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Posted: 11.01.05 in Mobile Enterprise
Initiating the Technician of the Future
Communications giant rolls out 22,000 rugged laptops to enhance its field force.
By Eric M. Zeman
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When imagining what the Technician of the Future might look
like, I envision something right out of a science-fiction movie,
complete with all the hardware and blinking lights with which
one could adorn the human form. Not only would they look just
rad, but they would be über-mobile and incredibly productive,
knocking down trouble tickets with the mere pushing of a few
buttons before bolting off to the next job on a rocket pack.
The reality for SBC Communications is just a little bit different.
SBC Communications, a Fortune 50 company whose subsidiaries
provide a full range of voice, data, networking, e-business,
directory publishing and advertising, and related services
to businesses, consumers and other telecommunications providers,
has decided to enhance its Technician of the Future initiative,
an innovative program that helps to maximize customer service
by providing thousands of SBC network technicians with wireless
PCs that provide instant access to critical customer service
and diagnostic information from the field.
As part of its effort to enhance this program, SBC plans to
deploy 22,000 new fully ruggedized Toughbook 29 notebook PCs
from Panasonic. These new PCs will replace existing Panasonic
devices that were initially deployed in 2000, providing increased
processing speed and functionality for the field technician
applications. The new devices will be connected via the AT&T
Wireless EDGE service, which provides connection speeds up
to 135 Kbps throughout the majority of AT&T's nationwide
footprint.
Technician of the Future aims to provide SBC technicians with
virtually anytime, anywhere access to critical information
such as dispatch orders, customer installation and repair order
details, localized software-based network maps, diagnostics
and telephone line testing capabilities, as well as comprehensive
SBC product information. This capability has tremendously simplified
and streamlined technicians' ability to serve customers and
complete administrative tasks via remote access.
"Our Technician of the Future program has led to substantial improvements in
our ability to provide efficient and effective customer service and to maximize
the productivity of our technicians in the field," says Lloyd Kelley, VP of SBC
network services. "Our deployment of new notebook computers will ensure that
we are keeping the latest technology and tools in our technicians' hands on a
continual basis."
Mike McMahon, director of field automation at Panasonic, notes, "Our
relationship with SBC began five years ago and they, like many
of our customers, have always challenged us to make products
that are 'future proof.' We've delivered products to accommodate
the needs of their mobile workforce. Our products are both
backward compatible, so our customers protect their investments
in peripherals, and innovative-always delivering the latest
wireless technologies, for example. Additionally, by forming
a positive long-term relationship, we are able to create cost
efficiencies and add value to SBC."
According to all parties involved, the rollout has gone extremely
well. Panasonic is deploying approximately 1,200 units per
week in the field as well as lighting up wireless radios on
each one. This was accomplished by a tremendous amount of pre-deployment
planning by SBC, Prosys (the VAR), and Panasonic. Once the
agreement was finalized, a deployment schedule was created
to accommodate SBC's business needs, and, to date, well over
10,000 SBC techs now have the new Toughbook 29 installed in
their work vehicle.
"The response by the field has been overwhelmingly positive since they already
had experience using Toughbook laptops," says McMahon. "This deployment included units
with faster processing, quicker wireless connectivity, brighter LCD panels and
much larger hard drives. They were looking forward to leveraging the new technology,
which has advanced considerably since the initial deployment five years ago,
in a form factor they've come to rely on."
Additionally, there was minimal need for training due to SBC's
five years' experience using PCs, and the look and feel of
the new Toughbook PCs were almost identical to the previous versions.
Panasonic basically delivered a host of technological innovations
inside a form factor the techs were used to.
When it comes to support, SBC is well taken care of. "Panasonic
offered a team of experts to assist SBC with all pre- and post-deployment
capabilities," says McMahon. "SBC had a lot of experience from
the last deployment, and received a lot of input from the field
before any units were deployed. A key goal for us was to ensure
that the actual deployment did not impact the technicians' productivity
in the field, and we feel we've accomplished that."
Of course, deploying 22,000 fully mobilized laptops isn't easy,
but Panasonic was able to do exactly that inside of eight months.
Due to the scale of deployment, the majority of the Toughbook copmuters
were pre-configured and tested at the factory in Japan and
then drop-shipped directly to Prosys in Atlanta. Prosys applied
images, lit up the EDGE modems, did some additional quality
testing, kitted all the units and accessories, and then shipped
them to each garage. Because of the dual quality checking at
both the factory and at the VAR level, the dead-on-arrival
units were miniscule.
McMahon is proud to report, "The beauty of the entire project
is that there was no disruption to the technicians' work day.
The external antennas and wiring change-outs all were done
at night and on weekends so the tech was never affected. The
antenna change-out was done weeks before the tech received
the actual laptop. When the new Toughbook PCs arrived, they were
simply placed into the existing docks.
"All in all, the technician had zero impact on his workflow. The benefit to the
technician is that now he is using a much faster wireless network, which allows
him to download jobs much faster, as well as the large maps now available. The
larger hard drive allows him to store many more maps on his hard drive as well,
and the brighter screen makes it easier to see the screen in direct sunlight.
They also have the ability to make use of the wireless LAN (802.11) in each computer
to assist SBC in 'future proofing' their investment in mobile workforce technology."
SBC is quite happy that the deployment has gone so well, and
it is satisfied it has maintained no disruption to the amount
of jobs done per day by deploying new technology to the techs.
Though no specific numbers were available, Panasonic focuses
on maximizing ROI for SBC and all of its Toughbook customers. "Based
on the length of our relationship and the extent of the most
recent SBC deployment, we believe the Toughbook will enable SBC
to continuously improve field productivity. Throughout our
relationship, SBC has always valued introducing new products
with the best technology to assist technicians in their day-to-day
work, while extending value for technology already in place.
Panasonic works closely with all its customers to maximize
ROI and has established ongoing quarterly reviews to ensure
we deliver products and programs that can address the customer's
needs," concludes McMahon.
Okay, so they may not look like Boba Fett, but SBC's technicians
of the future are ably equipped to serve their customers day
in and day out..
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For further information about SBC's current deployment of 22,000 Toughbook PCs, go to the Press Center and read Integrated
Solutions' "Field Service Challenge" and Outside
Plant's "SBC Recommits to Techs of the Future."
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