Problem Resolution Services Program with CGI provides seamless solution for Bell's customers

"CGI has always been a strong partner of Bell. I know that if any issue arises, I can call my counterpart to discuss it openly and it will be resolved…this is the case regardless of level. This was truly "ONE" team."

Steve Munro, General Manager, Network and Technology, IS/IT, Bell Canada

The Client
Bell Canada is Canada's largest supplier of telecommunications services. With one of the world's most robust and reliable public switched networks, Bell Canada provides advanced voice, data and image communications to more than eight million business and residence customers across Canada. With such a wide variety of products, Bell knows that great customer service also means making it easy for customers to report and resolve problems if they arise. That's why Bell decided to join with CGI to take the trouble out of trouble reporting.

The Challenge
Bell was seeking to integrate its various trouble management systems and provide seamless one-stop service to customers using a number of Bell products. Rather than calling Bell Mobility for wireless, Bell Sympatico for DSL, Bell Nexxia for IP/WAN, Bell World for terminal equipment, Bell ExpressVu for media and entertainment, and an array of helpdesks in Bell Canada for data and voice related problems, Bell customers should be able to go to a single assistance point. But its various business processes and disparate IS/IT systems made it challenging for Bell to provide for all communication needs of a customer under one umbrella.

CGI and Bell therefore teamed up to create the Problem Resolution Services (PRS) program. PRS was designed to integrate Bell's trouble management systems and processes, enable customers and partners to electronically submit, update and obtain status reports for trouble tickets through system links or a Web portal.

CGI and Bell moved away from the traditional customer/vendor relationship to approach the task as a shared problem. The team had to work within extremely tight timeframes and needed to produce fast, incremental results for all stakeholders. The PRS program also sought to achieve reduced schedule risk and high visibility of the program's progress. CGI faced the particular challenge of managing parallel releases at the same time, as multiple teams were working with the same code base. Excellent communication and strong configuration management principles were essential.

"CGI has always been a strong partner of Bell and are very knowledgeable about various systems in Bell including trouble management," stated Steve Munro, General Manager, Network and Technology IS/IT, Bell Canada. "They have knowledge and expertise with Middleware which was necessary to integrate different trouble management systems in Bell."

The Strategy
The Bell team defined the business requirements and high-level solution, while CGI was responsible for development. CGI began by selecting a team of rapid application development (RAD) and Vitria ™ specialists (Vitria Businessware manages enterprise application integration, business-to-business integration, workflow and business process automation). RAD is a collection of best practices that result in reduced time to market and cost effectiveness. The team also used time-boxing (where timeframes and smaller sub-projects or "releases" are established) and spiral modeling. Spiral modeling is a risk-oriented approach that divides a release into components. Each component addresses one or more risks until all risks have been dealt with.

Rather than face the expense of building a new system or the uncertainty of attempting to adapt an off-the-shelf product, Bell and CGI decided instead to re-use existing technology. They set out to integrate all of the systems into one, leveraging the functionality of each system. Middleware, which combines software and hardware to allow systems to communicate and interact with one another, provided the means of merging the systems together. Re-use also allows new functionalities to be implemented at a reasonable cost.

The project proceeded smoothly thanks to the efficiency and synergy of the combined CGI and Bell team. "CGI worked very closely with my team to understand the business problem we were trying to solve," continued Mr. Munro. "CGI often provided their perspectives and creative solutions when we encountered roadblocks or unknowns."

The Technology

• EAI Middleware software - Vitria
• Database - Oracle
• Server HA availability
• Veritas Volume and file system manager

The Results
Through team effort and an unwavering commitment to the project, the Bell/CGI team succeeded in delivering the PRS solution on time and on budget. The PRS infrastructure or hub, which will become the center for all trouble management at Bell Canada, was delivered first. Then, the team connected two trouble management systems to the hub. PRS also produced two customer interface systems: a Bell-to-Business (B2B) bridge, which provides a physical link between two systems, and the PRS portal, which allows customers and partners to create, view, submit and close trouble tickets directly in Bell's system from a Web browser.

The PRS system is expected to deliver significant operational efficiencies to Bell over a three-year period through the implementation of the PRS hub. It will also lower the cost and time required for customers and partners wishing to integrate their system with Bell's. The PRS portal should also lower the number of calls made to help desks, reduce entry errors and increase customer service quality by providing instant status reports on the trouble reported and faster problem resolution.

"A key factor to the PRS program success has been the relationship between Bell and CGI," concluded Mr. Munro. "CGI created a team structure similar to Bell, and we managed the project as a virtual team. I know that if any issue arises, I can call my counterpart to discuss it openly and it will be resolved…this is the case regardless of level. This was truly "ONE" team."