Network Construction & Maintenance

For outsourced construction and maintenance of network infrastructures, IFS offers a complete business solution supporting project tendering and planning roll-out, after-sales and field service operations. IFS Applications manages project activities, budgets, time schedules and documentation as well as reporting and follow-up. The solution also supports prioritising and scheduling of incoming jobs, as well as warranties, invoicing, inventory and purchasing.

Project Tendering & Planning

IFS Applications for the telecommunications industry lets you re-use information and experience from earlier projects—such as technical solutions, specifications, and planning — as the basis for quoting new projects. This enables you to reduce the hidden risks during the initial stage, when you are entering a new project. Planning a new communication network—or expanding an existing one — is often time critical, involving both physical and human resources. Controlling progress and performance within the project is of utmost importance. During the project planning phase, IFS Applications manages issues such as defining the project structure and time schedules, and activities such as early start and finish, project budget, resources (material and personnel), and project documentation.

Roll-out

Project reporting and follow-up activities are performed throughout the rollout or installation of the network infrastructure. Hours, travel expenses, and other costs are reported. Logistics support, such as procurement and inventory, ensures that equipment and material are at the right place at the right time. IFS/Work Order lets you efficiently plan, execute, and report the utilisation of time and material, and build up the network assets. Throughout this phase, IFS’ financial solution helps you maintain control of all project-related costs.

After Sales and Field Service Operations

IFS Applications for the telecommunications industry provides comprehensive support for companies that manage the after-sales and service processes for communications service providers.

In IFS Applications, you can immediately start the maintenance work in the roll-out phase as you have built up the network assets during the project. All network objects are available for maintenance in a logical structure as serial and functional objects.

Support for sales operations includes functionality for quote generation, order handling, and contract management. The ability to re-use information speeds up the work considerably and the clear overview of existing commitments increases the opportunities for additional sales.

IFS Applications for the telecommunications industry helps prioritise and schedule incoming jobs based on the customer’s service contract and assets as well as the current workload. Scheduling and implementation can be facilitated by predefining standard jobs with respect to material requirements, hours, personnel requirements, and other parameters. IFS Applications also handles warranties, which facilitates customer contacts and the planning of service measures. Administration becomes easier as a result of automatic support for customer and supplier invoicing as well as links between warranty certificates, items and objects in the system. Consumed materials and used services are linked to each work order. These details are the basis for follow-up activities and quality assurance according to ISO standards.

The service work can be initiated either from fault reports reported to a call centre or by external partners directly using IFS’ collaboration portals. It can also be generated from preventive maintenance, giving you total control of all work to be carried out in the field. Work orders can be reported directly from the field using portable devices such as PDAs, reducing invoicing time and increasing the accuracy of the work that has been performed.

During the entire phase, IFS’ financial solution maintains control of all costs. It provides a comprehensive, integrated system for effectively managing budgets, projects, and assets from a financial perspective, along with core accounting processes. The financial application includes a complete general-ledger package that incorporates projects and budgets, accounts payable, accounts receivable, fixed assets and the financial ledger.

IFS’ business performance solution is an integrated strategic performance management and control system that includes reporting, analysis and scorecard capabilities. It supports asset management, workforce/work order analytics, balanced scorecard, customer profitability, supply chain and project analysis and financial reporting and analytics.