Two of the most important aspects of running a telecom company are efficient processes and accurate data. In particular, Opportunity to Cash is one of the most important processes. At Zayo, we are doing a bunch of work to cement our opportunity to cash process. Over the next few days, I will discuss what we are doing, how we are doing it, and why.
Today, I want to focus on one point. Usually this process is called “Order to Cash”. I am referring to it as “Opportunity to Cash”. What is the difference?
An Opportunity is a potential sales whereas an Order signifies that the sale has already been made. The transition between Opportunity and Order sets the tone for the overall efficiency of the process. By defining the process as Opportunity to Cash (instead of Order to Cash), the transition from sales to service activation is more likely to be smooth. Why is this?
Sales and Service Activation are more likely to use the same “language”…that is, the terminology they define for attributes of an order will more likely be exactly alike. Also, they are more likely to use the same tools and methodology. This allows better communication throughout the process. Finally, and related to the last point, the feedback loop is likely to be crisp. That is, service activation (and later billing) will use the same terminology to communicate status or roadblocks to the sales team. Less time is wasted on sorting through the nuances that each group uses to describe an order and its status.
For those not involved in Opportunity to Cash, this post might seem sophmoric. For those who have lived in any telecom company, they will have a sense for what I am talking about. Over subsequent posts, I will be more specific.
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