OSS are not just a #$%&ing cost centre

It seems that OSS/BSS are always an afterthought. And always seen as a cost centre rather than a revenue generator.

Now I’m biased of course, but I think that’s such a narrow view. And we need everyone in our industry to spread the same gospel. 

I like to think of it like this… Sales teams identify the customers and revenue (let’s call them THE BUY-SIDE). Network teams build the assets that service the customer needs (let’s call them THE SELL-SIDE). But the OSS/BSS are the profit engine because they bring buyers and sellers together.

They initiate revenues (Fulfillment / Activation workflows), they retain revenues (Assurance workflows) and they can identify, then minimise costs (automations, analytics, leakage management, identify ineffective work practices, identify simplification opportunities, workforce coordination, etc, etc). They also have a strong influence on customer experience.

OSS/BSS operationalise the assets (to deliver the services that customers pay for).

The Business Case for OSS/BSS

How much revenue do our OSS/BSS operationalise? All of it (unless some orders are for professional services and/or being activated directly on the network without touching OSS or BSS systems)

The OSS/BSS also provide the strategic levers for management to pull in future. In times when long-term competitive advantages are hard to find, your OSS/BSS can give significant competitive advantage (if flexible and effective) or hinder it (if inflexible / unadaptable).

If we’re going to be seen as being more than just a cost centre, we have to be better at building business cases that show the value being created – turning the intangibles into dollar figures.

If this article was helpful, subscribe to the Passionate About OSS Blog to get each new post sent directly to your inbox. 100% free of charge and free of spam.

Our Solutions

Share:

Most Recent Articles

No telco wants to buy an OSS/BSS

When you’re a senior exec in a telco and you’ve been made responsible for allocating resources, it’s unlikely that you ever think, “gee, we really

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.