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BPM software can help telecoms improve maintenance

Cindy Cheng, ​Sr. Director of Marketing Communications, EMEA, Appian
December 21, 2012

Maintenance is one of the most challenging and expensive areas of operation for telecoms. The processes that need to be completed to identify cable breaks, failing wires and similar problems can be daunting in and of themselves. Further, maintenance involves actually repairing those cables, verifying proper operations and notifying customers that service has been returned to normal.

These processes can be extremely expensive and often hinge on unreliable and inconsistent forms of information gathering. In some cases, telecoms still depend on customer reports of outages to give them an idea of where to begin looking for downed wires. In others, concerned citizens that see wire damage may be the primary source of information on a problem. These types of data gathering systems slow maintenance problems and create cost-related issues. New forms of network deployment, however, are allowing telecoms to depend more on data to identify maintenance problems and support operations. Business process management software can play a major role in enabling telecoms to take full advantage of this data and streamline maintenance operations.

Using BPM to improve maintenance

BPM software can streamline maintenance processes by giving technicians access to social tools and cloud applications while using mobile devices. As a result, they can more quickly identify complaints about outages, gather information on maintenance needs from within telecom applications and perform other key tasks flexibly. These systems also offer functionality far beyond radio systems, as a basic radio communication setup can allow telecoms to notify field workers about necessary repairs, but limits the amount of detail they can access. Field workers can more easily gain access to better information by introducing integrated cloud, social and mobile functionality into the maintenance equation.

Using BPM solutions to accelerate maintenance processes is key for telecoms, as such operations are often among the greatest day-to-day expenses involved in keeping a network afloat. Further, the timeliness of outage response is a major customer service issue that can provide organizations with a competitive edge. As a result, telecoms that can optimize maintenance operations gain a major competitive edge on multiple levels. First, they end up with more funding available for strategic projects and equipment upgrades. Second, they improve customer relationships and build trust, which could contribute to loyalty. As a result, an effective BPM deployment can deliver a considerable return on investment for telecom providers.

Cindy Cheng

Director of Product Marketing

Cindy Cheng