Case study: Telus Communications

Telus Communications, Alberta, Canada, is implementing a rules-based data collection and validation product for its flagship product, Centrex. Centrex touches many of Telus' largest and most strategically important customers, so it was imperative that Telus continue to provide these customers premier service.

In November 1997, Telus joined forces with software developer Call Technologies Inc. to develop a rules-based data collection and validation product for complex services called Call Profiler. Centrex provisioning was an ideal test bed for the rules-based method because of the multitude of features that lend themselves to such validation. The companies figured if Centrex could be provisioned, rules-based data collection and validation could work for all complex services.

To keep training costs to a minimum, Telus needed to develop a product that would be simple to use and intuitive for end users. The product was developed to conform to a Microsoft Windows standard look and feel, using graphical user interface and allowing users to drag and drop features directly onto a customer's display phone set.

The software allows the Centrex order entry personnel at Telus to gather all the pertinent customer information up front, such as desired features, and validate that information immediately. For instance, if a customer requests two features that are not compatible, the software instantly alerts the person collecting the Centrex work request of the error and provides alternatives.

Telus has implemented the product enterprise-wide. While the actual measurements of the product's success will not be evident until late January 1999, Telus representatives fully expect that implementation of this rules-based data collection and validation technology will take Telus from 0% flowthrough using the manual method to nearly 95% flowthrough.