Interconnect customers are seeing improvements across different aspects of the service they receive and the processes they use day-by-day in their working relationship with BT Wholesale. 

The changes are the result of a series of initiatives introduced by the Voice Interconnect team – as General Manager Fabienne Dischamps explains: "These are all part of our plan to improve the total customer experience.

For us that means examining and enhancing every step in our processes – from initial enquiry and orders to fault management, pricing and invoice delivery. The aim is to provide not only a better service throughout but also more and better information as it’s required plus savings in time and costs." 
 
Customer information, pricing, systems enhancements, fault reduction and billing have all been targeted by the team. Among the improvements to highlight in the past 12 months are: 


CUSTOMER INFORMATION
 
New CPS 'Change of address, new number' alerts
 
Plans are also on target to deliver another enhancement to the Gateway’s functionality from the weekend of 6-7 October 2007. With this CPS customers will receive an alert and a unique reference number when CPS is being removed from a line due to an end-customer’s change of address and phone number. The innovation could speed up the application of CPS to the new number, so limiting the risks of lost calls and revenues.

Slamming: Automated Provision of retailer ID
 
A manual system has been in action since May 2007 to provide ‘losing’ CPS Operators with the Retailer ID (RID) of the ‘gaining’ Operator for use where an end-customer complains of slamming. This October BT Wholesale plans to introduce an automated system at the same time as the new ‘change of address, new number’ alerts service begins.

Extra CPS Error Code Information 
 
Detailed explanations of the meaning of error codes are now helping customers to save time when placing orders at the Carrier Pre-Selection (CPS) Gateway. The new facility makes it easier to spot where there may be mistakes in the data inputting or where the original information needs re-checking.


PRICING
  
New Tool Simplifies Pricing
 
In recognition of the complexity of Interconnect pricing, BT Wholesale has introduced a new tool – called the SIMPLE tool – on the Interconnect pages at btwholesale.com to give customers a clearer  understanding of how the pricing regime works.

CSI Cost Share Levy Reduction
 
From 1 October 2007 BT Wholesale is reducing the CSI Cost Share Recovery levy from 0.037 pence per minute to 0.024 pence per minute. This levy enables BT Wholesale to a share of the CSI (Customer Sited Interconnect) circuit costs that result from certain types of transit calls from originating Operators. 

Cost Savings – PPP2 'Single Charge' Solution
 
Interconnect customers are also gaining from backdated credits, following the completion of the final phase of enhancements to the PPP (Product Management, Policy and Planning) billing system and the launch of the PPP2 ‘single charge’ solution. The development also means there are additional ‘no PPP’ charge bands for multi-legged Transit and VoIP calls to complement the arrangements that cover Indirect Access and CPS calls. 


SYSTEMS ENHANCEMENTS 

DEDS: Speeding Up Data Transfers

To solve the issue of slow speeds when sending or receiving data on Wholesale Calls, CPS and Number Translation Services via DEDS – BT Wholesale’s Data Exchange and Distribution System – customers now have the option of access through a broadband connection.

ISDN2 lines have conventionally been used to ensure secure protection for the data. The security will continue with the broadband link but with the added advantage of potentially saving admin time and the cost of an ISDN2 circuit. 


FAULT REDUCTION 

30% Cut In Fault Reports
 
A year ago, the Voice Interconnect team set out to cut Interconnect fault reports by 30%. They have already achieved this target and are now working towards further improvements. The reduction is the net result of a number of initiatives that include:

• Primary diagnostics training for more front-line people
• Overnight checking and return to service of all circuits so pre-empting possible fault reports from customers each morning
• Early warning of planned engineering work on switches

BILLING
 
Electronic Billing: Faster Access and Simpler Validation

Electronic bills – or ‘eBills’ – are now on offer to Interconnect customers. These provide fast access to billing records online, making it easier to check and validate data on screen and download it so that it fits each customer’s operational and accounting needs more conveniently.