President > President’s Message February 2017

President’s Message

HUBB homework and we want to hear from YOU!

by Craig Aman, President and CEO

Craig Aman

January can be a long, cold month, but here at MACC we made it go by quickly as we diligently worked on two important projects. First, if your company is planning to receive Connect America Funds, we created a tool you will need to file deployment data through USAC’s HUBB portal. The second project is our annual client survey which is now available for you to complete. Please read on for more information on these important topics.

We have the tools you’ll need
I’m sure most of you are very familiar with the Connect America program and its March 1 filing deadline for qualifying locations. At MACC, we keep a close eye on the regulatory horizon to ensure your company has the tools it needs to meet all reporting requirements. For the upcoming Connect America filing, the current version of Customer Master has the ability to provide the vast majority of information your company will need and the previously mentioned tool will enable you to provide the rest.

There is a bit of a background story with the timing of the tool’s release. Because USAC did not define what was needed upon making the announcement for the coming changes, MACC’s ability to prepare for the filing requirements was limited until they were broadcast via a USAC webinar on January 5. MACC’s Product Development Team immediately analyzed the requirements and found only one needed data element, broadband deployment date, was not available in Customer Master. We then spent the remainder of January creating the tool that will help you meet the reporting requirements.

The tool we created is a script that is fully coded and tested to be used for the March 1 filing. To accommodate future filings, the needed functionality will be included in the 17.1 release of Customer Master. If your company needs the script, it is now available so please contact your MACC Software Support Representative. The Software Support Team is ready to help you complete this important task.

We also created a document that fully explains how Customer Master and the new script can be used to complete the March 1 filing. Click the button below to download the document.

Your opinion matters
Each year we conduct a survey to ensure our products and services are meeting and exceeding your expectations. I am proud to say MACC has averaged, over the last 10 years, a score of 4.32 on a 5-point scale. Even with scores like that, we won’t rest on our laurels, because we want to ensure we continue to provide the same excellent service and products you have come to expect from MACC.

We use the annual results to help guide us to create products to help you grow your business. The results are also used to help us make adjustments in the way we are providing service to you.

Since we take the results so seriously, I urge you to take some time to complete the survey, and really give us honest feedback on how we are doing. We truly want the suggestions – as well as positive feedback – we can share with our teams.

To take the survey, please click on the button below for the online version. If you would prefer a paper copy, the online survey page also has a link to a printable version.

Our hope is to have all the survey responses collected by the end of February. Thank you in advance for your help on this important matter. I look forward to hearing from you.