PDF of this tutorialThe development of a customer care system from scratch is expensive and has many risks but can provide a system that is well-tailored to the service provider's needs. In general, development can take more than a year and will be subject to major project risks such as technology, experience, budget, and know-how problems. In practice, only large telephone companies can afford the development of customer care systems.
An alternative is to buy a customer care system. An already-built customer care system is relatively inexpensive, and many of the risks associated with it are already eliminated. However, it will not be initially tailored to the service provider's needs. Because the operations of telecommunications service providers vary significantly, the customization of the system is necessary to make it a substantial customer care system. On the other hand, some vendors of customer care systems prefer the superficial customer care system approach and shy away from substantial customization. A good customer care system vendor will work with the service provider and provide substantial customization if requested.
