Fix the Process

Hi, I'm an employee of AT&T and the following is just my opinion.

     This is one of those blogs which some of you won't like.  Remember, chestnut burrs are sharp and difficult to handle but there's a treat on the inside.  That's the way truth is, sometimes it hurts a little.

     Today was not an efficient dispatch day at work.  First of all, everyone was invited to start at 7AM.  Our group is divided into two shifts.  Three come in at 7AM and get off at 4PM.  EVERYONE else starts at 9AM and ends work at 6PM.  We have this stupid shift because we missed two late uverse commitments.   It wasn't long after that, the shift work started.  In my opinion it was punishment for a process that needs to be improved.  A premise technician has the ability to drop a uverse trouble in the outside maintenance load up to 5PM and it has to be covered that day.  If that happens, someone HAS to stay late and cover it!  Most of the time, the problem could have been fixed just as easy the next morning.  If you're a maintenance technician with ATT don't even think YOU MATTER when you need to get off!

     We had a light dispatch load not long ago, and I needed to get off an hour early to take our daughter across town.  There was no way that I could make it getting off at my regular time, which then was 5PM.  That week we were starting at 7AM anyway and when I asked if I could leave at 4PM(still 8 hrs), I was told the load was just too heavy and he just wasn't sure.  "Ask again around 3"!  Now, I'm not a person who asks for things like that very often.  I'm not out sick very often...  My numbers(MSOC) are okay...  I thought, "you are not taking care of your people"!  Needless to say, I didn't get off when I needed to.

     But, I digress.  Let me get back to today.  Again, the dispatch load was very light, not many troubles, not many orders!  But, we called the off day people in and invited the 9AM people in at 7AM.  I worked one job then the computer said there was nothing available to be dispatched on.  I contacted the dispatch center via computer chat and waited...  and waited...  Finally, a dispatcher came on and she couldn't find anything due today in either of the three exchanges I cover...  She put me on hold for a load balance supervisor.  Evidently, anything due another day, ie.. tomorrow, cannot be dispatched on without approval of a supervisor.  Supervisor didn't answer, so we waited...  and waited... and waited...  I was tying her up(hurting her MSOC numbers), so she gave me the supervisor's number and dropped me to make the call direct.  I called and got voicemail... !!!  What a great system!  I contacted my relieving supervisor. who said he would check and call me back!  So I waited... and waited.... and waited....  Finally, I decided I'd hit the button again on my computer and see what happened.  I got something, a service order.  I am not a service order fan.  It seems so asinine to be working orders when I should be clearing troubles or clearing defective cable problems where we have constant issues.  But, if you want to send a bucket truck on a service order... ok, I'll go!

     Finished that job and took lunch!  Then, here we go again... No jobs available...  ahhhhh!!  I hate that!  Chat connected with dispatch.... can't find anything....  notifying supervisor....  supervisor not answering... hold on....  waiting... waiting... waiting... supervisor not responding, here is his number for you to call...  been there, done that...   Finally got a job(3o min wait) and it was a doosey.  Flow through service order that was never worked.  Took me the rest of the day, thank goodness! 

     I know we are supposed to be a Six Sigma organization.  Six Sigma is a business management strategy that addresses the improvement of processes to fix various issues that slow us down each day.  It's not working!  I know, as a upper management person you are not used to hearing such blasphemy, but it's the truth.  Maybe, if you would allow your managers to be honest and not toe the line so much, a lot could be fixed.  And what if, a little authority could be delegated back to the poor test center people to make a decision on their own.  They aren't stupid!  If there isn't any work for today, let them hand out a trouble due tomorrow.  Do we have to micromanage everything? 

     Speaking of processes that don't work...  the program we now use to send back defective circuit cards.  It doesn't work!  Whoever purchased it should be fired or made to pay back the stockholders money that bought it.  It has the worst user interface I've ever seen, and I go all the way back to the Tandy-64!  Furthermore, whoever ok'd the training program should also be fired!  It took most of us three times to get through it because it threw so much information at us, so fast...  concerning a program we wouldn't even see for three months!  You made the test a mandatory pass for some reason!  Did you take it?  We still don't have a printer that will print our labels for returns.   Come on, get rid of your yes men and hire some honest managers who will tell you the way things really are! 

     And by the way, we need some supplies.  Our storerooms are very low on critical items.  Storeroom personnel say they aren't allowed to order anything right now...  Sounds like another process that needs fixing!