| Initial targets for Value Chains initiative
Phase 1 (underway now) Phase 2 (Q1 2009) Overview of Areas and interested parties - Metadata Interface
Scope and Issues overview
The generation of content is done in a large variety of ways making it difficult to develop tools for production, integration and delivery of content and services from other parties to be integrated quickly and easily.
The impact of this is that when content is delivered to a consumer it is extremely difficult to provide basic solutions such as confirmation of delivery, usage of item, ratification of correct file delivered, dealing with customer care issues, etc.
In Content Encounter we have treated the Content Commerce Interface (CCI) so far as the container for "incoming" metadata , primarily used during content acquisition/ingestion into a single service provider catalog. This has used MPEG 21 as the framework and the work has moved forward well. However given that other groups have come into existence we need to re-test the original proposition of MPEG 21 as the answer again. Further we need to do a sanity check with some of the major content/ media players who would have to use any standard that we propose in this area.
Objectives
- Agree small core of companies to drive this area
- Group to review previous work and progress of other bodies from a technical and commercial acceptance perspective
- Review options with major media and content players
- Propose way forward
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- Payment processing including charging/ apportionment/ policy
Scope and Issues overview
Payment processing is a basic aspect of all content and media usage and conducted today largely through credit cards and SMS. However this has the two major limitations of reach and security. The issues are well understood and there are a number of bodies working on aspects of these issues including some key ones in the Identity management area such as The Liberty Alliance, Higgins Trust Framework etc. The TM Forum also has significant skills and resources available through the Revenue Group.
The group needs to address some major limitations of current solutions such as:
- Where can Service Providers add value in the payment processing area
- How can payment processing services be extended to all areas including the developing world and the unbanked.
- How can Identity theft be minimised
Objectives
- Agree small core of companies to drive this area
- Group to review previous work and progress of other bodies from a technical and commercial acceptance perspective
- Review options with major media and content players.
- Propose way forward
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- Sales Reporting Metrics
In discussions with Mobile Entertainment Forum they have shown interest in looking at the Revenue area where they have done a lot of work via surveying their membership. They have agreed the top 10 reporting metrics for sales with their members in order to address a significant problem in revenue leakage. Specifically they believe that up to 25% of the ring tone sector of the content market may be under reported and their metrics are designed to lower this percentage. They have agreed to share their information and will help us to get a wider implementation around the world if we work with them.
This is directly in line with where the TM Forum wishes and this area is strongly recommended for going forward with.
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- Customer Care API
Scope and Issues overview
Currently Customer care is not joined up across communications providers, transaction and content providers and the regulator. The UK industry under NICC B2B (part of the IET) has been working on cross industry trouble ticketing.
The TM Forum's e2e Service Quality Management program has also identified Customer Experience as an important target, and in fact about the only thing in which service providers would invest. Customer Experience requires access to customer information in order to be able to relate service events to things that are significant to customers and users. It also has specific demands on the types of metrics that are collected about services and networks, which differ from current practice.
The group needs to establish:
- The scope of customer care processes across the value chain - for example trouble /incident tickets, diagnostics processes, or simple notification of service status.
- Where the priorities are for customer care APIs in the value chain and the business benefits.
- A pragmatic work plan for addressing the priority areas.
Objectives
- Build on the work currently being done in TM Forum, ATIS, UK NICC B2B group and elsewhere.
- Review prior work.
- Create initial scope for Customer Care API Business Functions/ Services.
- To carry this aspect of the study using a Wiki based discussion and to create an initial work plan in Q1 2009.
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- SQM (QoAS)
Scope and Issues overview
Maintaining the end to end service quality and end Customer Experience is more complex when the service is delivered as part of a value network of co-operating partners.
The TM Forum e2eSQM program is address the general issues of:
- Managing the Quality of Customer Experience’
- Assuring end to end Service Quality
By defining a SQM framework and an inventory of SQM Performance metrics
One area, the exchange of Service Level Agreement performance metrics amongst service providers also needs to form part of the Value Network Solution.
It is proposed to do this specific part of the work jointly with the Value Network program.
OASIS has done some significant work with ebXML which will be relevant to the work done within this group.
Objectives
- The main challenge is to identify the metrics which need to be included in the SLA regulating the business relationships amongst the trading partners, including process metrics such as those developed in the TM Forum Benchmarking program.
- Defining the type of performance transaction that need to be supported, e.g Logs, summarizations, threshold crossings, SLA violations, and customer care related matters such a repair jeopardy, etc
Initial input from the group is that they propose that we focus on services to support intermediation: security, settlements payment and SQM (Delivery logistics).
Given the major effort put into this area by the member companies to date and the significant progress made but the significant complexity of the metrics that need to be agreed this area is targeted for deliverables in the 1st quarter 2009 timeframe.
The initial work is in progress as part of the Managing Customer Experience program and specific Value Chain work as described above will be initiated in Q1 2009.
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- Usage Data
Scope and Issues overview
Significant work has been done within the Mobile Entertainment Forum on trying to identify what metrics should be standardised across content sites so that a view of market growth and size can be accurately measured. They have completed an audit of their content members to agree which are the most important 10 items to tag and structure as a metadata model.
CableLabs and the Forum's own IPDR group have also been working in the area of standardising which metrics should be monitored in the video market from set top boxes. The upgrading being specified has been aimed at providing profiling information more accurately so that Ad insertion can be targeted more closely at consumers. This work has significant bearing on the value of content browsing information that could potentially be picked up via content sites as well.
The TM Forum could deliver additional value value by working with Cablelabs working towards a single combined model.
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For more information on this initiative, contact Stephen Fleece or Dave Milham |