Better customer services
pp. 37-39 · Read in the full issue
PTC Telecom Advertising Feature
TELEKOM Papua New Guinea is ex pected to introduce a new Telecom Customer Management System in April to improve services to its 45,000 customers using its Telekom Network.
JOHN SAMAR explains how the new system will operate — What is TCMS? TCMS means Telekom Customer Management System and is a computer system specifically written for telecom companies, TCMS contains the service order, call processing, rating, billing, accounts receivable, service area master, number management, cable re cords, and exchange functions. It has been designed to help Telekom provide a better level of customer service and enable you to better manage your part of the telecom business.
TCMS is an on-line service order based system which enables you to electronically and automatically send service orders to the next service stage.
This speeds the flow of service orders thereby providing an improved customer service. It also has its own Accounts Receivables module so that all service charges are automatically transferred from the service order and these, com-
bined with call char g es an <J receipts make up the customer’s statement.
There are a number of Telekom staff working full time on the implementation of TCMS. So far they have been given training on TCMS and they are currently working through the Telekom Business procedures to determine how these need to be changed to make best
use of the system.
Although the system is installed in New Zealand, Fiji and several telecom companies in the United States. There are some differences between these sysf ems an d the way it will be used here. It 18 nec cssary, therefore, to make some changes to the software programmes and j cban S es are . a^so being defined in detail by the project team.
Kerewa project: the setup on Mount Kerewa, PNG
John Samar
Gerehu satellite station: technicians discussing a technical problem with station manager Ticker Hayka
The project team is headed by project manager Kala Laeka and consists of Thomas Kais, business implementation manager; process owners Sheila Agona, Steven Eliuda, Lucian Ori, Betty Isikel, Joe Ivarature, Laeka Pukari, and Richard Saka.
Trainers Dina Nou, Imana Semei, Jenny Ilaitia, and Peter Waikuapi.
Programmers are Milton Kaetovuhu and Margaret Mokiri, Secretary is Catherine Guma.
Datec (PNG) the suppliers of the system also has a team working with the telecom staff. Their project manager is David Hutley. Programmers are Aibo
Bebes, Ajith Abeyawardena, Rohan
Yogarajah.
The TCMS training specialists are Rachel Dowrick and Anette Dutta.
Mahendra Lai, systems manager and project manager for Fiji Telecom “I am doing consultancy for Datec Fiji and Datec PNG. My speciality is in faults 014 number where we record the faults and pass on the information onto the different stages for resolving the problem.
My job is to set up the system and train a trainer from PTC to take up the rest of the work. We have five PTC staff who are learning the system to take over the
job and train other staff.
“I am the project manager for Fiji Telecom and we have implemented three stages, billing, plant and fault, and they are running successfully and are going to live. All the customers in Fiji are happy and Telecom Fiji is happy about Datec installing the system.”
Asked whether the TCMS project would succeed in PNG, Mr Lai said “Of course, definitely, yes, we have the expertise, we have the IBM guys working with us and Datec Fiji guys working with us and we have got very good support from PTC staff here as well. And definitely we will make it on time.”
Asked whether PTC staff had grasped any knowledge of the new technology, Mr Lai added, “yes they are learning about the new machines as well as the system which is a bit heavy going though, but they are managing pretty well.
Probably they have to put in some more hours to learn the system and, given the pace they are going now, they are doing very well.”
Sheila Agona, who has been a switch ing technician with PTC for 10 years and one of the processors has this to say “This system is efficient and you get your service as soon as possible. If it’s a new service and there are lines available you get your service in one day”.
Peter Waikuapi, says “We will go out to the various districts in the country and impart the knowledge to other staff so they know what to do in the field”.
Vanuatu class: Jimmy Wayongi explains the functions of a Thyristor to a group of Vanuatu technicians
Earth Station: the full DOMSAT station with the interim DOMSAT (centre) and the Optus earth station at left