FIELD ENGINEER
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Field Engineer
by
Malik Zakaria
|
August 8, 2018
When a major national retailer says to its service provider that it wants to roll out vastly improved telecommunications services to every one of its nationwide stores, the service provider is naturally excited about the potential size of the contract.
However, that excitement quickly faded when the retailer asked how long it would take to implement the upgrades.
That exact situation occurred in 2018 when a nationwide retailer of reading glasses, contact lenses, and other eyewear, wanted to upgrade the communications capability of all its 750 stores across the US. Every store would need to be visited as part of the rollover to the new digital platform, which would involve better data sharing for inventory purposes, VOIP handsets and terminals being introduced in all stores, and much greater bandwidth at every outlet.
Scheduling this job was not easy. To upgrade the service to each store, a specific schedule needed to be followed based on the delivery of the circuits for the network. In addition, the visits would have to be made at night when the stores were closed because every store would need installation, configuration, and testing which required a variety of personnel with specific expertise which could disrupt day to day operations. To successfully complete the upgrade, each store would need three visits to complete the job.
After considering all the logistics involved, the provider informed the retailer that using its existing labor force, the project would likely take two years to complete. This timeline did not meet the retailer's needs or expectations.
The provider’s strategy needed to be revised and fortunately a second plan was put forward before the retailer could move on and open negotiations with another service provider.
Working with the Field Engineer platform and one of its trusted system integrators, the provider was able to revise the schedule so that the work would take place over just three months. The retailer eagerly moved forward with the project. With this new timeline in place and as a result of the speed at which the work could be completed, the integrator could immediately order all of the circuits in advance, to prevent delays in network availability which would slow down in-store commissioning.
Over the duration of the project, more than ten stores were commissioned every day, a pace that would not have been possible without the Field Engineer platform. In fact, on one day during the project, our engineers visited 36 locations - 12 for inspections, 12 for installation, and 12 for final testing and commissioning. The project was successfully completed over the 3-month schedule because of the partnership and use of the Field Engineer platform.
Within the Field Engineer platform, hundreds of system integrators have registered worldwide, and over 40,000 field engineers are ready to spring into action to support the successful implementation of projects like this one. The platform works by matching locally available telecoms engineering skills to contracts ready to be commissioned.
In order for certified engineers to bid on projects based on their location, availability, and price, customers upload details of contracts and projects they want to commission onto the platform, highlighting the exact skills and qualifications required.
Using the platform, customers can choose the engineers they want to work with and track and manage the project's progress. Once a job is signed off by the customer as satisfactory, the platform automatically pays the engineers.
Through this matching and management of engineering projects and trained engineers, Field Engineer brings the benefits of the shared economy to the service engineer market. As a result, commissioning often complex technical jobs becomes simpler.
The platform has been used to complete 75,000 jobs in more than 200+ countries. And as this project shows, the platform brings real speed to the pace of digital change in telecommunications.
Do you have a project that could use the speed and flexibility that the Field Engineer platform provides? Contact us for a free demo and we can show you how our platform helps you have success!
