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Streamline Your Open Access Network Operations with COS Business Engine

The Market is Maturing – Now It’s All About Efficient Operations

After years of rapid expansion, the Open Access network market has entered a new phase. Most areas are now fiber-connected, and the focus has shifted to optimizing operations, streamlining processes, and ensuring seamless post-deployment connections. The remaining areas to connect are often the most remote and least economically viable. Automation, data quality, and customer experience are now critical to long-term success for network owners and operators.

COS Business Engine is designed to manage the full lifecycle of an Open Access network – from expressions of interest and customer onboarding to ongoing operations. By leveraging the platform’s comprehensive functionality, networks can maximize efficiency, minimize manual work, and deliver a seamless experience to both customers and service providers. Below, we walk through the six key phases we’ve identified for successful network operation – and built our platform to automate as much as possible. Every network has processes in place, but the key is to make them work seamlessly together.

1. Market and Demand Analysis?

To make informed decisions about expansion, it’s essential to understand market conditions and demand.

  • Project Areas: Larger regions are divided into smaller projects where address data is imported when available; otherwise, map tools like Google Maps are used.
  • Interest Registration and Pre-Orders: By collecting expressions of interest, the network can assess demand, gather speed test data, and analyze competitive presence, project by project. As build-out approaches, customers can place pre-orders to aid planning.

2. Planning and Deployment Decisions

A structured planning phase ensures that resources are used effectively and the build-out remains profitable.

  • Status Management and Communication: COS Business Engine keeps each project area’s status updated and automates communication with customers based on the current phase.
  • Build-Out Decisions: Based on collected pre-orders, the network owner can prioritize areas according to demand and optimize installation planning.

3. Construction and Documentation

Once a decision has been made, smooth processes for installation and documentation are key.

  • Work Order Management: When a project area enters the “In Deployment” phase, work orders are automatically created for all orders.
  • Installer Portal: Installers access a portal to view their tasks and document work directly in the system via mobile or tablet.
  • Status Tracking: The system monitors installation status per address and informs customers when services are ready to be activated — including for post-deployment connections in already built areas.
  • “Birth Certificate”: Upon installation completion, light levels and speed test results are saved automatically, providing a reliable reference for the future.

4. Service Activation

Once fiber is installed, the next step is to get the customer online.

  • Automated Provisioning: Thanks to COS Business Engine’s integrations, services are automatically activated once the CPE is installed.
  • Customer Portal for Service Selection: Customers choose and activate services directly through the customer portal, without manual handling from the network or service providers.
  • Self-Service for Providers: Providers manage their offerings through their own accounts, minimizing the need for involvement from the network owner.

5. Day-to-Day Operations and Support

To maintain high service quality, smooth operations and efficient support processes are essential.

  • Operational Data for Providers: Providers can view real-time service status via COS Business Engine’s UI or APIs and, for example, reboot a CPE with a single click.
  • Support and Case Management: Customers can submit support cases through the customer portal. Operators and providers collaborate within the platform to quickly resolve issues. “Birth certificates” and saved snapshots of operational status during case creation support efficient troubleshooting.

6. Full Business Insight

To continuously optimize network operations, full visibility is essential.

  • Automated Billing and Administration: COS Business Engine automates billing and service administration, reducing manual tasks and errors.
  • Flexible Pricing: COS enables grouping of addresses into “markets within the market,” allowing a unique selection of providers, services, end-customer pricing, and wholesale pricing — even down to a single address. This is particularly helpful in deals with property owners.
  • Access to All Data: With extensive dashboards and export tools, networks can analyze data in detail. Integrating with a reporting database also allows the creation of custom dashboards in tools like Power BI for deeper insights.

To operate an Open Access network efficiently, the entire chain must be seamless and automated, from the initial expression of interest to day-to-day operations and billing. Network owners can focus on strategic growth rather than administration by maximizing self-service for customers and allowing providers to manage their offerings and support cases independently.

With COS Business Engine, you get a system that not only supports all these phases, but helps you optimize each one. The result? Efficient operations and happier customers.

Learn more about our solutions here!

Contact us to talk about how COS can support your operationst!
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What does Open Access Fiber Mean?

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Customizing Your Marketplace: A Step-by-Step Guide to COS Business Engine’s Intuitive Content Editing Features

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How an online marketplace outperforms your phone service

An integrated marketplace such as COS online marketplace outperforms traditional phone service in several key ways, thanks to its automation, self-service functionality, and scalability:

24/7 Accessibility: COS’ online marketplace is always available, allowing customers to browse, purchase, and manage services at their convenience, independent of any business hours.

Instant Service Activation: COS Business Engine’s marketplace integrates automatic service activation, so when a customer purchases a service, it is immediately provisioned and ready for use within minutes. This eliminates the delays that often occur with phone-based transactions, where manual intervention is needed​​.

Self-Service Efficiency: The platform’s self-service capabilities allow customers to resolve many issues independently. Service selection, billing, and account management can be handled without waiting on hold for support, which reduces the workload on customer service representatives (CSRs) and speeds up issue resolution.

Accurate Information: Customers get the latest information and details on services, pricing, and terms directly from the marketplace. This reduces the risk of miscommunication that can occur with phone interactions.

Enhanced User Experience: COS marketplace is designed to offer a superior user experience. Customers can easily navigate the interface to find what they need, avoiding the complexity of phone menus and long wait times. The platform also supports multiple service providers in an open-access model, offering more choices and driving higher satisfaction​s

Conclusion

By combining automation, convenience, and user control, COS’ online marketplace provides a faster, more efficient, and user-friendly alternative to phone-based services.

Learn more and book your demo today!
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COS Systems and GOCare Create Innovative Solution 

To Revolutionize and Simplify Customer Experience and Sign-Up Process for Network Operators and Subscribers Worldwide


Las Vegas, Nevada, Calix ConneXions, October 2023 – GOCare providing innovative software solutions to the broadband and utility industries, including a complete digital experience platform, proprietary SMS Chat functionality, Secure Payments, multi-platform NPS scoring, and a sophisticated analytics engine, and COS Systems, a leading provider of network management and billing solutions for Network Operators, Service Providers and Open Access Networks are excited to announce a strategic partnership as well as a Proof of Concept (PoC) demonstrations that will take place on the expo hall floor of ConneXions.

This collaboration brings together two industry leaders to revolutionize and simplify the customer experience and sign-up process for Service Providers and their subscribers worldwide.

The PoC addresses customers’ overwhelming preference for digital channel engagement and the convenience of those channels for prospective customers, existing customers, and operators alike. Combining COS System’s address-search functionality (showing where fiber is available), with GOCare’s intelligent data capture and flexible digital experience platform, the companies provide operators and their subscribers with a world-class customer experience and easy access to available services. The integration makes it easy for operators’ subscribers to sign up for service by using digital channels such as SMS, WebChat, Social Media interactions, and even email to both get information about fiber services available in their area and eventually sign up via those digital channel engagement mediums.

COS Systems Business Engine, a proven network management solution (BSS/OSS) supporting Service Providers, Operators, and Open Access Networks with an automated end-to-end solution to streamline fiber network management will integrate seamlessly with GOCare’s analytics engine to enable operators to search for and sign up for services using the digital mediums most comfortable to their subscribers.  

“In a landscape where ISPs must constantly adapt their interactions with networks and subscribers, our decision to partner with GoCare has us very excited. This partnership signifies more than integration; it opens new avenues for enhanced communication and customer experiences, while reducing operational expenses and time for ISPs and network owners. COS has always championed automation, and finding a partner in GOCare, who shares this ethos, means our combined software capabilities will empower operations to engage with customers through contemporary channels like SMS, Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram, with the scope for further expansion. It’s about efficiency meeting innovation for superior service delivery,” said Mikael Philipsson, CEO of COS Systems.

“In today’s competitive broadband marketplace, ‘being easy to do business with’ is critical”, stated Rick Perkins, CTO of GOCare. “The PoC between GOCare and COS Systems simplifies customers’ expression of interest to a service provider and accelerates the timeline of service delivery without the friction of legacy processes like web searches, filling out forms online or even phone calls, IVR, hold times, and more” added Rick. Furthermore, service providers are able to determine consumer demand beyond their footprint for future smart builds through this important integration between GOCare and COS Systems”, concluded Perkins.

COS Systems and GOCare are committed to helping operators worldwide deliver exceptional broadband services with unmatched reliability and performance. The partnership will focus on providing a best-in-class customer experience to meet the evolving needs of service providers and their subscribers.

About COS Systems:

COS Systems is a leading provider of cloud-hosted network management and billing solutions for service providers. COS Business Engine is a proven network management solution (BSS/OSS) supporting Service Providers and Open Access Networks. The end-to-end platform provides subscribers self-service and digital sales and marketing through an online marketplace. Service orders will be automatically activated within a minute, and billing follows with no operator interaction. It offers a great user experience, increasing take rates and revenue. COS Systems has a global customer base and serves a wide range of service providers, including municipalities, utilities, network operators, and fiber ISPs. Learn more about COS Systems at www.cossystems.com.

About GOCare:

GOCare provides software solutions to the broadband and utility industries. Our SaaS portfolio includes a complete digital experience platform, proprietary SMS Chat functionality, Secure Payments, multi-platform NPS scoring, and a sophisticated analytics engine allowing our clients to benchmark their performance against other similar operators. GOCare was founded by industry veterans and incorporates its mission of “By Operators, For Operators” into how they partner with broadband industry leaders such as Vexus Fiber, Point Broadband, Bluepeak, and many others. For more information visit www.gocarecx.com. 

Reach out to learn more
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More money, more problems?

Money - Bead Broadband Funding for Network Expansion

Grant funding such as BEAD money and private dollars have been flowing into the telecom industry for new fiber and broadband expansion at record-breaking rates. However, new challenges arise as traditional providers expand and upgrade their networks. How do you ensure network expansion without unnecessary business expansion?

Now is the time for operators and service providers to closely examine their internal processes and systems, and they need to ask themselves the following questions.

  • Can you truly scale with your current software?
  • Do you still have to click ten times in your system to provision a customer? 
  • Are you still dealing with customer-centered billing and confusion about where your data is and if it’s accurate?

Embracing Automation for the Future of FTTH Networks

The future of FTTH networks is fast, reliable, and automated, so if the answer to any of these questions is no, it is time to invest in modern and specialized end-to-end automation software that delivers excellent customer support.

Future-Proof Your Network with COS Systems

Future-proof your network today and scale to meet today’s demands on FTTH.

COS Systems delivers cloud-hosted software to plan, build, and manage broadband networks globally. COS Business Engine is a proven network management solution (BSS/OSS) supporting Service Providers and Open Access networks. An address-driven and data-centered approach gives operators a single source of truth for their FTTH business data.

Our end-to-end platform provides subscriber self-service and digital sales and marketing through an online marketplace. The platform can activate service orders automatically within a minute, and billing follows with no operator interaction. It offers an exceptional user experience, increasing take rates and revenue.’ As the centerpiece of your fiber business, it integrates with other specialized software platforms to digitize fiber construction management and mapping, creating a comprehensive end-to-end solution for maximum efficiency. 

Contact Us Today

If you believe that our network management solution aligns with your goals, don’t hesitate to Contact Us. Let’s discuss your Fiber-to-the-Home project and pave the way for a successful future together.

For a deeper dive into this topic, we highly recommend reading our whitepaper.

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