Featured Topic: Managing a More Productive Telecom Workforce

To win in the increasingly competitive telecommunications market, telephone companies are focused on attracting new customers with cheaper services, faster speeds, bundling services, and increased quality. In order to deliver new services, telecom service providers are looking to minimize expenses through process improvements in their access network. One target area for increasing efficiencies is managing the workforce more efficiently. Tracking technician productivity, reducing repeat rates and avoiding double dispatches are all part of a good workforce management plan, which is enabled by the right technology, to help minimize expenses.

Efficient and accurate turn-up or repair of service
Workforce management requires constant evaluation of existing methods and procedures with an eye toward increasing efficiencies by implementing process improvements to get the most out of the current infrastructure. This means no double dispatches, no revisits, and providing the customer with the fastest turn up/repair possible. A real-time, automated loop testing and workflow management system can deliver this.

A single-ended and double-ended testing platform for loop analysis and technician management like Fluke Networks' EXP System can help you increase quality of service, technician productivity and reduce costs at the same time.

How it Works
Automated loop testing standardizes the troubleshooting process and speeds up the testing process. Having a standardized set of final tests at the end of every job ensures that when technicians leave the job, that the line meets the quality standard. This increases the number of jobs with a passing final test up to more than 80%. Automated testing compensates for limited troubleshooting knowledge. Pass/fail standards should be set by the service provider, instead of leaving it up to the technician's interpretation. Real-time, web-based monitoring allows the manager to see the same information the technician sees to better support technicians in the field.

Testing is comprehensive and by integrating the field and central office test, you will increase technician productivity, enable technician accountability as well as coaching from management. All of these improvements ultimately will lead to cost reduction for the maintenance and management of the Access Network and field workforce. Automated testing helps reduce revisits. If you reduce the revisits, you can reallocate your resources more appropriately.