InformationWeek
Defining The Business Value Of Technology
November 17, 1997
Better Billing
GTE, Alltel roll out customer-support and billing system
The system, called Virtuoso II, will replace assorted legacy systems, says Jon Slater, VP of operations at GTE Wireless. Those systems include a Digital Equipment VMS-based system called Customer Management Information Support (CMIS), which GTE inherited when it acquired telecom provider Contel in 1993.
Systems integrator EDS, which had provided outsourcing services to Contel, continues to provide application support to GTE for CMIS. But EDS's services will "no longer be needed" once CMIS is phased out by mid 1998, says John Gordon, assistant VP of implementation for the Virtuo
so transition team. Neither GTE nor Alltel plan to offer new jobs to the 50 or so EDS workers who support the CMIS applications, say GTE and Alltel executives.
"CMIS is a robust full-function system that is a cost-effective solution used by 10 million [GTE] subscribers. GTE is a valued client of ours. We'll continue to actively support them [in other arrangements]," says Gary Smith, EDS's VP of sales for the communications industry.
In February, GTE and Alltel rolled out an early version of Virtuoso to three of about 40 GTE wireless and cellular market regions. The three markets-Cincinnati, and Seattle and Spokane, Wash.-were upgraded this summer to Virtuoso II, a more functional version of the system, says Jerry Santillo, an Alltel senior VP.
By year's end, Alltel and GTE expect to add implementations in Illinois and Iowa, says Slater. Then, throughout 1998, the companies will aggressively roll out the system, probably one market every two weeks, until each of the approximately 40 regions are ru
nning Virtuoso II. "This new system will touch every one of our 8,000 to 9,000 GTE Wireless employees," including all sales and marketing personnel, says Slater.
The three-tier Virtuoso II system features a Windows 95 front end, Unix servers, and a mainframe back end, says Gordon. The system handles customer collections, billing, sales, and other support applications, say Alltel and GTE executives. "This is a highly integrated system that will improve customer service and make it easier for our employees," Slater says. "Our call-center representatives will be able to call up multiple windows at once, allowing quicker resolution to customer issues."
Alltel, a telecom provider that uses Virtuoso internally, is able to offer the system to other wireless communications companies, Slater adds.
The joint Alltel and GTE project team includes about 275 Alltel employees and 75 GTE employees. Once the system is fully implemented, Alltel will continue to provide data-center support while GTE will oversee app
lication support.
The Virtuoso project was "very large in scope and very complex," says Slater. Despite that, the project "is pretty much on schedule," he adds. "I guess this was more complicated than we expected."
fter four years of effort, Alltel Corp. and GTE Wireless Inc. are finally rolling out a customer-support and billing system for GTE's cellular communications subsidiary. Besides improving customer service, the system will change the way GTE's more than 8,000 customer-service reps work.
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