Quality Improvement Paper

Quality Improvement Paper

Every company should want to ensure that it produces quality products or services. Verizon field technicians use a checklist to help ensure that they are doing quality work. The checklist reminds the technician what needs to be done at each job. Even with a checklist and process in place it could be better. The mangers need to spend more time in the field ensure quality work is being done.

Verizon

Verizon customer zone technicians install and repair phone lines in Verizon's network for both residential and business customers. To insure that the customer has quality service there is a checklist in place for all technicians to follow. By following the checklist the technician can insure that the customer has quality service and there will not be a need for a return visit by a technician in the near future. If the checklist is not followed and another technician needs to return to the customer to fix the problem then it will cost the company money. Another technician will have to be sent out on a job that could have been prevented if the technician followed the checklist. There are times when it may be necessary to send another technician out even if the original technician did follow the checklist. The fewer times technicians need to visit a customer the more money Verizon saves and the better likely hood that the customer will have a good opinion of the company.

Process

Some of the steps in the process do not necessarily relate to the quality of work being done but to the relationship with the customer. The first step after the technician gets the job is to call the customer at their can be reached number to inform then that the technician is on the way and what time they expect to arrive. The can be reached number is usually the customers number or cell phone. Once the technician arrives at the customer's location he will then make contact with the customer to let them know he has arrived. If the customer can not be reached then he continues on to fix the problem or installing service. If the customer is contacted then technician will discuss what type of working is going to be performed. If the technician is going to install any new wiring then the technician will inform the customer how is will be installed. This is to insure that that customer does not call the business office later to complain about how the wok was done. All through out the time the technician is at the customer's location he needs to keep the customer informed of the work being done. When installing new service or repairing the phone lines many times the trouble is not at the customer's location so the technician must go down the street. Any time the technician has to leave the customers premises he needs to inform the customer what he is doing a how long before he expects to return. While the work is being done it is very important that the technician ensure that the customer's line has been bonded and grounded. This will help to protect the customer's equipment in case of lightning or stray voltage from the power lines. After the technician has completed the work that needed to be performed the technician then has to complete a couple of test. The first test is the transmission test which is a combination of several different readings. This test measures the about of noise on the line, test to ensure there is a proper ground, test for power influence and performs a stress test on the line. After the test is completed the technician records the results of the test on a sticker that is then placed inside the customers demark. The second test that is run is a VRS test which is an automated test that is run from the central office. The technician calls the test line which then prompts the technician to enter the line being tested. The system then runs a test on the line to ensure there are no faults. If during either of the test fails then the technician must determine the trouble and correct it. Once all work has been completed and the line has passed the tests then the technician needs to inform the customer what work was done. If the customer was not at the location then the technician will then try to contact the customer at the can be reached number. If the customer can not be reached the technician will leave a door hanger to inform the customer of the work completed. After then customer has been informed the technician will then sign off on the job using a laptop and then download the next job. At this point the technician is not done. The final thing the technician is required to do is call the customer the next day to ensure that service is working fine. If at that point there is an issue then in most cases the technician will be sent back out on the job that day to correct the problem.

Relationship

Verizon has set out to be the most respected telecommunications company in the United States. There quality check list