John Linton
I attended a 'check point' meeting to look at the new facilities we are in the process of writing to provide better levels of customer service in terms of resolving issues perceived as problems by customers which aren't in fact issues that their ISP can do anything about. I was impressed that we have been able to do so much to simplify the process of bringing many different aspects of an ADSL services performance in to one simple interface and to display complex data in ways that are helpful and truly informative to the less technically minded customer.
Our objectives in developing this new customer support process are to allow an end user, who has no real technical knowledge, to understand exactly where his/her ADSL service may be performing below expectations and also provide the advice of what needs to be done to resolve the issues.
This system will, if it's successful, allow the end user to fix the two main problem issues with their service (slow speeds and frequent drop outs) 24 x7 x 365 and it will also allow them to understand what the problem is and how to avoid it in the future. As such issues comprise a little over 50% of all support issues dealt with by Exetel this project has great value both to the customer and to Exetel.
We will begin internal trials next week by our own support engineers and will shortly after that provide access to the Exetel Agents who support their own customers in various ways. We will refine the current system over the whole of April with the goal of making it available to end users, via the Exetel user Facilities, in early May.
One major issue the new process addresses is allowing the end user to see every aspect of the performance of his/her service by logging in to one screen. These include:
1) Current upload speed
2) Current download speed
3) Number of re-connects over the past 48 hours
4) Average speed achieved in the past 48 hours by hour of the day
5) Likely cause of any drop outs experienced - and recommendations on how to fix
6) Likely cause of any speed issues discovered by running the nominated tests - and recommendations on how to fix
7) Full fault ticket history of the circuit
8. Current status of any open ticket
All tests run by the customer are saved in the facility and in the circuit's 'history files' so, in the event that the issue isn't resolved then and there, a ticket will be automatically opened that contains the results of the tests run by the customer - and these tests are in the format that Exetel needs to pursue the issue with a carrier.
Like all of the systems we have developed over the past four years it is designed to provide more function at lesser cost than has been possible before the issues are addressed. We have been, relatively, successful in using automation to control and reduce costs in the operation of a communications business and I think this new addition to the operational automation 'suite' will be the last of the major 'breakthroughs' in revolutionising the optimisation of resolving customer 'fault' issues. If it does in fact reduce fault tickets by 50%while increasing prompt fault resolution 24 x7 then it will be a very significant achievement.
This latest addition to the on line/fully automated fault analysis and resolution processes, together with the already established ability for any customer to log a 'service down' fault by 1300 telephone will complete the ability of providing a 24 x 7 x 365 fault resolution service that is better than could be provided via a 'conventional' help desk.