company executives. This team also held responsibility for the development, testing, and implementation of usage requirements for the new billing system.
• The POS team was responsible for maintaining, updating, and monitoring the POS system and for interfacing seven days a week with dealers around the country. The team provided daily statistical reports to company executives and made suggestions on system improvements. Team members were also responsible for the development, testing, and implementation of the POS system for the new billing application.
• The commissioning team worked closely with operations and POS teams to ensure the accuracy of commission payments and pull backs to dealers and sales personnel. This team was especially challenged, because of the number of ongoing fraud issues and the complexity of commission algorithms. The team was also responsible for development, testing, and implementation of commission requirements for the new billing system.
• The invoice team monitored and ensured the accuracy of monthly billings. The company’s rapid growth and expansion, led to various complexities of maintaining balanced bill cycles, ensuring new promotions were billed correctly from start to end, and coping with constant changes to bill presentation. This team was also responsible for the development, testing, and implementation of requirements for invoicing within the new billing system.

We provided the on-site consultant representing the billing vendor. The SME played multiple roles—serving as billing team lead, representing the billing vendor and working directly with the Manager of IT Applications in the development stages of the billing system.

Benefits to the Client

TMNG provided the market expertise and enough resources to keep the current day-to-day operations running smoothly while working with a new billing vendor to develop requirements. Switzerland had just gone through divestiture and resources with telecommunications experience were very limited in the country’s work force. The experience and knowledge transfer that we provided, enabled the company to proceed to the implementation process while building its employee base to handle the positions long term. The services rendered during this engagement, provided the company’s executives with a new perspective on the process of imparting relevant business improvement ideas.