The cornerstone of any wireless carrier’s business is its customers, and while campaigns to acquire more of them are constantly in development, plenty happens behind the scenes to keep customers-and revenues-coming in.
HNC Software Inc. in San Diego is part of that behind-the-scenes environment. Founded in 1986 by scientists and engineers who were experts in neural networks and other predictive technologies, HNC now provides predictive solutions for the financial, insurance and telecommunications industries.
The telecommunications division-HNC Telecommunications Solutions-started about two-and-a-half years ago, after HNC purchased the Advanced Telecommunications Abuse Control System, a fraud control solution. HNC further strengthened its telecommunications portfolio when it acquired Onyx Technologies Inc. in March.
The acquisition of Onyx gave HNC Telecommunications Solutions a gateway platform to offer customer-acquisition management services to telecom carriers of all sizes, the company said.
Patrick Hoss, HNC Telecommunications Solutions’ manager of product development, said the company is looking at acquiring two more companies to complete its product and services portfolio in the telecommunications arena, although he could not say which ones. VoiceStream Wireless Corp., Sprint Corp. and Telia Telecom AB, among others, already are HNC’s customers.
The Onyx suite of products, which HNC is integrating into its solutions, includes 4Score, a credit verification and risk assessment system; 4Voice, an interactive voice-response system that allows credit applications to be submitted and reviewed by phone; 4Web, an Internet-based solution to query credit applications; 4Warn, an application that identifies potential fraud; and 4PDA, an application that provides personal digital assistant users the ability to apply for services using a PDA.
HNC Telecommunications Solutions also offers eFalcon, which helps carriers reduce charge-back and reversal costs associated with fraudulent payments and nonpayment, and ProfitMax, which helps carriers reduce write-offs and losses associated with fraud.
According to the company, it also is entering the consulting space.
“We’re taking more of a consulting approach,” Hoss said. “Some carriers have taken that as more of a welcome approach,” since they are often unsure of exactly what they need.
