The following SMART 100 profile and the information it contains is a duplication of content submitted by the applicant during the entry process. As a function of entry, applicants were required to declare that all details are factually correct, do not infringe on another’s intellectual property and are not unlawful, threatening, defamatory, invasive of privacy, obscene, or otherwise objectionable. Some profiles have been edited for reasons of space and clarity. More about the SMART 100.
This innovation initially came to life when…
This innovation came to life when we realised a gap in a developing segment in the telecommunications market. With telecommunications becoming commoditised, many entrepreneurs have joined the groundswell of companies offering innovative product mixes in voice, Internet, data, PBX, and hosting segment. While there are plenty of wholesale providers of these services, no one in the market has delivered an end-to-end BSS/OSS platform (front, middle, and back office solution) for these innovators. Utilibill Lite empowers such players to be competitive and offer first-class service while minimising overheads that were previously required to set up a telco.
WHAT & HOW
The purpose of this innovation is to…
Problem: How does a new entrant to telco start a business with all the required systems to support business processes internally and externally interacting professionally with customers? This innovation also gives smaller players similar presence to the major carriers.
It does this by…
The platform delivers software as a service, combines, provisioning, billing, payments, customer portal, iPhone interface, pay by phone, help desk, management dashboard and inventory systems into one easy-to-use platform. We simplify complex telco business through common sense GUI and systems that mirror business processes, driving automation, efficiency and competitive advantage for those in Australia, NZ, and the UK using the platform.
PURPOSE & BENEFITS
This innovation improves on what came before because…
– It simplifies otherwise complex processes
– It combines provsioning and billing to one process which reduces errors and revenue leakage
– It provides one portal that holds all customer information
– It delivers SaaS
– It is cost effective for smaller players
Its various benefits to the customer/end-user include…
Benefits to the customer (service provider):
– simplifies business, enabling focus on acquiring new customers
– lowers barriers to entry
Benefits to the end user:
– customer self-management
– view usage
– pay bills online, via Internet or phone
– setup auto-payment facilities
COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE
In the past, this problem was solved by…
Two key differentiators:
1) all-in-one solution
2) Low price point on a feature-rich product
Its predecessors/competitors include…
Utilibill Full version. Companies in our segment aren’t competitors as our solution is still unique; this will change as other players in the billing space catch up with our feature set. We continue to add other innovations to stay a step ahead.
TARGET MARKET
It is made for…
There are between 750 and 1000 service providers in Australia selling a combination of mobile, fixed wire, DSL, VoIP, PBX, and Internet services. This is constanltly growing. Our product is opening the space to these and new target groups effectively creating new markets. Internationally the opportunitiy is far larger. Further to this the electricity and smart metering additions will again provide for a new group of entrepreneurs and innovators to bring new product bundles to market. The lite product is made for small service providers. This service is gearing up to offer additional services as they roll out NBN.
DISTRIBUTION STRATEGY
It is available for sale through…
This product is 100% web based and as such is available over the Internet or via direct communication and consultation of Utilibill. Wholesale providers are advocates of the product and recommend it, making them an additional sales channel.
Our marketing strategy is to…
Establish recognition as dominant solution in the new entrant segment with this product. As a footnote, this product is result of a strategy to build a business pipeline for our enterprise product. That product has attracted over 100 active service providers in 2 years. Utilibill Lite drops the barrier to entry so we expect even greater take up.
SUPPORTING IMAGES AND/OR VIDEO
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To check out the Anthill SMART 100 Readers’ Choice winner for 2010, click here.
