Transformation

The New Year commonly is when we talk about change, about "turning over a new leaf." In our personal lives, it may be to lose weight, exercise more, be more charitable or in 2008, to "go green." In our companies, these same sorts of transformations are part of our strategic plans. We want to trim costs, be more productive, be more customer-oriented and "go green." In both cases, these are things we resolve to do, but they don’t happen if we are not committed to a plan of action.

For communications service providers, the back-office transformation is a priority-strategic plan. It impacts a range of functions, from service creation, fulfillment and assurance to billing, payment processing and revenue management. It’s an all-encompassing task that requires an understanding of the end game and a realistic migration strategy.

Billing & OSS World — the magazine and the Conference & Expo — are committed to helping service providers address this transition with articles and seminars from today’s thought leaders, vendors and service providers alike.

In this issue, for example, our editors worked with Amdocs to explore the rise of the customer experience officer, a C-level executive whose sole job is to ensure the company delivers a positive customer experience. Then, our own Susana Schwartz spoke to Global Crossing’s CExO Laurinda Pang about how she is leading the carrier’s efforts to improve the customer experience. I met Pang fortuitously and quite unexpectedly during my visit to the Global Crossing NOC in Phoenix, where Virgo is based. She also was visiting the NOC from the carrier’s New Jersey headquarters. I spoke to her about our plans to discuss the role of the CExO and she was interested in sharing how Global Crossing has empowered her to this task. Pang says in 2008, one-third of Global Crossing’s capital expenditures will be targeted to the development of the seamless, holistic customer experience.

The customer experience also will be a primary focus of the Billing & OSS World 2008 agenda (visit www.billingworldexpo.com for a full agenda). An entire track of sessions will focus on service assurance and customer experience, and a plenary session will include a panel of CExOs like Pang discussing their efforts to ensure a positive customer experience.

This track is one of several designed to focus your experience at the Billing & OSS World event. You can pick the sessions that most match your area of responsibility or need. Among the others are Service Creation & Delivery, Customer Loyalty & Pricing, Revenue Management, Legal & Regulatory, Billing & Payment Processing and OSS Transformation.

This last track, OSS Transformation, is kicked off with a plenary session featuring leading service providers and technology vendors, including IBM Corp., Oracle Corp., Sprint Nextel and U.S. Cellular. Follow-up sessions offer granular instruction on the challenges and strategies for creating on-demand OSS.

The program was crafted after review of some 170 proposals and includes a range of experts in billing and OSS technology, process, regulation and, particularly, transformation. So, if you have resolved to make the transition or are in the midst of it, the Billing & OSS World is a great place to find new ideas and validation for your plans.

See you there!

Khali Henderson
Group Editor
Virgo Publishing Telecom Division