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Frequently
Asked Questions
- What is "Self-Service Set-Up"?
- Is there a single Self-Service
Set-Up application, or can the solution's use vary by carrier?
- How does Self-Service Set-Up
benefit a wireless carrier?
- Are there "phone in the box"
wireless retail sales programs today where one can buy the phone and
leave the store without having to establish a service account?
- How does Self-Service Set-Up
change the way a carrier sells wireless today?
- Can a wireless carrier continue
to up-sell customers using Self-Service Set-Up?
- What are the benefits of
Self-Service Set-Up for the enterprise?
- How does Self-Service Set-Up
work technically?
- How does Self-Service Set-Up
work with OTA or IOTA used today?
- How do carriers offer
different rate plans to different consumers through Self-Service Set-Up?
What is the business logic that matches plan offers to user segments,
once the user has been determined through the identification process?
- How does Self-Service Set-Up
prevent potential fraudulent activity? Is Self-Service Set-Up secure?
- How does Self-Service
Set-Up identify the consumer?
- What do consumers say
about self-service wireless?
- How can a wireless carrier
trial Self-Service Set-Up?
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What
is "Self-Service Set-Up"?
VeriSign® Communication Services (VCS) and Telespree
Communications have jointly developed Self-Service Set-Up, a state
of the art, network-based self-service solution that intuitively guides
end users through wireless device activation or reactivation, customer
account set-up, and account maintenance processes without the aid
of a sales clerk or call center using only the device itself. Self-Service
Set-Up enables carriers to significantly lower customer care and retail
operations costs while improving the end-user experience and increasing
revenues though channel reach and efficiency.
 
-
Is
there a single Self-Service Set-Up application, or can the solution's
use vary by carrier?
Self-Service Set-Up is a suite
of services, all based on an intuitive, 100% automated process driven
via the mobile device. This network-based system is customizable to
mirror the carrier's business rules and processes. A real-time interface
to the carrier's OSS/BSS systems ensures the user gets up to date
plans, pricing, promotions and features. The following are examples
of Self-Service applications.
- Automated Activation
- Postpaid - new account creation
- Prepaid - new account creation
- Reactivation
- Automated Account Maintenance (Self-Care)
- Plan & feature changes
- Add a phone to an existing account
- Handset and warranty swaps to an existing account
- Telephone number changes to an existing account
- Special Applications
- Dynamic sales promotions
- WLNP
- Enterprise
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How
does Self-Service Set-Up benefit a wireless carrier?
Self-Service Set-Up gives wireless carriers new,
exciting off-the-shelf selling capabilities and vastly reduces customer
care and retail operations costs. Self-Service Set-Up also:
- Improves end-user experience
- Users can self-manage their wireless services via their handsets
anytime, anywhere
- Wireless becomes convenient to buy and activate, change or manage
- Reduces operations, sales &
support costs
- Enables carriers to streamline processes
and reduce customer care and retail sales costs through automation
and dynamic management of activation experiences, ongoing account
maintenance, rate plan changes, and promotions for customers
- Reduces training for sales, support and service agents with
self-service automation
- Increases revenues through channel
reach & efficiency
- Expands distribution channel opportunities with a simple, easy
to deploy off-the-shelf solution in more diverse locations
- Provides consistent & measurable customer account set-up
experience that can be managed & modified dynamically regardless
of channel
-
Are
there “phone in the box” wireless retail sales programs
today where one can buy the phone and leave the store without having
to establish a service account?
Current off-the-shelf wireless phone sales programs
still require the purchaser to place a call into a call center and/or
wait on the line while the representative walks through the account
set-up and phone activation process. This process, involving carrier-
or third-party call center agents, can be expensive for the carrier
and is time consuming for consumer.
Self-Service Set-Up enables consumers to establish service, activate
a wireless device and manage their account themselves through a network-enabled
point-of-sale solution managed via the device itself. The consumer
can self-manage their wireless services via their mobile device at
any time, from any location.
-
How
does Self-Service Set-Up change the way a carrier sells wireless today?
This “off-the-shelf” approach allows
carriers to reduce staffing requirements, minimize the need for kiosk
and retail placements, and improve market reach, thereby driving greater
visibility and ultimately, sales volume. Self-Service Set-Up enables
carriers to optimize retail channel sales by providing devices that
intuitively and immediately guide consumers through the activation,
account set-up, rate plan changes and ongoing maintenance processes.
As Self-Service Set-Up is a network-based solution, devices can be
shipped to diverse retail outlets regardless of rate plans, features
or applications. Carriers can now manage and modify offers that are
dynamically and instantly tailored to the end user without retraining
sales or customer care agents.
-
Can a wireless carrier continue to up-sell customers using Self-Service
Set-Up?
Yes, with Self-Service Set-Up, wireless carriers
can more effectively up-sell customers into improved rate plans and
new features because Self-Service Set-Up
- Delivers an enhanced user experience that is customized to the user
- Instantly profiles a new customer and presents the best rate plan
and feature set to that individual
- Never “forgets” to promote new features or wireless
applications
- Matches user needs to best service offerings, increasing up-sell
as well as customer satisfaction
- Automatically “pushes” the latest and most appropriate
promotions and incentives to the customer.
-
What
are the benefits of Self-Service Set-Up for the enterprise?
Self-Service Set-Up for enterprise provides a
flexible tool for the IT manager to simplify processes and lower administrative
costs in device activation, account creation and management, enabling
enterprise customers to have unique and tailored device set-up processes.
Enterprise IT managers can create profiles customized to specific
groups of employees that are automatically associated with pre-established
plans, features and configurations resulting in a consistent, “enterprise
branded”, error free employee enrollment experience.
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How does Self-Service Set-Up work technically?
Self-Service Set-Up technology, a client-server
based solution, allows a non-activated device to instantly and securely
register onto the carriers' network at initial “power on.”
During this process, the device and the Self-Service Set-Up server
mutually authenticate each other. Once authentication is complete,
Self-Service Set-Up selects the appropriate application to run based
on the carrier’s business rules and device capabilities (i.e.
HTTP, IVR, SMS, etc.). Then, over a secure, controlled interactive
user session, user data is securely collected, user verification is
completed, credit and payment is processed and then communicated to
the appropriate carrier OSS/BSS backend systems. For initial activations
or reactivations, once the service account has been created, programming
of initial?use device parameters are completed in real time.
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How does Self-Service Set-Up work with OTA or IOTA used today?
Self-Service Set-Up is not intended
to be a replacement for OTA systems. In GSM, Self-Service Set-Up does
not provide OTA programming functionality. It is assumed that the
carrier will use their existing OTA systems to program the device.
In CDMA, Self-Service Set-Up includes a mechanism for initial parameter
programming since it has an established data session with the device.
Using this session, the carrier can specify certain parameters to
be programmed. Once initial programming is complete, the carrier is
expected to use its existing OTA systems for complete device programming
(e.g. PRL downloads, etc.) and ongoing device management. Additionally,
the use of Self-Service Set-Up for device activation does not preclude
the use of OTA for either manually activating a Self-Service Set-Up
enabled device or performing device initiated parameter updates with
existing OTA systems.
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How
do carriers offer different rate plans to different consumers through
Self-Service Set-Up? What is the business logic that matches plan
offers to user segments, once the user has been determined through
the identification process?
Self-Service Set-Up includes credit scoring and
advanced profiling incorporating multiple consumer data points (e.g.
age, income range, home ownership, etc.), which drives rate plan and
feature options from which the consumer chooses. Based on these profiles,
the plans and features most likely to be purchased would be offered
first, as defined by the carrier's business and market rules. Additional
push promotions and incentives can be delivered as well.
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How does Self-Service Set-Up prevent potential fraudulent activity?
Is Self-Service Set-Up secure?
Self-Service Set-Up provides a secure solution
via mutual authentication and encryption using an advanced 128-bit
key for data encryption. Additionally, each device has a unique key
mitigating all fraud potential. Identity fraud is also minimized through
the VeriSign Numeric-Only-Identification-Protocol (NOIDP), which establishes
identity by requesting personal questions used to validate the purchaser.
General questions, such as birth date and social security number,
are used to establish primary identity, which can optionally be further
validated by an “out of wallet” question such mortgage
balance, bank info, car payment or other information derived from
a credit report. These detailed questions are far less likely to be
known if identity theft has occurred.
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How
does Self-Service Set-Up identify the consumer?
Upon receipt of personal numeric information,
the Self-Service Set-Up application initiates a callout to proprietary
and/or 3rd party databases where specific consumer data is appended.
Once this consumer data is appended, a callout to the credit bureau(s)
can be initiated if the carrier requires. As data is gathered, such
as the credit score, it is added to the Self-Service Set-Up database.
The data can be used to prompt the subscriber with questions necessary
to verify identity. Once the carrier's business rules have been met
and the required demographic information has been collected, Self-Service
Set-Up sends the information to the provisioning systems to update
the necessary carrier OSS/BSS systems and network elements.
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What
do consumers say about self-service wireless?
According to Forrester Research, Self-Service
Set-Up has cross-market appeal and is highly attractive to multiple
wireless consumer groups, with special interest in the youth and professional
consumer segments. Top prospects also include current wireless users
who like the convenience of being able to purchase a phone and select
a service plan on their own. They also expressed interest in purchasing
self-service wireless at a variety of non-direct retail channels.
Consumers indicated that speed of purchase and convenience were key
factors in their reasoning for preferring Self-Service. With Self-Service,
consumers felt more comfortable and preferred purchasing wireless
at traditional retail outlets.
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How
can a wireless carrier trial Self-Service Set-Up?
VeriSign and Telespree are eager
to work with carriers interested in a trial/evaluation programs. Self-Service
Set-Up can be provided to carriers through a convenient, hosted environment
for rapid and efficient carrier market and technical evaluations.
The Self-Service Set-Up team is ready to work with carriers one-on-one
to design the specific plan that best capitalizes on a carrier's unique
market, channel and customer requirements.
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