MACC continues to develop products that make our clients more efficient. One of our latest creations, a video application interface between Customer Master and cable television set-top boxes, is reducing truck rolls and increasing customer satisfaction for Columbus Telephone Company.
The Columbus, Kansas-based telecommunications company installed the interface in January of this year for use with its set-top boxes from Motorola. They quickly began reaping benefits, because the interface gives the company’s customer service staff the ability to interact with set-top boxes in the field directly from Customer Master. It also eliminates “swivel-chair” provisioning as customer information only needs to be entered into one system, saving time and reducing the chances for error.
“The application interface MACC designed is literally the lifeblood of our digital cable TV system,” said Nick Saporito, Marketing Coordinator for Columbus Telephone. “From adding a new box to an account to executing a simple programming change, it’s all communicated through Customer Master and our custom interface.”
The interface itself is triggered by a stage in Customer Master, which means it uses the same Service Order process the company has used for years. Keeping the interface within an existing process minimized the learning curve and made integration as seamless as possible.
Prior to the installation of the interface, a customer’s request for a change in programming resulted in a paper trail between the company’s front office staff and plant employees. A truck roll was also needed to complete the process. Another task the interface allows front office staff to complete is a “refresh” of unresponsive set-top boxes, which often solves problems that previously would have required a technician to visit the home or business. The interface can also be used to temporarily disable boxes when clients are behind on their bills. Once the customer is current, service can be restored without having a technician on premise.
“This change has increased efficiency, reduced paper use, and gives the customers what they want, sooner,” Saporito said. “Also, the interface has absolutely reduced truck rolls.”
For companies looking to significantly increase the efficiency of their video operation, this new interface should be considered. Columbus Telephone Company weighed MACC’s interface against other provisioning options. In the end, he said, the alternatives would have required the same investment and created a distraction to the company’s existing operations that could have negatively affected customer satisfaction.
“If you’re eager to keep your operations and workflow as streamlined and simple as possible, investing in this custom application interface from MACC is undoubtedly the way to go,” he said.
For more information on MACC’s new set-top box interface, please contact your Client Relations Manager, Account Manager, or National Sales Representative They can provide technical requirements, a fact sheet, and proposal for this important new solution from MACC.