Sell

For new tower builds, operators start tracking cycle times from first contact with a towerco. With the clock ticking, towercos need to rely on tested and true processes to close prospective deals as quickly as possible. Sales teams should react in a standard yet dynamic way to quickly move through the sales process while reacting to customers’ specific needs. Standardized process maps will guide sales teams through contact, negotiation, and closing phases, while standardized process frameworks help sales teams overcome obstacles like overbooking or hostile operators. Process maps allow sales teams to access data immediately, drive negotiations, and close deals methodically. Process frameworks enable sales teams to see the big picture and make the right decisions in dynamic environments.

Design

After securing a deal from an MNO, towercos need to act quickly to plan backhaul, determine structural requirements, and complete blueprints for the final structure. Given the speed at which teams can create designs is fixed, having smooth and efficient support processes is the determining factor in effective delivery. Finding and selecting the right vendors through developed procurement and vendor management processes, expedited internal approvals, legal reviews for tenancy agreements, and easy access to relevant databases will set towercos apart in the eyes of the MNO. Building maps for support processes reduces cycle times, leaving ample time for producing high quality plans for tower rollout while staying well within MNO timelines.

Build

Missing an agreed upon RFI deadline is the greatest risk to a customer relationship. Whether building with construction vendors or in-house teams, towercos need process maps to guarantee a smooth rollout. Given the range of challenges towercos face when building new sites or adding colocations (remote area access, site acquisition hurdles, faulty construction), effective process maps are critical to keep project variation to the bare minimum. Standardized process maps eliminate the added risk of internal document delays or a work stoppage due to errors by a project manager – standardization prevents the preventable so teams can focus on construction and meet critical deadlines.

Operate

After finishing construction, teams of internal and external stakeholders must have controlled, ongoing access to perform inspections and achieve optimal uptime. The day-to-day operation and maintenance of tower portfolios requires constant monitoring with regular inspections and annual maintenance programs on each site. Day-to-day processes in maintenance and operations are perfectly suited to standardization and often see the greatest improvements given the frequency with which they are performed. Every day, Operations teams need to rapidly identify issues that impact uptime, triage tickets, and prioritize emergencies. The need for operational speed to meet SLAs necessitates that all users understand the processes, a primary value of process mapping exercises. If meeting deadlines during the Sell, Design, and Build phases wins MNO loyalty, meeting SLAs through process standardization keeps it.