One of the most frustrating experiences a telco customer can have is call-connection problems. Sub-par service and long-distance call failure have even prompted the FCC to take significant steps towards correcting the problem – reinforcing agency enforcement rules, while offering new incentives for providers to improve service. Driven by a commitment to the highest-quality customer experience, CenturyLink is at the forefront of resolving these issues.
It’s known as the Order on Rural Call Completion, FCC 13-135. The ruling is designed to mandate the highest quality long-distance call routing, minimizing handoffs between carriers, suspected to be driven by the industry’s frequent use of “go-between” carriers to reduce costs. Unfortunately, this strategy has created very real and perceived quality issues for connections to rural areas. Addressing heightened concern across the industry, CenturyLink is actively working to improve rural call completion.
This past April, CenturyLink became one of only two carriers to implement initiatives towards achieving “Safe Harbor” status defined by the FCC – meaning our national network meets government standards for both call routing and quality. The company’s market-leading strategy encompasses a premier national network, and is powered by our long-standing commitment to solving customers’ most difficult challenges. At the center of this comprehensive strategy are several critical advancements:
- Re-engineered Network: Upgraded national network that has increased the direct handoff connections between call origination and termination.
- Single Inter-Carrier Handoff: Minimized handoff drives a significantly higher percentage of call completion. Our single inter-carrier handoff exceeds the FCC’s requirements.
- Monitoring and Testing: Near real-time monitoring and testing of the network helps ensure both quality and performance.
- Troubleshooting and Reporting: With better analytics and reporting, CenturyLink is able to resolve call completion issues more quickly.
While attaining Safe Harbor status has been a complex and challenging process, CenturyLink takes our commitment to customer quality very seriously. Evolving along with stringent customer requirements, our voice communications portfolio ranges from traditional voice solutions to VoIP and SIP trunking. (Industry analyst firm IHS recently ranked CenturyLink second among the top 10 market-leading SIP trunking service providers in North America.)
While the industry is fraught with numerous challenges, CenturyLink is proud to be one of the only Safe Harbors in the telco world – offering a reliable resource to meet each and every one of our customers’ telecommunications needs. QCBN
By Mary Retka