--- sourceDocument: Australia Telecommunications, Media, and Technology sourceDocumentLink: https://www.servicenow.com/docs/r/australia/telecom-media-technology Release : - australia ft:locale : - en-US ft:publication_title : - Australia Telecommunications, Media, and Technology ft:clusterId : - telmt bundleId : - telmt workflow : - Customer and Industry --- # Architecture # Sales CRM for Telecommunications functional architecture {#ariaid-title1} Release version: Australia Updated November 5, 2026 ![](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/portal-asset/ico-clock) 3 minutes to read Summarize ![AI sparkle icon](https://servicenow.com/docs/portal-asset/ai-sparkle-icon) Summarized using AI This content was generated using new OpenAI-powered functionality. Results are provided on an as is basis and are not guaranteed to be accurate or complete. ## Summary of Sales CRM for Telecommunications functional architecture Sales CRM for Telecommunications is a specialized order management solution tailored for telecommunications service providers. It functions as a central orchestration layer within the telecom ecosystem, managing the end-to-end customer journey from prospect identification to service activation. This solution integrates with customer-facing channels, supporting systems, and fulfillment platforms to streamline sales and service fulfillment processes. Show full answer Show less ## Key Features * **Central Integration Hub:** Connects mobile apps, web portals, sales representatives, product catalogs, inventory systems, and network activation platforms. * **TMF Standards Compliance:** Utilizes TeleManagement Forum (TMF) Open APIs to ensure standardized integration across upstream and downstream systems. * **Core Data Entities:** Manages essential data such as Account, Contact, Location/Site, Product Model (via PSR framework), Sold Product, Install Base Item, Entitlements, and Contracts to support comprehensive order management. * **Two-Phase Functional Architecture:** * **Selling Phase:** Covers lead management, opportunity qualification, product catalog management, sales agreements, shopping cart, quote generation (CPQ), contract handling, and final order capture, integrating with digital and self-care channels. * **Fulfillment Phase:** Handles order decomposition into service and work orders, service order lifecycle management, and activation handoff to provisioning systems, coordinating with field service, inventory, and network activation platforms. Note that actual network activation is performed outside the CRM. * **Extensive API Integration:** Supports various TMF Open APIs (Product Catalog, Product Inventory, Service Catalog, Service Order, Technical Service Qualification, Quote Management) and additional APIs (Entitlement, Lead Management, Order, Sales Agreement) to enable seamless data exchange and process orchestration. ## Key Outcomes * Enables telecom operators to efficiently manage the full sales and fulfillment lifecycle within a single, integrated platform. * Ensures consistent data management across customer accounts, products, contracts, and entitlements, improving accuracy and customer experience. * Facilitates interoperability with existing telecom systems and external applications through TMF-compliant APIs, reducing integration complexity. * Supports scalable order orchestration from lead generation to service activation, enhancing operational agility and reducing time-to-market for new offerings. Sales CRM for Telecommunications is a comprehensive order management solution designed specifically for telecommunications service providers. Sales CRM for Telecommunications serves as a critical orchestration layer within the larger telecommunications ecosystem, integrating with key systems to manage the complete journey from prospect identification to service activation. ## Sales CRM for Telecommunications in the Telecommunications ecosystem {#somt-func-arch__section_nkv_pby_b3c} Sales CRM for Telecommunications is a critical application in the telecommunications industry, serving as the central orchestration layer for order management. It acts as a central hub connecting various systems across the telecom operator's landscape: * Customer-facing channels: Mobile apps, web portals, and sales representatives. * Supporting systems: Product catalogs, inventory systems, and service qualification platforms. * Fulfillment systems: Field service management and network activation platforms. {#somt-func-arch__ul_s4y_pby_b3c} Sales CRM for Telecommunications leverages TeleManagement Forum (TMF) industry standards to manage telecommunications orders across both selling and fulfillment phases while integrating with multiple upstream and downstream systems. ## Foundation components {#somt-func-arch__section_xm5_vdy_b3c} Sales CRM for Telecommunications is built on the following core data entities that underpin the entire order management process: * Account: Customer account information and organizational hierarchy. * Contact: Customer contact details and relationships. * Location/Site: Service delivery locations and site information. * Product Model: Product specifications and definitions created using the Product-Service-Resource (PSR) framework. * Sold Product: Customer's purchased products and entitlements * Install base item: Customer's product configuration. * Entitlements: Entitlements associated with the sold products. * Contracts: Customer contract including account details and specific assets covered. {#somt-func-arch__ul_ihm_wdy_b3c} These foundational elements provide the essential data structures that support all operations, from lead management through service activation. The Sales CRM for Telecommunications functional architecture operates across two distinct phases: the Selling Phase and the Fulfillment Phase. ## Selling phase {#somt-func-arch__section_yb3_c2y_b3c} This phase covers the customer acquisition and order capture process: * Lead Management: Initial prospect identification * Opportunity Management: Sales opportunity qualification * Product Catalog: Product offerings and configurations * Sales Agreement: Pre-sales contractual arrangements * Shopping Cart: Customer selection management * Quote: Pricing and proposal generation (CPQ) * Contract: Post-sales contractual obligations * Order Capture: Final order submission {#somt-func-arch__ul_clm_tgy_b3c} During this phase, Sales CRM for Telecommunications integrates with digital apps, self-care portals, account managers, product catalogs, and service feasibility systems. ## Fulfillment phase {#somt-func-arch__section_q3l_zgy_b3c} After order submission, the next phase is the fulfillment process: * Order Distribution: Decomposition into service orders and work orders. * Service Order Management: Tracking through activation lifecycle. * Activation Handoff: Submission to provisioning systems. {#somt-func-arch__ul_mrd_vhy_b3c} During this phase, Sales CRM for Telecommunications coordinates with Field Service Management for Telecommunication, external inventory systems, and network activation platforms. Note: Sales CRM for Telecommunications orchestrates the order management process and submits service orders to downstream activation systems but does not perform network activation or provisioning. ## TeleManagement Forum (TMF) Open APIs {#somt-func-arch__tmf-apis} The Sales CRM for Telecommunications leverages TeleManagement Forum (TMF) Open APIs throughout its architecture, ensuring standards-based integration with third-party systems. Key API integrations include: * Product catalog management API: Manage product catalog information from external systems. See [Product Catalog Open API](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=product-catalog-open-api&version=australia&pubname=australia-api-reference&ft:locale=en-US). * Product inventory API: For ServiceNow applications or external CRM / CPQ submitting orders. See [Product Inventory Open API](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=product-inventory-open-api&version=australia&pubname=australia-api-reference&ft:locale=en-US). * Service catalog API: For synching technical specifications with other network domain specific provisioning catalogs. See [Service Catalog Open API](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=service-catalog-open-api&version=australia&pubname=australia-api-reference&ft:locale=en-US). * Service order API: Use when a customer order is handled by another application and Sales CRM for Telecommunications acts as a service order manager. Also use when the marketplace owner handles decomposition and orchestration and sends the order to Sales CRM for Telecommunications for fulfillment. See [Service Order Open API](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=service-order-open-api&version=australia&pubname=australia-api-reference&ft:locale=en-US). * Technical service qualification API: Checks availability of resources and services before an order is submitted for fufillment. See [Technical Service Qualification Open API](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=ts-qualification-api&version=australia&pubname=australia-api-reference&ft:locale=en-US). * Quote management API: Based on the TMF 648 API. See [Quote Management API](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=quote-management-api&version=australia&pubname=australia-api-reference&ft:locale=en-US). ## Non-TMF APIs {#somt-func-arch__section_bxh_1bw_d3c} * Entitlement API: Create and fetch entitlements. See [Entitlement API](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=entitlement-api&version=australia&pubname=australia-api-reference&ft:locale=en-US). * Lead management API: Mapping and certification as per TMF 699. See [lead API](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=lead-api&version=australia&pubname=australia-api-reference&ft:locale=en-US). * Order API: See [Order API](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=order_csm-api&version=australia&pubname=australia-api-reference&ft:locale=en-US). * Sales agreement API: See [Sales Agreement API](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=sales_agreement-api&version=australia&pubname=australia-api-reference&ft:locale=en-US) {#somt-func-arch__ul_eyg_hbw_d3c}