Tuesday February 13, 7:32 am Eastern Time
Press Release
Step 9 Software Aligns with Portal Software To Offer an Integrated Order Management and Billing Solution
Solution offers a business advantage to service providers through lower integration costs and improved time-to-market
FAIRFAX, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 13, 2001-- Step 9 Software Corporation today announced an alliance with Portal Software, Inc. (Nasdaq: PRSF - news), a leading provider of business infrastructure software for broadband, wireless Internet, and next-generation communications services.
Step 9 has integrated iCustomer(TM) -- an expanded and intelligent order entry/order management application -- with Portal's Infranet®, giving communication service providers an easily deployable order management and billing solution that manages the customer lifecycle and provides a complete view of all customer order and billing data.
Integrated as part of Step 9's iOSS partner program, the joint solution synchronizes and shares customer information between iCustomer and Infranet, simplifying the service provider's often-redundant order entry process and reducing the opportunity for human error.
With billing information from Infranet now available to users through iCustomer, customer service representatives can respond to billing-related inquiries quickly and in one place, without accessing multiple operation support system (OSS) applications.
``Our research has shown that communication service providers recognize the value of pre-integrated OSS solutions,'' said David Hawley, an analyst with the Telecom e-business practice at the Yankee Group. ``By pre-integrating OSS, CRM and billing and customer care suites, customer service representatives and telecom business managers have better access to crucial data that will help them service and sell communication products.''
With this integration, both Portal Software and Step 9 can offer their customers the additional business advantage of lowering the cost of the solution implementation and simplifying the overall project.
In addition, the joint solution will provide improved customer satisfaction with a more efficient service delivery process and give service providers the ability to generate customized revenue and operations reports based on data from both iCustomer and Infranet.
``To improve business operations and create time-to-market advantages, service providers need an intelligent customer management tool that can be easily integrated to other OSS applications,'' said Mark Merrick, president and chief executive officer of Step 9 Software. ``Through our alliance with a market leader like Portal, our customers are able to leverage the integration of multiple systems to reduce costs and bring bundled services to market more quickly. Together, Step 9 and Portal help service providers increase customer retention and improve overall profitability by arming their customer service representatives with more thorough data to increase their effectiveness.''
``Like Step 9, we work closely with our partners to ensure that we provide our customers with integrated solutions that meet their business needs and help create a sustainable competitive advantage,'' said John Janetos, director of strategic alliances at Portal. ``Our alliance with Step 9 provides next-generation service providers with flexible, open architecture OSS products solutions and a comprehensive business and operations infrastructure. Our alliance with Step 9 will help save time and reduce resources needed by communications providers to deploy their OSS solutions and help them effectively reach and serve the very competitive service provider market.''
About Step 9 Software Corporation
Step 9 Software Corporation, a privately held company based in Fairfax, Va., creates a business advantage that enhances service providers' operations through an expanded and intelligent Order Entry/Order Management solution that tracks customers every step of the way.
Driven by a customizable workflow engine, Step 9's iCustomer product suite intelligently manages customers, orders, and internal operations and delivers business intelligence capabilities. Step 9's iOSS partnership program provides a speed-to-market advantage by using cartridges that link iCustomer to other OSS applications, such as network inventory, billing, and LEC gateway.
For more information, visit www.step9.com.
About Portal Software, Inc.
Portal Software provides software to manage next generation communications and e-services. The Infranet software platform enables service providers to rapidly deploy new services, define optimal business models and price plans, and bill their users.
Portal's software is licensed by three quarters of the world's 30 largest communications services companies, supporting wireless, broadband Internet, next-generation voice and other e-service offerings. Customers include Qwest Communications, Sprint, NTT, Deutsche Telekom, Telenor Mobil AS, China Telecom, and France Telecom.
Portal Software employs over 1,500 people across more than 40 offices worldwide. For more information, visit www.portal.com. |
