Service Bulletin #2: Supporting the adoption of SD-Wan with Automated Installation Services

The Challenge

When it comes to the installation of a customer’s new SD-Wan solution, to ensure a first-class customer experience and an optimised commercial proposition, the MSPs provisioning teams must closely synchronise all the key elements of the solution including:

1. Ordering the last mile connection from wholesale providers,
2. Ordering the CPE hardware or router device,
3. Arranging the installation service, either internally or with suppliers,
4. Have it all aligned, "just in time”.

However, whilst MSPs do often utilise key supplier portals to order the circuit or even the hardware, all too often, they still have a legacy approach to arranging the installation and commissioning of the connection.

For the installation service, it is quite likely that they still rely upon:

• Manual service co-ordination, using e-mail and project tracker documents to record progress and outcomes, which;
• Incur unnecessary data entry?costs?often with “swivel chair” duplication across customer, internal and third-party supplier systems; ?
• They may have internal resources working with external suppliers to differing standards, processes and service levels with minimal collaboration and transparency, and;
• Use a multitude of service delivery tools with no curation of workflows into automated stepped processes with manual sign off processes.

Understanding Your Challenge

At Empowered, we understand the challenges of dealing with SDWAN connectivity provisioning and we believe that service automation is the key to ensuring improved operational efficiencies whilst reducing complexity and supporting key objectives such as:

• Reducing customer supply chain issues by optimising common delivery models with consistency, transparency and automation.
• Ultimately moving to “as a service” models with shared risk and common “outcome driven” objectives to drive brand value, customer retention and customer experience.

The Empowered Solution

Our solution combines our People, Processes and Systems underpinned by our lifecycle services management platform “MyOrderWork” and our nationwide “plug-in” professional engineering network of over 6,500 accredited resources. Our service delivers a consistent outcome and excellent customer experience, with digitisation and automation of scheduling, resource allocation, acknowledgements, updates and sign off.

Through the platform & engineering mobile application, we provide a single point of access and control for?partners, field engineers and end customers for all service events. Furthermore, we can make the adoption of an aggregated delivery model across multiple resolver groups simple and effective by combining any internal resources and existing supply chain with our approved delivery network of over 6,500 engineers. Finally, to fully digitise the end-to-end delivery journey, our platform can fully integrate with partners and supplier systems via open APIs.

The Outcome

In summary the MyOrderWork software with a service provides:

• Fully customised instance on the platform with built services and agreed workflow
• Transparent task progress reporting real-time including electronic sign off
• Templated and customisable documentation.
• Clear SoW’s and a defined customer approval process.?
• Delivery of both high volume and complex solutions.
• Flexible commercial models from event driven to fully managed solutions.
• Is underpinned by our dedicated service delivery team and customised management overview with bespoke reporting.
• Access to our approved "plug in" network of over 6,500 trusted associate resources (over 500 trained and experienced in Network CPE deployments).
• A customer satisfaction rating of over 99%.

A recent quote from a Network Connectivity Partner said:

“By adopting the MyOrderWork platform, we have seen our "in year" commercial savings from improved operational efficiencies of approximately 30-40% and the service has been essential in helping us expedite our SD-Wan service introduction levels to customers to days, not weeks!”

To find out more about how our “Software With a Service” proposition can help your delivery teams delight your customers, the Team at Empowered are ready to help you. You can contact them on +44 844 371 1310 or email [email protected] or feel free to send me a direct message via LinkedIn.

Kind regards

Darren Liles

Empowered SMS