Focus on provisioning: InConcert system uses work flow technology to improve activation

A new application that takes advantage of work flow technology developed for the defense industry could allow carriers to factor their business processes into the framework of provisioning.

The application, dubbed Teoss, uses process-centric work flow technology to graphically model, execute and report on the provisioning process using interfaces that work with carriers' existing infrastructures.

"Teoss can work these back-end systems directly into the order entry process," said Jeremy Davis, president and CEO of InConcert, the Cambridge, Mass.-based developer of the software. "The goal is to pass information quickly and completely from department to department within the carrier, so that the provisioning process is less expensive for the carrier and more satisfying for the customer."

The solution copes with issues rising from the increasing demand for bundled services and with evolving business practices. The application also serves as the backbone for carriers' operations support systems, allowing carriers to integrate information from billing, order entry, field operations and customer care systems into the provisioning process.

Because of the emphasis on easy integration with legacy systems, the application is targeting larger, more established carriers rather than new entrants, Davis said.

The solution comprises four components: a system to activate and manage provisioning processes; a framework to integrate existing legacy systems; a management system to monitor, track and control transactions; and a solution for managing changes and delivering new products and services.

The architecture is designed to be as open as possible to permit easy integration with installed systems, Davis said.

"A lot of vendors claim their systems are open, but they restrict this openness to the level of functionality they consider to be necessary for their customers," he said. "It would be very simple for carriers to write their own user interfaces for Teoss."

This built-in flexibility also provides the application with Web capability, allowing users to monitor the performance of provisioning systems remotely.

The system is based on an object-based client/server architecture, allowing business processes to be represented as reusable objects. Using a drag-and-drop interface, users can add these business objects to the provisioning process, allowing carriers to maximize efficiency and improve customer service representatives' ability to generate service orders and suggest services.

"Persistent data is stored in relational databases," Davis said. "This information can be reported in real time so that each service activation is recorded exactly as it happens, and every report generated from this database is guaranteed to be correct up to the minute."

The software's management component provides metrics on load balancing and throughput, allowing the service provider to further refine the provisioning process.

Nine service providers in the U.S. and Europe already are using the software, Davis said, although he was unable to disclose the names of those carriers. "Most often, these are providers that were already using InConcert work flow software elsewhere in their operations," he said. "Teoss is built on top of the InConcert framework, so all those benefits accrue in the new system."