Verizon Enterprise Center Steps Up Self-Service for SMB and Large-Business Customers

Automated Customer Care Becomes Even More User-Friendly for Business Customers

BASKING RIDGE, N.J. – Verizon Business small- to medium-sized business (SMB) customers will now be able to take advantage of the big-business capabilities inherent in the Verizon Enterprise Center (VEC) customer portal. In addition, Verizon Business is helping its customers interact more efficiently with the company through an expanded set of automated customer-care capabilities.

Verizon Business has extended the range of online tools available to SMB customers. Now, the VEC’s full suite of services - including reviewing and paying all Verizon invoices, to checking on the status of a repair or order, to the use of network management tools and dashboards - is available to these businesses.

Three new VEC and eBonding features will make the online experience even more user-friendly and productive for businesses of all sizes. The features are:

* A new “click-to-chat” help desk that allows customers to speak with a service representative and get answers to general or application-specific questions.
* A new billing-management tool -- prominently placed on the VEC Dashboard -- that provides an integrated view of a customer’s network on a single screen, and can deliver up to seven billing summary reports and enable customers to view and sort expenses based on geography, currency, product and service.
* Proactive delivery of alarms directly to a customer’s event monitor systems, made possible by integration of the VEC Dashboard with Verizon eBonding services.

“Our VEC and eBonding services continue to set the gold standard in business-to-business customer care,” said Blair Crump, group president of worldwide sales at Verizon Business. “We’ve developed these tools so customers can more simply and efficiently retrieve vital network and billing information.”

Available round-the-clock, the VEC allows business customers to securely check online the status of their orders, review and pay bills (and select an environmentally-friendly paperless billing option), request new services, and monitor their network service performance. Verizon also recently introduced the Verizon Enterprise Center Mobile service, which enables customers to receive and access information in near-real time on a mobile device. To access Verizon Enterprise Center Mobile, users need only a wireless Internet connection and a mobile Web browser.

eBonding Automates Business-to-Business Processes

Verizon Business has also enhanced its eBonding service, which shares a common infrastructure with the VEC, allowing customers to directly access the company’s operational support systems to manage network issues, orders and inventory right from their desktop. For example, a new feature sends network alarms directly to customers, who can also retrieve the pertinent data. Previously, customers had to go to the VEC Dashboard to view the alarms.

A related new feature for trouble tickets gives customers greater detail about the nature of the problem and the service being performed to fix it.

The eBonding service is primarily targeted at customers that would gain the most operational efficiencies from fully automating their services with the company.

John Williamson, vice president of e-commerce and digital CRM for Verizon, said: “Our customers have told us they want flexibility in how they interact with us, whether by phone with their account team or through our sophisticated self-service applications. We will continue to innovate and deliver advanced automated services that both simplify and add value to our customer relationships.”

For a virtual tour of the VEC and more information, go to https://enterprisecenter.verizon.com. Customers can now access the demo in the following languages: English, French, German, Dutch, Spanish, Portuguese, Japanese and Chinese.

About Verizon Business
Verizon Business, a unit of Verizon Communications (NYSE: VZ), is a global leader in communications and IT solutions. We combine professional expertise with one of the world’s most connected IP networks to deliver award-winning communications, IT, information security and network solutions. We securely connect today’s extended enterprises of widespread and mobile customers, partners, suppliers and employees - enabling them to increase productivity and efficiency and help preserve the environment. Many of the world’s largest businesses and governments - including 96 percent of the Fortune 1000 and thousands of government agencies and educational institutions - rely on our professional and managed services and network technologies to accelerate their business. Find out more at www.verizonbusiness.com.