Service providers operate in a more competitive environment than ever before. Wireline operators, alternative carriers and cable companies all compete for the same customers, putting a greater emphasis on customer satisfaction. These new complex services need to be installed right the first time and rapidly repaired when service does fail, or customer churn and revenue loss will inevitably follow.
With this goal in mind, Fluke Networks introduces the TechAdvisor Field Access System, a fully integrated ready-to-use field access system that provides a complement to any dispatch system. TechAdvisor provides field access to the dispatch process and extends the capabilities of technicians for back-office system integration, data evaluation, test results interpretations, and guidance scripts to ensure that a quality job is done every time.
The TechAdvisor solution is part of our iKON (Integrated Knowledge of the Network) platform. This middleware server integrates the dispatch system to the technicians, providing additional back-office integration to BSS/OSS systems to enhance the capabilities of the users without the need for back-office clerical personnel. Service providers are able to expand the capabilities of field technicians with additional functions, processes, and back-office data, all in a single seamless platform. This expansion capability provides a unique advantage versus other vendor solutions that remain highly proprietary.
Dispatch and scheduling
TechAdvisor simplifies and fully integrates the dispatch function to remote field technicians and supports smart dispatch systems that can allocate jobs according to availability, skill sets, and job routing. TechAdvisor delivers work items to technicians with full job life cycle features that provide job list, job rejections or referrals, job details, data extensions, and the ability to update job information and dispose a job into a job closeout process. TechAdvisor also supports remote updates from techncians, synchronizing the dispatch system with a technicians availability for resource scheduling.
Supports diverse field devices
Not all technicians operate on the same types of access devices. TechAdvisor supports desktops, laptops, smart phones, and can integrate to other web access devices. Displaying the job or work item to the technician in the best possible configuration for the type of device in use allows technicians to use different devices; start a job on a laptop, then update it later with a smart phone. TechAdvisor provides flexibility in knowing who the user is, what type of device or portal the technician is using, then formats that information to provide the optimal layout for that device.
Features
TechAdvisor is a full featured system capable of supporting all dispatch functions & update features of your dispatch system. Secure access, job list, job rejections or defferals, job details, data details, data collection and close-out information, as well as data extensions to additional back office systems, are easily processed within the TechAdvisor application.
Technicians perform a wide variety of task in difficult locations and can not always be connected to the web or a server to get the job done. TechAdvisor provides offline capabilites to support techs through different phases of a job, to collect or interpret data and conditions. The ability to store and forward data or processes in the job life cycle provides productivity and minimizes delays.
Service Providers offer a wide variety of complex services on complex networks. TechAdvisor is equipped with a robust graphical workbench tool that enables these carriers to embed business processes, methods & procedures, and customized logic scripts into the field. Scripts and processes are easily built, managed, and maintained in the iKON Workbench toolset. This powerful features allows management to achieve remote job processing in a logical and complaint manner without impacting productivity.
A key feature of Tech Advisor allows remote field technicians to update the dispatch system with daily availability, vacation days, and weekend work coverage details. TechAdvisor fully supports this feature, eliminating the need for back-office agents to update the dispatch system of technicians available for work items.
TechAdvisor utilizes a web browser approach to ensure secure dispatch access for your remote technicians anywhere in your operations. If you can get to the web, you can get to work items through Fluke Networks TechAdvisor. Silverlight Controls
An intuitive web page allows for instinct to be a big part of productivity. TechAdvisor takes the guess work out of where and what the data means through logical page layouts, and the use of smart controls in the Silverlight display methodology.
Supporting techs on any device
The web approach allows for technicians to use different web supported devices. The application server interprets what type of device the tech is using and provides the data to that device in the smartest configuration. Information is displayed on smart phones, laptops, test devices or desktops to maximize the data presentation and interactive experience.
TechAdvisor is based on Fluke Networks Integrated Knowledge of the Network [ iKON ] platform server which can quickly adapt to the needs of the business, seemlessly bringing other OSS/BSS integration to your field processes. iKON utilizes a plug-in approach for interfacing to back office systems and puts the design of the look and feel into your control. You can enrich the technicians experience, while enabling them to get to useful data without the dependencies of clerks or agents.
TechAdvisor supports both individual or technician groups for skill levels and applies that feature to ensure that the right tech with the right skill level gets the right job. Don't send a bucket truck to do an underground job, and don't send a premise technician to fix a problem in the central office. This feature can also be embedded on the troubleshooting & process scripts of iKON. This allows for different interactions to technicians in the field based on job types, how they are equipped, or time on title. This feature guides the novice technician, yet allows experienced techs to do a job and update with accuracy.
