Page 349 - Handbook of Modern Telecommunications

3-140 CRC Handbook of Modern Telecommunications, Second Edition

3.6.3.5 Service Order Management, Order Handling
Order management is part of an overall service fulfillment end-to-end process, and is part of the
Customer Relationship Process Group. Service providers use order management as they shift from
accepting the order to actually processing the order to provide service. Order management orchestrates
the activities to complete the customer order.
Service Order Management Processes manage the end-to-end lifecycle of a customer request for ser-
vices. This includes capturing the order, configuring the products and services within the order, de-
composing the order for provisioning activities, and orchestrating the activation and fulfillment and
billing notification processes. Order management typically serves all the customer touch points and
channels, including call center, retail, self-service, dealers, affiliates, etc. The order may be initiated by
any channel and visible to the other channels if needed. It also may include creating the customer’s bill-
ing profile, tracking order status, assigning individual orders to specific employees, and allowing task
management within a predefined ordering team.
Telecom service providers and operators are currently investing in next-generation IP networks in
order to provide their customers a richer set of services (VoIP, IPTV, etc.) and achieve profitable growth
based on this. A central business challenge for service providers is delivering and managing the services
for their customers efficiently and in a timely manner. To achieve this, the operators need integrated IT
systems to manage the process and information flows when activating subscribers and services in the
network (provisioning) and storing the required business and technical information.
Coordinating this activity is particularly complex for (currently fixed-line) broadband operators.
They require a central system (Order Management) to manage the process in an efficient way. With the
introduction of all-IP networks, the service providers will be offering convergent broadband services
through both fixed and mobile channels. This is a major growth opportunity, but requires investment in
a convergent OSS (Operations Support System), where fulfillment is a major component.
The ordering process includes all the functions of accepting a customer’s order for service, tracking
the progress of the order, and notifying the customer when the order is complete. Orders can include
new, change, and disconnect orders for all or part of a customer’s service, as well as cancellations and
modifications to orders. Preorder activity that can be tracked is included in this process. The devel-
opment of an order plan may be necessary when service installation is to be phased in, and the need
for preliminary feasibility requests and/or pricing estimates may be part of this process when certain
services are ordered. The aim is to order the service the customer requested, support changes when
necessary, and to keep the customer informed with meaningful progress of the order, including its
successful completion.
Principal functions of this process include:
• Accept orders
• Determine preorder feasibility
• Prepare price estimates and SLA terms
• Develop order plan
• Perform credit check
• Request customer deposit
• Initiate service installation
• Reserve resources
• Issue orders, and track status
• Complete orders, notify customers
• Initiate billing process

Service orders to other providers can be generated by the ordering process or by the service configu-
ration process, depending on the nature of the service ordered by the customer. They can also be gener-
ated from network and systems management processes when part of a network infrastructure.