NetKit® Dial-Up 6.0

Netsurfer makes the Internet easy for dial-up service providers and their users. Our latest offering, the NetKit Dial-Up 6.0 product suite, expands Netsurfer's emphasis on ease-of-installation and ease-of-use. Moreover, the suite provides ongoing connectivity management and paves the way for continual increases in customer profitability. You'll be proactively solving problems - before users have to call for help.

NetKit Dial-Up 6.0 is a product suite that turns the user's computer into a manageable network element. This means the service provider can use the product suite as the central platform for many aspects of connectivity management, including diagnosis, content management, targeted messaging, and installation of new applications.

NetKit Dial-Up 6.0 combines proven sixth-generation technologies with a host of enhancements for the dial-up Internet access market. The product is highly configurable to each service provider's unique requirements for user life cycle management. And the product's architecture makes it easy for service providers to add new content and applications to existing capabilities and infrastructure.

NetKit Dial-Up 6.0 Capabilities

Netsurfer worked closely with customers to make the NetKit Dial-Up 6.0 suite of products intuitive to install and use. The result is a client-focused application that performs a range of tasks crucial to customer retention and profitability. NetKit Dial-Up 6.0:

  • Can work with existing back-office systems and applications.

  • Pre-qualifies the user's PC without the presence of a technician.

  • Enables new customers to sign up using a CD or the Internet.

  • Quickly and easily installs multiple 3rd party software products - including browser, chat, and e-mail - on the user's PC.

  • Creates one or multiple e-mail accounts in real time.

  • Configures all account settings.

  • Provides an ongoing medium for reaching each individual user with pertinent information, advertising, new settings and targeted content.

  • Monitors connectivity and modem performance, diagnoses problems, and provides "self-healing" tools and context-sensitive online help.

  • Facilitates the launch and support of new revenue-generating products and services.

  • Uses built-in diagnostic tools to reduce or eliminate help desk support calls.

NetKit Dial-Up 6.0 includes six components.

1. NetQualifier
2. ExpertProvisioner
3. Self-Care Technician
4. NetPortal
5. SoftCastDirect
6. SoftCastMonitor

Let's step through how you'll use each:

Check user and network requirements with NetQualifier.

NetQualifier performs an enhanced pre-qualification analysis of the user's hardware environment. Within minutes, the software detects key attributes of the user's PC and compares them to each service provider's requirements for Internet access. If the computer fails the minimum requirements, appropriate messages will be displayed to the user. In addition, NetQualifier will verify that the user's computer is communicating with the modem and the network.

 
NetPortal provides a custom-branded desktop application, enabling you to manage the user's environment.


Features
  • Verify computer's ability for high-speed Internet access

  • Monitor the modem operation

  • Monitor LAN/WAN connectivity

Benefits
  • Accelerate revenue by getting new customers online earlier

  • Cut number and duration of support calls

Simplify account activation with ExpertProvisioner.

ExpertProvisioner makes activation easy for you and your new users, whether they sign up using a CD or the Internet. The component can automatically detect and configure a modem for the network. It walks the user through some steps, such as billing plan selection, setting up user names and passwords, and designating e-mail accounts for each user. And it performs other tasks automatically in the background, such as LAN interface configuration and browser installation.

 
With ExpertProvisioner, you can initiate service with a Web-based sign-up process or by locally capturing information.


Features
  • Install required software

  • Offer Web or CD-based sign-up

  • Create multiple e-mail accounts

  • Configure all account settings

  • Facilitate activation

  • Select primary and secondary phone numbers with drop-down menu

Benefits
  • Slash time required for sign-up

  • Increase "take" rate

  • Cut number and duration of support calls

Solve problems and restore settings with Self-Care Technician.

The user can activate a self-healing routine that restores all connectivity and Internet application software to previous known "good" settings. Self-Care Technician also provides online help, monitors Internet connection speeds, resets e-mail settings for one or multiple accounts, and has a service release-and-renew feature for new IP addresses.

Features
  • Provide context-sensitive online help

  • Monitor connection speed

  • Reset e-mail accounts

  • Activate "self-healing" tools

  • Restore connectivity

Benefits
  • Cut number and duration of support calls


  • Reduce churn by enhancing the customer's support experience

Give users a starting point - and build your brand's awareness-with NetPortal.

With its modern user interface, the new, enhanced NetPortal gives you the opportunity to build brand awareness with a custom-branded desktop portal. NetPortal is an intuitive starting point for the Internet experience - providing a regular, convenient touch-point with the user before the browser is launched. It also displays the most useful applications. Through the centralized desktop portal, you are able to manage the user's environment.

Features
  • Enable a provider-branded touch-point with users

  • Give users an intuitive starting point and a menu of applications

  • Display messages and deliver updates

Benefits
  • Enhance the Internet experience for users

  • Improve brand awareness and customer loyalty

  • Manage the user's environment

Manage communications and support marketing initiatives with SoftCastDirect.

You can use SoftCastDirect to download and auto-configure third-party software, such as new applications and new revenue-generating services. This component provides the connectivity for delivering targeted user messages, advertising, and client updates. Lower maintenance costs are achieved by enabling housekeeping activities and the ability to download new files and drivers.

 
SoftCastMonitor enables the capture of user QoS information and delivery to the operations center.


Features
  • Deliver targeted user messages, advertising, and client updates

  • Download new files, drivers, and third-party software

  • Dynamically update access phone numbers

Benefits
  • Support marketing initiatives

  • Cut support and distribution costs

  • Reduce maintenance costs

Monitor and improve performance with SoftCastMonitor.

SoftCastMonitor maintains a continuous link between your network operations center and the user. It can retrieve and transmit quality-of-service information and support remote management of your application on the user's computer.

In addition, SoftCastMonitor logs user access information, such as dropped calls, disconnects, busy signals, and congestion level. With the access information, an ISP can manage multiple POPs and determine when it is appropriate to move to new POPs to relieve congestion and improve the user's Internet experience.

Features
  • Maintain a continuous communication link with the user

  • Enable remote support management and QoS metrics

Benefits
  • Dynamically monitor and improve performance and reliability

  • Build user satisfaction and longevity

NetKitŪ  Dial-up Edition
Product Data Sheet 
[PDF]