Hawaiian Telcom yesterday said it has hired Accenture Ltd. to complete the development and deployment of the phone company's customer service and business-support systems. At the same time, Hawaiian Telcom said it reached a mutual agreement to part ways with its original consultant, BearingPoint Inc.

Hawaiian Telcom hired BearingPoint last year to help as it took over Hawai'i's largest telephone network from Verizon Communications. But the transition, which was completed in April, was far from smooth. Some customers complained they were getting double-billed, and many said they had difficulty getting through to service representatives to have billing problems resolved.

BearingPoint and Hawaiian Telcom will continue to work together during a transition period of approximately three to five months.

Hawaiian Telcom's deal with Bermuda-based Accenture is valued at about $46 million and will run for 17 months. Roughly half of the contract's value relates to remediation work such as improving order-to-billing workflow and enhancing productivity. The remainder is largely designated for ongoing systems maintenance over the contract's life.