System of operating a telecommunications contracting company

• US 6,996,210 B2
• Filed: 09/03/2004
• Issued: 02/07/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/04/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Douglas Thomas Michel, Michael Wayne Esty
• Original Assignee: Douglas Thomas Michel, Michael Wayne Esty
• Inventors: Esty, Michael Wayne, Michel, Douglas Thomas
• Primary Examiner(s): BARNIE, REXFORD N
• Application Number:
  US10/933,782
• Publication Number:
  US 20050055261A1
• Time in Patent Office: 522 Days
• Field of Search: 379/9, 379/9.01, 379/9.02, 379/9.03, 379/9.04, 379/10.01, 379/10.02, 379/10.03, 379/21, 379/29.09, 379/29.1, 705 7- 11, 707/1
• US Class Current: 379/9.02
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other groups of this subclass

Abstract

Systems of operating a telecommunications contracting company are described herein. The systems generally includes introducing a business structure to the telecommunications contracting company, introducing field operations to the telecommunications contracting company, introducing office administration to the telecommunications contracting company, introducing customer service to the telecommunications contracting company, introducing a centralized management structure comprising: research and development, setting standards, and measuring results in relation to the standards set and requiring implementation of the introduced concepts for the company.

Claims

1. A system of operating a telecommunications contracting company for a customer comprising using a facility with field offices, wherein the system comprises:

a. a business structure that integrates the facility and field office operations, wherein the business structure comprises;

i. a formal corporate management structure for the facility comprising officers, account managers, and support staff;

wherein the management structure further comprises;

1. centralized research and development;

2. centralized human resources;

3. centralized accounting;

4. centralized material and tool tracking;

5. centralized information technology;

6. centralized standards and measurements for work performed, employee performance, and field technician performance;

7. facility policies for the operation of the facility;

8. facility procedures for the operation of the facility;

9. a formal field structure for the field operations with field technicians, field operations manager and support staff;

10. field policies for the operation of the field office operations;

11. field procedures for the operation of the field office operations; and

12. standardized customer service for both field office facilities and the centralized office administration, wherein the standardized customer service comprises;

(a). standardized customer service training for field office employees, centralized office employees, and field technicians; and

(b). standardized quality control standards for work handled by field office employees, centralized office employees and field technicians performing customer service;

b. field office operations comprising;

i. field safety procedures;

ii. field technician morale and team building procedures;

iii. field standards for compliance;

iv. field technician responsibilities;

v. field office employee responsibilities;

vi. field technician management procedures for an operations manager or field leader;

vii. field technician training;

viii. distribution procedures for tools, equipment and material in the field;

ix. posting procedures for field reports, field evaluations and field technician rankings;

x. work order field office handling procedures;

xi. procedures for handling supervisor referrals;

xii. procedures for scheduling work loads and adjusting work loads;

xiii. a standardized handling customer relations procedure;

xiv. a standardized handling technician recruiting procedure; and

xv. field office event administration;

c. centralized office administration at the facility comprising;

i. standardized clerical support roles at the facility;

ii. centralized office employee administration procedures at the facility;

iii. employee in-processing for field office and centralized office employees;

iv. employee out-processing for field office and centralized office employees;

v. scheduling of employees at the facility;

vi. payroll support of employees for field office, field technicians, and centralized office employees;

vii. employee evaluation process for field office and centralized office employees; and

viii. centralized office event administration; and

d. centralized warehouse of equipment, tools, and materials.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the field technician management procedures comprise:

a. rules for daily verification of each field technician'"'"'s job log;

b. rules for trading of jobs only with the approval of a dispatcher;

c. requirements for calling each field technician to confirm availability to work;

d. rules on clearing the field technician'"'"'s job log on a daily basis; and

e. rules for tracking tools, equipment and materials needed by each field technician.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the rules for tracking tools, equipment and materials for each field technician utilize equipment logs and equipment status reports.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the equipment status reports is a member selected from the group consisting of:

a. a special handling status;

b. a known location status;

c. an unknown location status;

d. origin status as known or unknown;

e. a controlled status that indicates the equipment is in control of the telecommunications company rather than a field technician;

f. a field return status that indicates the equipment is in control of a field technician until the location of the equipment is verified by the telecommunications company; and

g. a clear status indicates the equipment is no longer the responsibility of the telecommunications company.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the field technician management procedures further comprise

a. an employee responsibilities review with individual technicians;

b. management of individual work orders;

c. plan for adjusting work load for individual field technicians;

d. additional field technician support to a specific work order;

e. a technician safety review in view of field safety procedures; and

f. technician safety training for technician safety in view of field safety procedures.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein standardized handling technician recruiting procedure comprises qualifying and contracting field technicians.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the employee in-processing comprises creation of field technician accounts.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the payroll support of field technicians comprises field technician account maintenance and field technician compensation support.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein work order field office handling procedures comprises:

a. a work orders collection;

b. a money collection from field technicians;

c. a plan for generating billing codes;

d. a plan for verifying the billing codes, and

e. quality control on work orders by verifying a customer order to completed work by the field technician.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein the centralized warehouse comprises:

a. equipment logs review for overdue equipment; and

b. overdue equipment investigation based on the equipment logs.

11. The system of claim 1, further comprising a dispatch function in the field office operation in communication with the centralized office administration at the facility comprising, wherein the dispatch function comprises:

a. coordination with end user of the telecommunication service for work to be done by a field technician;

b. a plan to track work orders;

c. a plan to track field technicians assigned to work orders; and

d. coordination with the customer concerning the end users, the equipment and the work order.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the end user is the client'"'"'s customer.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the coordination with the end user comprises a call to the end user and a response from the end user based on the call.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein standardized customer service comprises:

a. damage handling and resolution;

b. notification of claims or potential claims;

c. a survey of end users; and

d. combinations thereof.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the field technician training comprises:

a. equipment training;

b. steps on how to perform the work;

c. equipment upgrade training;

d. end user interaction; and

e. company policy training.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the customer is selected from the group consisting of a high speed broadband internet service provider, a DSL internet service provider, a satellite television company, a telephone service provider, and a cable television company.

17. The system of claim 1, further comprising warehouse policies and procedures.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein the centralized warehousing comprises:

a. a receiving function;

b. a re-packaging function;

c. a stocking function;

d. a return equipment, tools and materials function;

e. a distribution of equipment, tools and materials function;

f. a collections of equipment, tools and materials from field technician function; and

g. an audit to verify that computer entries at the warehouse and actual items match.