Sprint
ICI Helps Sprint Become the Market Leader in Prepaid Foncards
The Client:
Sprint is a global integrated communications provider serving more than 26 million customers in over 100 countries. With more than $26 billion in annual revenues in 2003, Sprint is widely recognized for developing, engineering and deploying state-of-the-art network technologies.
Challenges:
When Sprint entered the prepaid long distance business they had virtually no logistics resources or expertise. Within six weeks, Sprint needed a system to supply their Foncards to about 50,000 retail locations across the country. Inventory had to be automatically replenished in each location based on each store's sales. And the system needed to coordinate perfectly with Sprint's international telecom network.
Solutions:
Using client/server tools, ICI built a Customer Relationship Management System that served as the switchboard between Sprint's telecom systems and the retail locations selling the card. Partnering with Dechert-Hampe, ICI designed the processes to effectively manage this business with no confusion between the many sectors involved.
Results:
Sprint achieved its first-to-market goals and remains the pre-paid market leader. The logistics network now automatically serves tens of thousands of additional locations. The system has also been enhanced to allow each card to be "refreshed." And because the system is engineered for decision support from the ground up, Sprint gathers valuable information about who is purchasing Foncards based on store demographics.
