MULTI-CUSTOMER UNIT CAPITAL COST DETERMINATION SYSTEM

• US 20120053985A1
• Filed: 08/27/2010
• Published: 03/01/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/27/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Tillman, Anthony
• Application Number:
  US12/870,119
• Publication Number:
  US 20120053985A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/7.29
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0201 Market modelling; Market analysis; Collecting market data
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0283 Price estimation or determination

Abstract

A computing-device implemented method for generating cost to connect information associated with multi-customer premises may include receiving, from a productivity tracking system, labor time information associated with a number of service installation orders, wherein the labor time information includes a multi-customer premises indicator. Material information relating to multi-customer premises may be received from an inventory tracking system. Cost to connect information may be automatically calculated based on the labor time information and the material information.

Claims

1. A system for providing multi-customer cost to connect information in a network environment that includes multi-customer premises and single family premises, comprising:

a first system configured to store inventory, equipment, and location information for the network environment,

wherein the location information stored by the first system comprises unit type information indicating whether the location is a multi-customer premise or a single family premise;

a second system configured to provision service installations in the network environment based on information received from the first system, the information received from the first system including at least the unit type information;

a third system configured to receive service installation information from the second system and capturing performance information for the service installation,

wherein the service installation information comprises at least the unit type information; and

a fourth system including processing logic configured to calculate the multi-customer cost to connect information based on information received from the first, second, and third systems,

wherein the information received from the first, second, and third systems includes at least labor information received from the third system and associated with the unit type information indicating multi-customer premises.

2. The system of claim 1,

wherein the first system comprises a facility engineering and accounting system configured to store materials, maintenance, and accounting information relating to equipment and cabling within the environment.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the second system comprises a service provision system configured to activate and provision service orders in the environment.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the third system comprises a technician dispatch tool system configured to dispatch work assignments to service technicians.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the third system comprises:

a plurality of mobile dispatch devices to capture the performance information for the service installation and transmit the captured performance information to the fourth system.

6. The system of claim 5, further comprising:

a fifth system configured to;

receive the captured performance information from the each of the plurality of mobile dispatch devices;

compile the received performance information; and

generate reporting information based on the compiled performance information.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the fifth system is further configured to transmit at least some of the reporting information to the fourth system.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the fourth system comprises a capital management system for calculating costs and expenditures associated with provisioning the multi-customer premises and single family premises in the environment.

9. A computing-device implemented method for generating cost to connect information associated with multi-customer premises, comprises:

receiving, from a productivity tracking system, labor time information associated with a number of service installation orders,

wherein the labor time information includes a multi-customer premises indicator;

receiving material information relating to multi-customer premises from an inventory tracking system; and

calculating cost to connect information based on the labor time information and the material information.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the multi-customer premises indicator is associated with the labor time information based on a response to a technician query during service installation order performance.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the multi-customer premises indicator is automatically associated with the labor time information based on receipt from an order provisioning system of a unit type indicator associated with the service installation order.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the unit type indicator is received by the order provisioning system from a facility engineering and accounting system operable to maintain and provide information relating to equipment and cabling within a network environment that includes one or more multi-customer premises.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the productivity tracking system comprises a plurality of mobile dispatch devices for tracking technician performance of service installation orders.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the plurality of mobile dispatch devices are configured to periodically transmit the labor time information associated with the number of service installation orders to a capital management system,

wherein the capital management system is configured to automatically calculate the cost to connect information.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the wherein the plurality of mobile dispatch devices are configured to periodically transmit the labor time information associated with the number of service installation orders to a workforce management system,

wherein the workforce management system is configured to transmit at least some of the labor time information to the capital management system.

16. A computer-readable medium having stored thereon sequences of instructions which, when executed by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to:

periodically receive, from a workforce management system, labor information associated with a unit type indicator that indicates a type of customer premise;

periodically receive, from an inventory management system, direct materials cost information associated with installations in indicated type of customer premises;

calculate additional materials cost information based on at least the direct materials cost information; and

calculate a cost to connect metric based on the received labor information, direct materials cost information, and the calculated additional materials cost information.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the unit type indicator is associated with the labor information based on information provided to the workforce management system by an outside plant management system.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the unit type indicator is associated with the labor information based on a stored response to a technician query received during capture of the labor information.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the processor to calculate the additional materials costs, comprises calculating the additional materials costs as a percentage of the direct materials costs information.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the labor information is captured by a plurality of mobile dispatch devices configured to enable technicians to enter and submit information relating to work assignments.