Guildford, United Kingdom – Highlight has introduced a new reporting API capability to enable partners to view historic and summarised data external from the Highlight service assurance platform. The API (application program interface) data can now be integrated into interactive reports such as Microsoft Excel, Power BI, Tableau or other platforms such as CRM (customer relationship management) and service desk suites. Partners can use the Highlight information to develop stronger customer relationships and enhance their managed services.
Service providers can use the API to download monthly and/or daily data across circuits including WAN, Broadband, SD-WAN connections, and cellular networks to show the availability and performance of a customer network over a given period. Users can set the API to automatically feed data from the Reporting API into their analysis platform of choice. This includes Highlight’s own interactive Microsoft power BI service reporting templates.
Craig Smith, technical account manager at Highlight says, “Customer service management reporting can be a challenge, and historically has always been very resource intensive. Highlight’s API removes much of the manual work by automating the process so that partner account and service management community can connect to the data and analyse the information to turn it into something meaningful with greater efficiency.
“The use of the API is an important way for our partners to improve their communication with customers for use in service review discussions. Service provider account managers can now create five or six full reports in a day when previously they could only create one or two. Now, rather than spending time manually collating information, they can spend their time interpreting what the information is telling them.
“The dynamic and interactive nature of the reports are a real game changer.If a customer has a question during a meeting, all the data is there, ready to explore, analyse and discuss. And with a broad view of what is happening across a customer’s network, potential issues can be spotted before they become a problem. This enables account managers to be far more proactive and collaborative when working with customers, looking at how they can constantly evolve and improve the delivery of services.”
Smith adds, “Turning machine-to-machine API data into an analysis platform for interactive reporting should be the de facto for providers, and printed or emailed reports should be the thing of the past.”
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