Client Success Story: GlobeCast

Web-Based Integrated Satellite Program Management

The Company

GlobeCast defines the new age of content distribution via satellite and beyond. As the world’s leading satellite service provider, GlobeCast operates a global network of satellite platforms to deliver professional broadcast, enterprise and retail media, and government communications.

A subsidiary of France Telecom, the company is present on five continents, accessible through 15 teleports and technical operation centers in the world’s leading media hubs. Employees worldwide support a diverse range of clients who use satellite for content distribution, including leading TV and radio broadcasters, news and sports event coverage, corporate television, government agencies, news organizations, and production companies, among others.

GlobeCast leverages its worldwide ground and space segment assets – company owned and operated – to create a global network of managed satellite platforms that power the distribution of diverse content across multiple markets.

The Challenge

Spring2 was hired to create and integrate multiple enterprise applications to manage satellite broadcast logistics and tie key information to new back-office systems.

Managing satellite time, and accurately tracking services and logistics for many clients, each with locations throughout the world posed many challenges for GlobeCast. Prior to the Spring2 solution, satellite broadcasts were time consuming to setup, and communication with sites throughout the world was inefficient and inaccurate, requiring multiple steps. If a GlobeCast customer wanted to setup a broadcast utilizing a GlobeCast satellite, manual steps including the following had to be followed:

• Track and respond to a broadcast request
• Send out email notifications
• Manually track which sites had responded and what the details of those responses were
• Regularly updating new requests and summary status information for the client
• Provide general regional time zone information since localized time zone information could not be provided

All of this required multiple documents, email trails, and time-consuming non-automated processes which lead to lower client satisfaction, increased errors, and higher operational costs. Furthermore, once a broadcast was set up, incidents (poor video feed, bad sound, etc.) had to be tracked. Once again much of this process was manual and inefficient.

The Solution

Spring2 Technologies worked with GlobeCast to develop a web-based broadcast request system that is accessed by employees of large companies' world wide and is integrated with company service and dispatch systems. This solution allows GlobeCast clients to initiate broadcast requests and then automates a complex process of notifications and verifications on a client site basis. As an example, a GlobeCast client might set up a meeting for a world wide review of quarterly financial results. The client sets up the meeting in a centralized location on line using the Spring2 solution; GlobeCast then verifies the satellite time and meeting. Automated emails are sent to the client with broadcast details. The client then reviews broadcast parameters with GlobeCast (support needs, program information, time and date, etc.) An automated work-flow scheduling system is triggered so that site coordinators receive automated invites, follow-up invites, and one week before broadcast, site administrators receive satellite and broadcast specific information all localized to their time zone. Two way communication is supported so that site coordinators can enter any special requests.

Once the broadcast is set up another Spring2 centralized web-based solution tracks specific broadcast incidents and issues. Broadcast support calls are logged by client and by site, at which point technicians view critical information such as call history and current status real-time. Depending on the nature of the issue, different procedures are automatically triggered, such as proactive calls to all broadcast sites or passive procedures to deal with site specific issues.

All issues are logged and multi-status reporting is available for sites world wide to view via a web-based customer portal. Technicians review the status of all sites at single glance, and thus add new issues, resolve issues, and take broadcast notes which are then available for site administrators to see. Installation/repair service status and site specific information such as photographs are also made available to customers from the web portal.

All of these solutions run under a Spring2 developed management program that lets Globecast designate security levels, set up customers, and manage customers, on a global basis.

The Technologies

• Microsoft .NET framework
• C#, ASP.NET
• Infragistics web controls for sorting and filtering grids
• Microsoft SQL Server
• XML, XML listeners
• Spring2 SpringBoard .NET components
• Spring2 SpringBoard Data Tier Generator
• Spring2 SpringBoard Integration components
• Spring2 SpringBoard globalization components

The Results

Globecast has streamlined their response time to their client base resulting in higher client satisfaction and ultimately more business. Now, one support representative can effectively support multiple clients. Additionally, the following benefits have been realized:

• Removed manual procedures - Removed manual creation of multiple Microsoft Word document detailing program logistics information for each broadcast.
• Reduced management time - Removed management of determining which sites have responded and which haven't for both GlobeCast and their clients benefit.
• Increased information accuracy - Sites can now be auto-emailed by various attributes such as region and localized broadcast information can be sent based on those attributes.
• Increased information availability - GlobeCast customers received more information collected from site responses.
• Reduced errors and increased customer satisfaction - Site management all site contact information is centralized, it is no longer in an Excel spreadsheet that was seldom updated.
• Lower operating costs through enterprise integration.