Custom Network Design and Pricing Tools

Abstract

Selling national and international data networking solutions (WAN and LAN) is an essential part of the BT solutions business. In this highly competitive sector the technology is evolving fast and consequently there are frequent enhancements of the product and service offerings. With this goes a tendency to increase the complexity of the pricing and discount schemes as competitors jostle to differentiate their products in the market-place.The BT data network sales organisation has to keep up with all these market changes. To assist with this, BT has invested heavily in a range of bespoke sales tools to support mass customisation of this range of solutions, in order to help improve their turnover, market reach and win rate. One of these tools is an application called SPEED (system pricing and end-to-end design) which is used at the consultative selling and design stages. SPEED is installed on the portable computers used by the account management teams. It aims to incorporate the 'mind of the expert designer'—best practice design principles and a compendium of the latest product and service offerings with up-to-date tariff and discount structures. It enables customers' requirements to be modelled and priced both accurately and quickly.SPEED provides a considerable advantage to the sales force in terms of reduced sales cycle, flexibility and accuracy of response to the customer. It also eliminates errors and omissions in the design and order-entry processes.This paper will focus on how SPEED delivers real business value to the customer and to BT.