best practices in deploying & fulfilling business voip

Best Practices in Deploying and Fulfilling Business VoIP Services

Michael Campbell, P. Eng.Director of Product Management, Solutions

Sigma [email protected]

Agenda

• Business VoIP (SMB) Markets• Understanding SMB Needs• Best Practices

– Roadmap Development– Have a Plan– OSS/BSS Integration and

Automation– Test, Test, Test– Training the Team

• Summary

SMB Business Voice Market

• New Revenue Growth Opportunity– Market research states up to $9.6B Business revenue by 2013*

– Transfer from ILECs to competition: 10BLines, $5B in revenue by 2013**

• Small and Medium Business will drive a large share o– SMBs tend to be early adopters

– Customers will be extending from Residential

– SMBs are typically underserved by local phone companies

– Triple play: Phone services, bundled with Data and Video is the sweet spot

– Follow on services can include SIP trunking and Data backhaul

*Kagan Research; Frost and Sullivan, **Buckingham Research*Kagan Research; Frost and Sullivan, **Buckingham Research

Business Voice

• Business VoIP requires more capabilities and uses much more complex feature sets than residential voice

• Multiple network components all require provisioning and activation

• Increased complexity for CMS configurations alone, not to mention Access or Trunking

• End user devices are evolving; NCS now, SIP coming out• Web based Admin Portals are needed as users want more

control to meet their needs• SMB Business Voice customers have a number of varied

needs; Features; Reliability; Service

Complexity of Business Voice

“The complexity is much greater for business services, especially in the area of telephony orders. There are many more features, lines and technology needs for

business phone services than residential. Accordingly, the systems have to be more complex and flexible to

accommodate business telephony needs.”

Bob Putnam, SuddenLink

Clear Roadmap

• Understand clearly what your Business Voice rollout will entail• Define

– Target markets (i.e. 2-25 lines)– Features and Feature packages– Geography– Technologies– Infrastructure

• Technology evolution should be considered as well– Network, CMS, Voicemail, Trunking, eMTAs, SIP Phones….

• Ensure that your OSS/BSS infrastructure will support your evolution

• Much more time and cost effective vs. figuring it out along the way

Planning and Plans

• Have a solid well developed plan that covers all of the key areas:– Sales, Marketing, Engineering, Operations, Everyone!– Market Rollout– Technology Selection– Ensures focus in Organization

• Goes without saying: Executive Champion; Sponsors• Walk, Jog, Run Concept; Not A Big Bang• SMEs and SPOCs• Training

Business Voice Service Definition

Sub

CPE Equipment Voice GroupsVoice Profiles Users

Residential Services (Solution

3.2)

0:1

Voice Services

0:1

Address (Contact, Billing)

ContactsQualilifiedService Address

1:n 1:n 0:n

Company ProfileClass of Service

Profile

Phone Profile

Company Features

A La Carte Line Features

1:1

Feature Service(one per feature)


Feature Profile Definition

Subtype

0:1 0:1

Subtype

0:n

0:n

Class of Service Definition

Class of Service Calling Plan

Features


Class of Service Features


Calling Card Allowed

Voice MailProfile

Subtype

Subtype

0:n

1:1 0:1 0:11:1

0:n 0:n

0:1

Phone Profile Definition

Phone Key Assignment

0:n

0:n

1:1

SMP User

Authorization Code

0:1

1:1

0:1 0:1

Voice Service

Primary Voice Line

Commercial Voice Line

Subtype

0:1

0:1

eMTA

Commercial HSD Device

Commercial HSD Access

Subtype

eMTA Device Control

Device Control

Subtype

Port

Voice Port

Subtype

1:1 1:1 0:n

IP Phone

IP Phone Device Control

Subtype

Line Key

Subtype

Feature Key

Subtype

1:1 0:n 0:n

ATA

ATA Device Control

Device Control

Subtype

Port

Voice Port

Subtype

1:1 0:n

0:n

0:n

0:n

Hosted IVR

IVR Definition Device Control

Device Control

Port

0:n

0:n

Subtype Subtype

Voice Port

1:1

Voice ServiceClass of Service

Class of Service Association


Instance

Feature Instance Definition

Service Feature Instance

Subtype

A-La-Carte Feature Instance


Subtype

0:n

1:1 1:1

1:1 1:1 0:1

Class of Service Feature Instance


1:n

0:1

1:n 1:n

Subtype

Voice ServiceClass of Service



Instance




1:1

1:1 1:1 1:1



1:n

0:1

1:n 1:n

Subtype

Secondary Voice Lines

Secondary Voice Line

1:1

Subtype

0:n

Toll Free Calling Card

0:n 0:n

Hunt Group Definition Call Group Pilot

Call Group Member

0:1

1:1 0:n1:1

Commercial Primary Voice Mail

0:1

Commercial Secondary Voice

Mail

0:1

Commercial Voice Mail

Commercial Voice Mail

Subtype

Subtype

Hunt Group0:n

User

0:n

SMP Commercial Group Definition

Subtype

IAD

IAD Commercial HSD Device

Commercial HSD Access

Subtype

IAD Device Control

Device Control

Subtype

Port

Voice Port

Subtype

1:1 1:1 0:n

0:n

Commercial Transfer Voice

Mail

0:1

Subtype

Call Pickup Group0:n

Call Pickup Group Definition

Call Group Member

0:n1:1


Subtype

Group Intercom Ring Group

0:n

Group Intercom Ring Group Definition

Call Group Member

0:n1:1


Subtype

0:1

Consumable Resources

Key

Solutions 3.3 Phase 2

Solutions 3.3 Phase 3

Call Group First Member

1:1

CLEC Orders

Complex Directory Listing

Main Directory Listing

Sub Listing

1:n1:1

0:n

Directory Listing

0:n

See next page for details

Primary Voice Mail Profile

0:1

Transfer Voice Mail Profile

0:1

Unified Messaging Profile

Subtype

0:1

Composed Commercial Voice

Mail

Class of Service Voice Mail

A La Carte Voice Mail

0:1

Unified MessagingCommercial

Transfer Voice Mail

Commercial Primary Voice Mail

0:1

0:1

Unified Messaging

0:1

0:10:10:1

Voice GroupsVoice Services

0:1

Voice Service

Primary Voice LineVoice Service

Class of Service



Instance

Feature Instance Definition


Subtype



Subtype

0:n

1:1 1:1

1:1 1:1 0:1



1:n

0:1

1:n 1:n

Subtype

Secondary Voice Lines

0:n

Toll Free Calling Card

0:n 0:n

Hunt Group Definition Call Group Pilot

Call Group Member

0:1

1:1 0:n1:1

Hunt Group0:n


Subtype

Call Pickup Group0:n

Call Pickup Group Definition

Call Group Member

0:n1:1


Subtype

Call Group First Member

1:1

Complex Directory Listing

Main Directory Listing

Sub Listing

1:n1:1

0:n

Directory Listing

0:n

Composed Commercial Voice

Mail

0:1

Full Support for:• Multiple Addresses• Company Profiles• Feature Packages• Dialing Plans• Hunt Groups• Multi-Port Devices• Voicemail

Sub

Voice Line

Secondary Line

0:n

0:n

0:n1:1 1:1

1:1 1:1

0:n 0:n1:1

1:1

Dial Tone

Dial Tone Access

Primary Feature Package

Switch Feature

Primary SelfCare Access

Samp Access

Secondary Dial Tone

Dial Tone Access

Secondary Feature Package

Secondary Feature Package

Secondary SelfCare Access

Samp Access

Disconnect Intercept

Intercept

Port Out Intercept

Intercept

MTA(various flavors)

PC VoIP Access

0:1

Normal Voicemail

Voicemail

Group Voicemail

1:1 0:n

Primary Voicemail

Voicemail

Secondary Voicemail

Voicemail

0:1

Hunt Group Member

Hunt Group Member

Hunt Group Pilot

0:n

Residential Voice Definition

Fulfillment Needs

• Overall Feature Management and Provisioning needed for more elements in Business voice path– eMTAs, IADS, Cable Modems, ONTs– Softswitches (VoIP, SIP and associated Features)– VoiceMail– Auto Attendant– SIP Phones (Aastra, Cisco, Linksys, Polycom, Snom as

examples)– Etc…

• All have their own provisioning “language”, more complex in most cases versus residential

• SIP has as an evolution path in the network• Can start with NCS and move to SIP• Application enablement via the SIP model

Fulfillment Integration and Automation

• Target Full Automation from start; may evolve over time• Business VoIP is more complex; Helps Handle the

Complexity• Consider Scalability; Adaptability; Flexibility• Define and Manage Feature Packages• Customer Portal Application• Drives:

– Data integrity – Reduction in errors– Higher levels of Customer Satisfaction

SMB Admin Portal Example

Test, Test, Test

• Expectations are high in the SMB Business Voice segment

• Reliability and Service are critical• Features need to work across all platforms• Separate Lab infrastructure; Key Network Elements in

place to test• Ensures that the services and Features work prior to

deployment in Product• Platform for Training during initial implementation

Training the Team

• Training on the new aspects of Business Voice• Everyone needs to be trained; various levels of training

depending on role• Good place to utilize your SMEs• Take advantage of Partners SMEs as well.• Schedule Refresher Training early and often

Summary

• Best Practices– Clear Roadmap– Have a Plan and work the plan– Fulfillment Integration and Automation– Test, Test, Test– Training

• Thanks!

Questions?