The wireless industry has become extremely saturated over the last 10 years. In the New York, New Jersey market alone 103% of people have cellphones. Often times, many individuals carry two phones, which brings the percentage over 100. AT&T is one of the nation's top cellular service providers. They have award winning customer service and strive at being fast, efficient, and offering all solutions for their customers. In order to do so, they must have information systems which allow all departments to communicate effectively with each other. The information systems department came out with OPUS 6 years ago, and OPUS mobile (iPad version) one year ago. These systems allow AT&T employees to complete processes smoothly while maintaining a positive interaction with the customer. As of now all stores are to use the mobile version of the application. This system allows employees working in stores to create new accounts, upgrade phones, make changes to existing accounts, check store inventory, and so much more.
Collaboration
Collaboration is important when it comes to AT&T because of the large customer base. When thousands of customers come into our stores each day and changes are made to their account, every department must know what changes were made and why they were made. OPUS mobile allows this to happen smoothly. It brings together sales, customer service, marketing, account services, credits and activations, and the porting department. It also allows managers to observe what their reps are doing and help them improve through feedback and iteration.
Silos
Information silos causes a major problem for any company with multiple departments. Silos occur when information is isolated to one department. AT&T in the past had one system for customer service and a different system for marketing. This caused misinformation to be sent out to customers. Many consumers who were not a part of AT&T were receiving ads about adding lines to their existing account and saving on their current plan with new plans. Collaborative Information systems have done away with the issues that used to arise in the past. The new system ties in all departments and allows personnel to review customer accounts.
The 5 Components of an Information System
All information systems are made up of five components. They are, hardware, software, data, procedures and the people who are involved. AT&T relies on these components to run their systems smoothly and effectively.
Hardware
AT&T currently uses iPad 3's and iPad's with retina displays in order to run the mobile version of OPUS. They also use Dell desktops to run the computer version. AT&T has multiple servers located around the world. However, there are two main servers located in Atlanta and in Dallas. These servers contain customer information such as account numbers, credit card information, phone numbers, social security numbers, driver's license numbers, and all other information needed to have an AT&T account. These servers are maintained and operated on by AT&T personnel.
Software
AT&T currently runs IOS 6 on all their iPads. On the desktops AT&T recently upgraded the operating systems to Windows 7. Updates are constantly coming out for the iPads as well as the desktops. This minimizes security breaches and protects customer information more securely.
Data
OPUS Mobile is extremely user friendly and allows all departments to access customer information. When a line is ported out of AT&T it allows the retention department, to access information as to what carrier ported the line and notifies the marketing department, that they are no longer a customer. It also notifies Account services to send out any bill for unpaid balances that the customer may have had. Prior to starting in a position all employees must go through a month of training at a corporate facility. During training AT&T's training services department train employees how to handle customer information and how to avoid fraudulent activity. AT&T takes CPNI (Customer proprietary network information) very seriously and have strict consequences for misconduct.
People
People are the most important part of an information system. People are who make the information system run smoothly. AT&T wireless alone has over 100,000 employees. Each employee is responsible for doing their part to keep information secure and to ensure great customer experience.
Procedures
Procedures are guidelines for people to follow. As stated above AT&T takes CPNI very seriously. Employees are trained on an ongoing basis about how to handle customer information. No information is to be given or the phone or sent electronically. All information must be kept confidential unless the account holder is in the store and has a valid government photo identification. AT&T hires very carefully due to their employees access to millions of personal and business accounts. Consequences are in place if any information is mishandled or misused.
Social Media
AT&T uses three forms of social media; Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. These social media sites allow AT&T to release new promotions and also hear feedback from their customers. AT&T takes reviews very seriously and takes customers feedback and opinions into consideration.
AT&T uses Facebook as a major form of advertisement. They are always posting pictures of new products and services. It also allows them to display who they sponsor such as the Dallas Cowboys, New York Yankees, and The Olympics.
As with any social media Facebook allows users to post comments on AT&T's page about their opinions and experiences. These posts can be seen by anyone viewing the page and AT&T has no control on what is posted on the website.
Instagram is used to take pictures of products and promotion. Like Facebook users can all comment on the picture with their opinions about products
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