The quality and consistency of customer service offered by telecommuni
cations providers is a hey differentiator in the residential market pl
ace. BT's SMART customer handling system provides competitive advantag
e through world-class levels of customer service. SMART exploits the e
xisting functionality, data and security mechanisms of an established
mainframe system and adds ease of use, reduced error rates and a focus
on 'service' and 'selling'. The article discusses hey issues of secur
ity, performance, resilience and operability, and presents the solutio
ns implemented.