Many next generation service providers rely on spreadsheets and emails in order to manage back office processes. However, it is evident that emerging carriers need to enhance their back office technology in order to survive.
Enhancing back office technology
The majority of providers often use spreadsheets and emails to manage network inventory, service provisioning, and vendor management. Nevertheless, a whitepaper from Cloud Age Solutions indicates that this is ultimately putting providers at risk.
Indeed, a scalable and agile back office evidently drives customer satisfaction, customer retention, and profitability. Moreover, the whitepaper observes that "affordable, web-based back office software solutions are now available.
In effect, these solutions enable service providers to digitally transform their back office processes. In addition to this, Cloud Age notes that these tools also allow providers to "achieve the reality of network agility."
Why is the back office critical?
The back office is the foundation of a service provider's operations, which includes several key components. According to the whitepaper, vendor quote management is crucial as it entails how a provider obtains price quotes from carriers for wholesome network services.
Provisioning and order management is also key as service providers need to create and track orders for network services through to activation. Meanwhile, network inventory management allows providers to track the status of "in use" network services and ensures "proper billing."
Invoice management is also incredibly important, alongside vendor contract management. Usage management is integral to how a service provider manages and optimises utilisation of network assets, while reporting and analytics allows a provider to generate actionable data and performance dashboards.
Digital transformation for the back office
For UCaaS providers, cloud-based service providers, MSPs, and VOIP carriers, the back office can be challenging. As these providers grow, it is integral that they move away from relying on emails, spreadsheets, and texts.
In order to address this, Cloud Age provides a SaaS solution that allows service providers to drastically improve their back office technology. Specifically, the solution automates and streamlines ordering, provisioning, invoice management and network inventory functions.
While UCaaS providers help their end-customers to become more productive, they often fail to realise the benefits of back office digital transformation themselves. With Cloud Age's solution, however, service providers can benefit from reduced costs, increased productivity, and improved customer service.
Looking to learn more? Check out Episode 14 of Tech Chat, in which Max heads to UC Expo 2019 in order to discover the latest UC tools and solutions
