Verizon extends online tools for SMB customers

BASKING RIDGE, N.J.: Verizon Business, a unit of Verizon Communications, on Wednesday announced that its small- to medium-sized business (SMB) customers will now be able to take advantage of the big-business capabilities inherent in the Verizon Enterprise Center (VEC) customer portal.

In addition, Verizon Business is helping its customers interact more efficiently with the company through an expanded set of automated customer-care capabilities.

Verizon Business has extended the range of online tools available to SMB customers. Now, the VEC's full suite of services - including reviewing and paying all Verizon invoices, to checking on the status of a repair or order, to the use of network management tools and dashboards - is available to these businesses.

Three new VEC and eBonding features would make the online experience even more user-friendly and productive for businesses of all sizes, said a press release.

"Our VEC and eBonding services continue to set the gold standard in business-to-business customer care," said Blair Crump, group president of worldwide sales at Verizon Business.

"We've developed these tools so customers can more simply and efficiently retrieve vital network and billing information," he added.

Available round-the-clock, the VEC allows business customers to securely check online the status of their orders, review and pay bills (and select an environmentally-friendly paperless billing option), request new services, and monitor their network service performance. 

The company also announced that recently it has introduced the Verizon Enterprise Center Mobile service, which enables customers to receive and access information in near-real time on a mobile device, said the release.

To access Verizon Enterprise Center Mobile, users need only a wireless Internet connection and a mobile Web browser.

The eBonding service is primarily targeted at customers that would gain the most operational efficiencies from fully automating their services with the company.

John Williamson, vice president of e-commerce and digital CRM for Verizon, said: "Our customers have told us they want flexibility in how they interact with us, whether by phone with their account team or through our sophisticated self-service applications.”

He further added that they would continue to innovate and deliver advanced automated services that both simplify and add value to their customer relationships."