Partner
AT&T Mobility
Business Alliance Channel
AT&T is recognized as one of the leading worldwide providers of IP-based communication services to businesses, with the nation's fastest 3G network. The Business Alliance Channel (BAC) at AT&T manages business-focused third party solution providers who offer AT&T Mobility certified software or certified non-stocked equipment. Solutions providers in the BAC program do not operate retail stores or sell consumer-targeted products they are Dealers who integrate AT&T services, devices or solutions directly with business customers and Value Added Resellers (VAR) who focus on delivering bundled business-to-business (B2B) data to specific vertical markets.
Situation
AT&T Mobility was using an inflexible legacy system to manage Dealer/VAR On-boarding, opportunity registration and Dealer/VAR lookup. This system was unable to keep up with the changing business needs at AT&T. Issues with business process change, workflow visibility, audit capabilities, reporting and maintenance were difficult and inconvenient for all parties involved.
AT&T knew it needed to partner with a vendor to redevelop the BAC system into an industry leading web based platform that provided the tools necessary for the partners to succeed. They also needed to have the ability to transform their selling force by providing a tool that converged, merged and shared databases among three different AT&T divisions; BAC, Small Business Indirect Team (SMB), and Developer Central (devCentral).
Solution
Plasma developed a completely interactive and dynamic web based solution on its state of the art Business Process Modeling and Workflow Management platform - Plasma FUSIONTM. The FUSION system is a XML, ASP.NET, SaaS, Web 2.0 based solution that allows integration with Oracle and MS SQL Server. The systems functionality was created with the ability to adapt Business Processes and Workflow with changing needs at AT&T, allowing Single-Sign-On, manage notification, alert distribution and audit tracking for improving work efficiencies and management overview. AT&T now has new and extensive administration capabilities because FUSION provides a portal to multiple databases and extensive dynamic reporting. The XML and SOAP based API capabilities integrate with multiple platforms and applications within an enterprise. The new system's intuitive user interface has enabled all entities an advanced tool for efficiently on-boarding and managing BAC partners.
Result
The migration to a standardized platform has substantially lowered the cost of maintenance while providing a more flexible architecture. Now AT&T can make future changes more efficient and improve the overall adaptability of the system.
Below is the feedback from AT&T project management on the completion of the new system.
"It has been my pleasure to work with the Plasma Computing Group Team since August 2008. We have completed three major builds and multiple smaller projects in this time. Following are a few of my observations:
- Information Gathering: "Plasma's Q&A process was extremely thorough. They quickly understood what was needed and then worked the process with pointed and penetrating questions to ensure they had the entire picture of the finished product."
- Knowledge: "I was very gratified, and often surprised, by the Team's willingness and wherewithal to create the exact functionality I needed. No matter how extensive or difficult the request, their response was, "We can do that" and within days my request would be granted."
- Creativity: "During the build I often thought I knew what I wanted, only to learn that the Plasma team had thought out and could provide a faster and easier solution."
- Responsiveness: "The team's response time is amazing. After living with the frustration of working with a group that took days to even acknowledge my requests, Plasma's response time has always been within hours (and in most cases, minutes). My request would be met with an equal response--an email or quick call, then an in-depth conversation to determine my exact need. In many cases, any issue would be resolved within 24 hours. For those items with a longer lead time, a definite deadline for delivery would be set, and communication would continue until request completion."
- Professionalism: "The team has been a pleasure to work with. Although each member is extremely polite and professional at all times, they each also add their own personal sense of fun. It made each project a pleasure to implement."
I heartily recommend Plasma Comp a web design company to anyone needing a workable, practical, and effective system solution."
Cara Polak
AT&T Business Solutions I Business Alliance Channel / Alternate Channels I
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