New Features
Custom Data Export for Reporting
Label Endpoint Creation
MDU Onboarding Tool
Customization and Model Migration
Discount Management Integration
Device solution refactoring
Implementation of “Join ACP” Checkbox for Enhanced Lead Management
Implementing Tax Override Switch
Added FAQs For Portal
Added Type Configuration for HERE Validation
FCC discount qualification fields
Improvements
Enhancements to FCC Product Portal API
API Key Generation Process Improvement
Exposed Default Products To Portal
Implementation of Price Differentiators API Endpoints in FCC Product Portal
Enhancements to FCC Product Portal API: Search Plans and New Product Version Endpoints
FCC Product Portal Functional Design Document – User Data Cleansing Endpoint
Bugs Fixes
Correction of Value Types and Mandatory Fields in Jackson Energy Database
Login Error in Product Creation
Confirmation Message Indicates FCC Product Labels Were Changed, but No Changes Were Made
New Features
Custom Data Export for Reporting
In today’s data-driven world, marketers face the challenge of gaining a comprehensive view of their campaigns to make informed decisions. While Customer Insights – Journeys offers advanced custom reporting capabilities with Microsoft Fabric, in some cases it’s easier to integrate with your existing reporting systems. Now, in real-time journeys, you can export your Customer Insights – Journeys data to your own storage solution without requiring Fabric, empowering you to conduct custom reporting and analysis that aligns with your existing systems. Feature Details With data export, you can:
- Securely export your Customer Insights – Journeys data directly to your preferred storage.
- Export data from Customer Insights – Journeys including interaction data and entity details.
- Use data with your existing reporting system to create custom reports.
Label Endpoint Creation
In developing the FCC Product Portal’s external API, we created an endpoint to retrieve a single FCC_Plan record based on specified parameters, redirecting users to PDF labels via LabelGen.
To ensure secure access, we implemented an authentication method that uses an `ExternalId` from the token to validate user permissions against the `ProviderSettings` table. We also added a `ProviderUser` table for authentication, which includes fields like `ExternalId` and `ApiKey`, along with a `WordPressTokenCheckUrl` for token verification.
Key parameters, such as `ProductId`, `ServiceArea`, `TechnologyId`, `PlanType`, and `Date`, allow for flexible data retrieval. The `GetPlanByParameters` stored procedure returns a matching record for direct label access or raises errors if multiple or no records match.
This design provides businesses with secure and reliable access to FCC plan information, enhancing customer transparency and aiding compliance with FCC reporting standards. By linking product labels to FCC records, the API improves pricing accuracy and service area management, benefiting both service providers and customers.
MDU Onboarding Tool
The MDU (Multi-Dwelling Unit) Onboarding Tool was created to streamline the relationship between network operators and MDU property managers, allowing efficient management of service agreements. It enables operators to onboard MDU sites, set minimum service levels based on site-specific pricing, and ensure compliance with federal assistance programs like Lifeline and ACP.
Key features include:
- Service Agreement Frameworks: Provides tenants with a baseline level of service, with options to adjust plans seamlessly.
- Automated Workflows: Facilitates easy activation or deactivation of features in response to service level changes, enhancing tenant satisfaction.
- Automated Invoicing and Detailed Billing: Simplifies billing for property managers while offering detailed line-item billing based on tenant usage.
- Revenue-Sharing Capabilities: Supports customized pricing agreements and calculates discounts or incentives, boosting service adoption and revenue.
These enhancements improve contract management and tenant experience while ensuring compliance and optimizing revenue opportunities.
Customization and Model Migration
We successfully replaced the UI and back-end components with a new model, effectively unbinding telco-specific dependencies from existing elements across Forms, Views, Actions, Workflows, Plugins, and JavaScript resources. This restructured model enhances adaptability and performance by streamlining the application and reducing dependency conflicts.
In conjunction with this customization, the Telco data model was recreated to align better with the SureTax solution, enabling more efficient tax processing and compliance for telecom services. The new model integrates entities, fields, and relationships that support accurate tax calculations and improve data clarity.
To facilitate future maintenance and ensure smooth tracking, a comprehensive list of modified components has been prepared, along with documentation detailing each change. This approach optimizes the integration framework, ultimately providing a more versatile and scalable system while enhancing the model’s reliability for stakeholders.
Discount Management Integration
The implementation of general discount functionality in the SRE environment has been successfully completed. This enhancement allows for the application of discounts at various levels, enabling users to effectively manage pricing strategies and improve customer satisfaction. The solution integrates seamlessly with existing processes, ensuring that discounts are applied consistently across relevant transactions.
Additionally, thorough testing was conducted to ensure that the new functionality does not disrupt existing workflows. This update not only streamlines pricing adjustments but also provides flexibility for promotional campaigns, thereby enhancing overall operational efficiency and competitiveness in the market. The changes have been deployed in the appropriate environments, ready for user access and utilization.
Device solution refactoring
The device solution refactoring has been successfully completed by aligning the Unified Device Model (UDM) with the latest modifications from the Resource Model solution. This adjustment involved a comprehensive review and integration of new attributes and structures to enhance data consistency and performance.
Key improvements include streamlined data flow, better compatibility with existing systems, and increased flexibility for future developments. By implementing these changes, the overall efficiency of device management processes has been significantly enhanced, which will facilitate improved resource allocation and service delivery. The updated model has been thoroughly tested and is now operational in the relevant environments, ensuring a seamless transition for users.
Implementation of “Join ACP” Checkbox for Enhanced Lead Management
A new field named “Join ACP” has been successfully created on the Lead entity, allowing for improved tracking and management of leads interested in joining the ACP program. This field is of type two options, with the default value set to NO.
Additionally, the ACP field has been integrated into the CreateAndQualifyLead request data model on the Integration Layer, facilitating seamless data handling and ensuring that the lead qualification process can incorporate this new attribute effectively.
The changes have been targeted for deployment in the SRE and APB Dev/Test environments, enhancing the system’s capabilities to capture and process lead information more accurately. This will ultimately support better decision-making and customer engagement strategies.
Implementing Tax Override Switch
An on/off switch for tax overrides has been successfully implemented in the user interface. This functionality allows users to suppress tax line items on a per-product basis and replace them with a generic message indicating that taxes and regulatory fees may vary. Additionally, a mechanism has been established to insert a block of text into the template when tax line items are suppressed. This enhancement streamlines the billing process and improves clarity for customers regarding tax-related charges.
Added FAQs For Portal
A new FAQ section was implemented on the self-care portal for Vero under the “FAQs” or “Frequently Asked Questions” tab. This section provides essential customer information regarding recent updates to remittance and lockbox addresses, billing procedures, and payment terms.
Key points include:
- New Remittance Address: Customers are informed to use the updated remittance address at PO Box 426 Gretna, NE 68028 for check payments starting with the January 2023 invoice.
- Old Address Payment Processing: Vero will continue processing checks sent to previous addresses until 03/31/23 to ease the transition.
- Credit Card and ACH Updates: No action is required of customers regarding payment methods, as existing information will transfer automatically.
- Updated Payment Terms: Transitioning check-paying customers to a Net 15 payment term as part of a gradual move to ACH or credit card automatic payments.
- Auto-Pay Benefits: Auto-pay reduces late payment risks and service disruption.
- Billing Date Consistency: Customers are assured that billing dates will remain unchanged.
- Billing Cycle Start: The billing cycle initiates on the installation date of services.
These details provide transparency for customers and ensure streamlined communication about upcoming changes.
Added Type Configuration for HERE Validation
A Query Type switch has been added to the Place Management Configuration, allowing users to toggle between field mapping and query string search modes. This enhancement improves the flexibility of search functionalities, enabling more tailored and efficient retrieval of data based on user preferences.
FCC discount qualification fields
Implemented functionality allows users to apply Subscriber ID and Registration ID to existing and new FCC Discount Programs on the Discount tab in the Web Portal.
Key updates include:
- A method to update Subscriber ID and Registration ID on existing ADP records, returning an aggregated discount model.
- A method to create new ADP records based on the Subscriber ID, Registration ID, and DP ID for the user’s account, ensuring that if no existing ADP record exists, a new one is created during the saving process, accompanied by an aggregated discount model.
Improvements
Enhancements to FCC Product Portal API
Recent developments in the FCC Product Portal API have introduced several key endpoints that enhance data retrieval, plan management, and operational efficiency:
- Enum Endpoint: New endpoints allow users to access all Enum tables and the Technology table, featuring consistent Value and Label fields for streamlined access to predefined values as per FCC guidelines. This improvement facilitates better integration and data management.
- Activate Plan Endpoint: Users can activate plans with statuses New (0) and Review (1) by providing a list of plan IDs and their authenticated user ID. The endpoint includes validation to ensure ownership and status compliance before activating the plans through a single database transaction.
- Clone Plans Endpoint: This endpoint enables users to duplicate plans with statuses Active (2) and Discontinued (3). It validates ownership and status before allowing users to modify and activate cloned plans, thereby enhancing plan management workflows.
- Discontinue Plan Endpoint: Users can mark active plans as discontinued. The endpoint verifies ownership and status before processing the request, ensuring structured management of plan statuses and compliance with ownership regulations.
- Additional Charges Endpoint: The GetFeesNames endpoint retrieves additional charge names associated with a specific provider using the authenticated user’s ExternalId. This functionality improves user experience by providing essential fee information necessary for accurate plan management.
Overall, these enhancements contribute to improved user experience, data integrity, and operational efficiency within the FCC Product Portal API.
API Key Generation Process Improvement
The implementation of the “Get Api Key” functionality enhances user access within the portal by streamlining the process for generating API keys. When a user clicks the “Get Api Key” button, the request is sent to the External API web application, which then validates the received token.
Upon successful validation, the External API initiates the API key generation process, returning the generated key to the main portal for the end-user. This workflow ensures that only authorized users can obtain API keys, thereby enhancing security and maintaining integrity within the system. Overall, this improvement facilitates seamless user interaction while upholding stringent authorization protocols.
Exposed Default Products to Portal
Enhancing the web portal’s product selection functionality to improve user experience and business flexibility. A new “Web Portal Configuration” section was added to the Product Category entity, incorporating fields for “Multiple Products Choice,” “Default Product Choice,” and “Display Order.” The existing fields were organized into this section to streamline management. Similar updates were made to the Product entity, adding fields for “Selected by Default” and “Display Section.” These enhancements were integrated into the IL data model requests for Products and Addons.
The changes provide significant business advantages, including improved user navigation and selection of services, greater customization of product offerings, and streamlined management processes. This robust product management system allows the business to adapt to evolving requirements while enhancing customer satisfaction and engagement.
Automated Agreement Start Date Capture in Service Order Flow
The task focused on enhancing the agreement process within the service order flow by ensuring the Agreement Start Date is automatically filled when the user clicks the “Accept” button. A handler was added to the integration layer to capture the button click event, with a payload that includes the OpportunityId and the current DateTime as the Agreement Start Date. An action was created to handle this pre-filling efficiently.
This improvement streamlines the user experience by reducing manual input, ensuring data accuracy, and facilitating quicker processing of agreements. The changes were implemented in the APB Dev environment and are set to be deployed to the APB Test environment, enhancing operational efficiency and customer satisfaction in the onboarding process.
Implementation of Price Differentiators API Endpoints in FCC Product Portal
The implementation of the FCC Product Portal API for Price Differentiators has been completed, consisting of three key endpoints.
- GetPriceDifferentiators retrieves all records from the ServiceArea table associated with the current ProviderSettings based on the user’s ExternalId.
- AddPriceDifferentiators allows users to add new price differentiators using a CSV format. This involves calling the stored procedure `AddServiceAreas` with the provided differentiators and the authenticated user’s ID.
- DiscontinuePriceDifferentiators enables the discontinuation of specified price differentiators, invoking the stored procedure `RemoveServiceAreas` similarly.
While the stored procedures are set up, some enhancements are still required to improve their functionality.
Enhancements to FCC Product Portal API: Search Plans and New Product Version Endpoints
- Search Plans Endpoint: A new Search Plans endpoint has been implemented to retrieve multiple records, allowing for nuanced searches based on parameters such as `Id`, `ProductId`, `ServiceArea`, `TechnologyId`, `PlanType`, and `Status`. This endpoint executes the stored procedure `SearchPlansByParameters`, providing flexibility in search criteria while maintaining a consistent JSON structure.
- New Product Version Endpoint: The New Product Version endpoint enables the creation of a new version of Active and Discontinued products without modifying original records. It searches for the product by `ISP_ProductId`, and if valid, creates a new record with incremented `ProductVersion` and references to the previous version. The stored procedure `ActivateNewProductVersion` is called to activate the new version, enhancing product data reliability.
FCC Product Portal Functional Design Document – User Data Cleansing Endpoint
An internal endpoint has been created for cleansing user data, accessible exclusively to development users. The endpoint retrieves the external ID from the authentication token and invokes the stored procedure `CleanseUser @ExternalId`. Access is restricted to users designated as development users within WordPress.
Additionally, the API key generation process has been updated to include a user type, which is now saved in the `ProviderUser` table. The `SystemConfiguration` table has been modified to include an `EnvType` field (Dev, Sandbox, Prod), ensuring that the cleansing operation is only permitted in the Sandbox and Dev environments. No further changes to authentication or API key generation are required.
Bugs Fixes
Correction of Value Types and Mandatory Fields in Jackson Energy Database
Resolved issues with inactive products in the Jackson Energy database, where incorrect value types in the “Terms of Contract” field were causing modification errors. Adjusted the field data type to ensure compatibility and prevent errors during product modification.
Additionally, populated the missing mandatory values in the “Discounts and Bundles link” field across affected products. This field, required for modification, was generating errors due to empty values, so corrections were implemented to ensure seamless updates and prevent user disruption.
Login Error in Product Creation
An intermittent login error was reported when attempting to create a new product, though it couldn’t be consistently reproduced. The issue was reviewed and monitored, and potential conflicts were minimized to ensure smoother operation. If this error resurfaces with reproducible steps, further investigation will follow to isolate and address the cause directly.
Confirmation Message Indicates FCC Product Labels Were Changed, but No Changes Were Made
Upon opening a product, clicking the “Edit Product” button, and saving without making changes, a message incorrectly appears, suggesting an update was made. This bug fix ensures the message only triggers if actual changes are detected, preventing confusion and maintaining user experience consistency. Blocking Issue Resolution for Chelan Onboarding Flow.
We have identified a critical issue in the onboarding flow for Chelan, specifically regarding the transition from the “Order Confirmation” stage to the “Delivery” stage. Currently, this transition results in the creation of Work Orders with incorrect incident types due to the timing of when the Incident Type is defined.
The onboarding process moves directly from “Order Confirmation” to “Delivery” (where the Work Order is created) without defining the Incident Type in advance. These toggles, which determine the Incident Type, are computed only after the Premise is assigned to the Account. This assignment occurs post-order confirmation, leading to incorrect Work Order generation.
To resolve this issue, the computation of the Field Service toggles needs to occur during the creation of the Service Order or when the Ensure Service Location is modified within the Service Order. This adjustment will ensure that the Service Order has the correct Incident Type at all times.
By implementing these changes, we can that the correct Incident Type is assigned to Work Orders, thereby improving the accuracy and efficiency of the onboarding process for Chelan. This resolution is critical to maintaining service quality and operational integrity.
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