When Aria Systems was first established, the concept of ‘multi-tenant’ billing, delivered over the internet, raised eyebrows with almost every company we spoke to. Some years later, multi-tenant computing was starting to be labelled as Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), and had found its place in a world that was open to the possibilities of cloud computing. However, it’s only within the last few years that SaaS, and the notion of hosting data in a third-party environment, has been accepted within the telecoms sector.
Telcos have always been extremely precious about their data, opting for private cloud options and bespoke BSS solutions. Today, Aria can confidently say that it has broken the mold within the telco sector, with major service providers including Liberty Latin America, Telstra, Gigapower and EXA Infrastructure now using our SaaS billing product. But it’s in the past four months that we have broken significant ground in the sector, due in part to our strategic partnership with Salesforce to deliver the world’s first AI-optimized Concept-to-Care SaaS solution for billing and customer management, which industry analysts and media alike have commended.
In a Light Reading article covering the news, James Crawshaw, a principal analyst points out: “What is interesting about the news is that Aria is now Salesforce’s de facto billing solution for the telecom industry.” Crawshaw compares the Aria/Salesforce partnership with the Amdocs/Microsoft partnership. However, from our perspective, the latter is not a true, complete or native SaaS solution.
With our offering, we have combined the CRM expertise of Salesforce with Aria’s billing expertise to deliver, as Brendan O’Brien our Co-Founder describes in an article in Mobile Europe, “the first complete multi-industry BSS solution that from inception was a SaaS offering – not faux SaaS/cloud like many legacy vendors are claiming.”
Highlighting the value of composable SaaS
Significantly, the strategic partnership with Salesforce is demonstrating the value of composable SaaS, and the ability for software products to work together seamlessly to open up new opportunities. The partnership sees the integration of Aria Billing Cloud with Salesforce 360 to deliver a comprehensive, cloud-native BSS solution that not only streamlines customer operations but also provides a unified and comprehensive view of their customers, through Salesforce 360.
John Abraham, principal analyst at Appledore Research, quoted in a TelecomTV article, said, “The Salesforce/Aria Systems partnership combines capabilities in a pre-integrated stack that offers a best-of-suite-like experience for enterprises and CSPs and we see it aligning with a growing preference among many CSPs for full-stack solutions.”
One of the key features of this integration is the utilization of Salesforce’s Einstein generative AI engine. It enables service providers to use the platform to engage with customers in a highly personalized manner. By drawing on customer data available through Salesforce 360 and Aria Billing Cloud, it can proactively suggest services and products tailored to individual customer preferences and demonstrated behaviors. For example, a customer, based on their previous interactions and preferences, could receive proactive recommendations for products or services that align perfectly with their needs. This personalization is particularly important as telcos look to become digital service providers, offering more than basic connectivity services and selling into a wider range of new verticals.
Deeper inroads into the telco sector
Our partnership with Salesforce has proven to be a catalyst for success, aligning seamlessly with significant victories in the dynamic telecoms sector, most notably with REV and ENet. The strategic collaboration has opened new avenues for growth and innovation, solidifying Aria’s position as a leader in the rapidly evolving landscape of composable SaaS billing.
In a recent conversation between Brendan and Iain Morris, the international editor at Light Reading, Brendan expressed his enthusiasm for the partnership. In the article, Iain quoted Brendan, stating, “It has been just two-and-a-half months since Aria Systems clasped hands with Salesforce, but the honeymoon period has already been extremely fruitful.”
With the order flow from Salesforce steadily increasing, Aria finds itself in an exceptionally favorable position to meet the escalating demand for composable SaaS billing solutions. This is particularly crucial as telecommunications companies strive to distinguish their services in emerging areas of commerce, reflecting the industry’s continuous evolution. We look forward to seeing what this new chapter will bring for the company.
Learn more about the Aria and Salesforce AI-optimized Concept to Care solution
