Podcasts
Legacy versions of configure, price, and quote (CPQ) systems cause headaches for ISPs, but the right CPQ system can be a game changer for ISPs on the margins.
By: Brad Randall, Broadband Communities
We spoke with Sean Casey, the SVP of product management at CSG, on a recent episode of Beyond the Cable about how the right CPQ solution can make or break a communication service provider’s bottom line.
Casey said traditional CPQ systems just don’t provide the type of support needed when it comes to the crucial tasks of provisioning and managing service level agreements (SLAs).
He also pointed out that automation and rapid enablement is key to customer satisfaction for communications service providers (CSPs).
“The traditional CPQ systems just don’t provide that,” Casey added.
Casey said legacy CPQ systems, like Salesforce, are geared more towards heavy processes, like managing leads and sales pipelines. However, he argued, they’re not as good at providing speed and automation.
“While (traditional CPQs) can manage those (leads and sales) pipelines well and manage longer term sales engagements, they fall apart in the telecom and cable world,” Casey said.
Casey elaborated, saying a CPQ system couldn’t be implemented effectively in the telecom space as an automation tool without also integrating into enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems, provisioning systems, inventory management, and revenue management systems.
‘We understand the ecosystem of the network’
In contrast, Casey said CSG’s telco-specific CPQ system is industry aligned.
“We understand the ecosystem of the network,” he said.
He said CSG also maintains a focus on evolving with industry standards and systems updates.
But, while CSG hones their focus on providing the best to communications service providers, Casey said he also gives credit to companies like Salesforce. Casey said legacy CPQs drove forward the adoption of technologies like SaaS and cloud among providers.
Still, he said traditional CPQs not built for the telecom industry can add immense costs to the operations of CSPs.
“What actually happens is when our customers go and try to use those types of tools for the complexity of cable and telecom, they fall apart because they have to be customized so heavily to actually work in the space,” he said. “So, they’re not able to understand a network. They’re not able to understand traffic on a network.”
Meanwhile, without automated systems, Casey said many CSPs see months of delays in their revenue streams.
“The most important thing is that you get what you pay for,” Casey said as he discussed how an intelligent, CSP-specific CPQ can impact a telco’s operations.
