Enhanced Interface Reduces Programming Costs, Improves Reporting Accuracy

(Carlsbad, CA – April 2005) – Great Lakes Data Systems, Inc. (GLDS) today announced that it has significantly improved its HITS2HOME interface.  The new “Primary/Secondary” feature can reduce content fees and CSR labor for many cable operators, including those using a consolidator for services authorized by Motorola in San Diego.  This feature is unique to the GLDS interface. 

 GLDS was the first major billing system vendor to receive Motorola testing and certification of its system interface for HITS2HOME and HITS Q.T.  For cable operators who pay a lower rate for additional digital boxes, however, problems persisted. 

 “Effected operators had to either assign an arbitrary tier bit (package) to all but one converter on a customer’s account, or pay full price for each box on the account,”  according to addressable engineer Kevin Graese.  “This created procedural problems for CSR’s, and reporting problems for their content consolidators.”

The flip side of the problem was equally troublesome:  there was nothing to prevent operators from inadvertently flagging every box as “secondary”, and thereby under-reporting subscriber or equipment counts to content providers. 

Addition of the new Primary/Secondary feature for HITS2HOME takes all of the guesswork out of assigning box attributes, and ensures reporting accuracy for both operators and content providers. 
The GLDS software now automatically assigns a “Primary” flag to the first digital converter on a subscriber’s account, and a “Secondary” flag (including the ’1678’ tier bit) to any subsequent converters.  If the primary converter is removed, one of the secondary converters is automatically promoted to “Primary”. 

Operators who have completed the new feature implementation report 100% accuracy between Motorola and WinCable® billing system reports — and happier CSR’s.  This feature upgrade is available at no cost to current GLDS customers with HITS2HOME, and is included at no cost with all future H2H and Q.T. implementations.   “I wish all our cable operators had this capability,” an unnamed Motorola source declared.  Now, all operators can have this feature — with WinCable® from GLDS.  Contact sales@glds.com or call 800.882.7950 for details.