Verizon's Innovative Online Portal Gives Business Customers More 'Command and Control'

NEW YORK, Oct. 6, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- In response to the growing demand for online enterprise service applications, Verizon is rolling out new capabilities for its online customer portal, the Verizon Enterprise Center, giving customers more flexibility and control over their reporting, analysis and billing inquiries.

The new features, announced in conjunction with Customer Service Week, October 3-7, offer more command and control to IT managers so they can more effectively order and provision Verizon services, monitor and troubleshoot network activities, and produce reports to help analyze and manage their communications expenses.  The features are user-friendly, and are designed to improve customers' online experiences and Verizon's response times to customers' requests.  

The latest features of the Verizon Enterprise Center include:

• New customized analysis and reporting -- enabling customers across the globe to better analyze, report and manage costs across an enterprise.  Customers can sort and create reports in a format tailored to meet their requirements and preferences, versus a standard Verizon format.

• Improved billing features -- allowing enterprise customers in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa to open bills, ask questions, display open billing items, set up payment schedules and advise Verizon of financial actions on accounts, and view balances and line items. 

• Bundle packages -- U.S. based small and medium-size businesses can now purchase bundles online via the Verizon Solutions for Business Bundle, which is available for one low monthly price, and includes FiOS or High Speed Internet, unlimited nationwide calling and Google Apps.

"Customer Service Week is a great backdrop for announcing these enhancements, which make the Verizon Enterprise Center an even more useful vehicle for our business customers," said Jeannie Diefenderfer, senior vice president of global enterprise customer care and operations for Verizon.  "Our powerful combination of high-touch global account teams and  advanced self-service technology continues to set us apart from the competition and makes it easier for customers to do business with Verizon on demand, both in person and online."

(View a video of Jeannie Diefenderfer discussing Verizon's enterprise customer care philosophy.)

Verizon has received numerous awards and honors for outstanding customer service, including the 2010 Frost & Sullivan North American Leader in Customer Self-Service Award(1) and Billing & OSS World's Best Business Process Automation Award, which recognized the Verizon Enterprise Center as a "key competitive differentiator."

Industry analysts continue to point to the Verizon Enterprise Center as a competitive advantage that contributes to Verizon's leadership in serving enterprise customers. And the "IDC MarketScape: Asia/Pacific Next-Generation Telecom Services 2011 Vendor Analysis" report stated that "the capabilities of Verizon's enterprise online portal, Verizon Enterprise Center, are impressive supporting more than 100 applications, 13 languages and has functions such as order placement, online invoice payment, network tools, collaboration and dashboard consoles, among others."(2)

About the Verizon Enterprise Center

The Verizon Enterprise Center is an award-winning online customer portal where customers can provision, manage, order and pay bills for their wireline and wireless services. The online tool, available via secure access 24/7, offers a host of applications that support a full business life cycle and enable businesses to save time, control costs and manage communications services. Take a virtual tour of the Verizon Enterprise Center.

About Verizon

Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE, NASDAQ: VZ), headquartered in New York, is a global leader in delivering broadband and other wireless and wireline communications services to consumer, business, government and wholesale customers. Verizon Wireless operates America's most reliable wireless network, with more than 106 million total connections nationwide. Verizon also provides converged communications, information and entertainment services over America's most advanced fiber-optic network, and delivers integrated business solutions to customers in more than 150 countries, including all of the Fortune 500. A Dow 30 company, Verizon employs a diverse workforce of nearly 196,000 and last year generated consolidated revenues of $106.6 billion. For more information, visit www.verizon.com.

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(1) Frost & Sullivan Recognizes Verizon with its North American Customer Service Leadership Award for Enterprise Self-Service Portals (Verizon Enterprise Center), May 2010 http://www.verizonbusiness.com/about/news/pr-25531-en-Frost+%26+Sullivan+Recognizes+Verizon+as+a+North+American+Leader+in+Customer+Self-Service.xml

(2) Source: IDC MarketScape: Asia/Pacific Next-Generation Telecom Services 2011 Vendor Analysis (Doc #AP3053306T), September 2011

SOURCE Verizon