Directory Assistance Platform Conversion

SITUATION:   A regional North American telecom carrier was converting to a new wholesale Directory Assistance platform because it was changing service providers.  Accurate billing of Directory Assistance calls was important for revenue generation as well as to remain in compliance with contracts with wholesale customers.  The carrier’s first attempt to convert that platform, using internal resources, was a failure.  They stopped producing any charges whatsoever so customers were making free Directory Assistance calls.  Worse yet, the carrier faced a regulatory issue because they were in violation of their agreement to provide charging information to their wholesale customers. The carrier tried to implement several software patches over a six-month period and none succeeded.  Because of the urgency of the regulatory situation, the issue had C-level visibility, up to the CEO.

OUR EXPERTISE:  

·         Deep expertise in Project Management, requirements gathering, testing

·         Ability to quickly understand and improve upon the carrier’s processes

SOLUTION:   An Alliance project manager was brought in to work with developers.  Within 11 business days, he was able to create a User Acceptance Test plan, manage code redesign, execute the User Acceptance Test plan, and get signoff to move the corrected software into production.  He also worked on standardizing practices and procedures.

RESULTS:  

·         After six months of failed attempts to correct the software, the carrier was able to create charge records for Directory Assistance calls and provide the records to its wholesale customers.

·         Standardizing practices and procedures resulted in improved quality and closer adherence to schedules.

TESTIMONIAL:   "Alliance demonstrated a deep understanding of both the process and technical issues related to directory services.  They were able to impact the issue quickly once it was given to them to handle.  Their specialized consultant provided immediate value."    – Senior Manager IT Applications

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