Qwest: Reducing Service Delivery Cycle Time
Background
Qwest sought to improve customer satisfaction by reducing service delivery cycle time. Service delivery cycle time, the time between the receipt of an order and the start of the billing cycle, was an important metric for both broadband and WAN products. Improving service delivery cycle time served to reduce overall cycle time and accelerate cash in the door.
Approach
Qwest's service delivery process consisted of four mileposts: 1) order entry, 2) order creation, 3) provisioning, and 4) implementation. The key performance indicator for cycle time was an interval defined by the four mileposts. Qwest’s several independent efforts to improve cycle time yielded no tangible improvement results prior to working with QualPro. Under QualPro's guidance, Qwest decided to test within the established mileposts. QualPro consultants facilitated brainstorming sessions with dedicated teams to identify ideas for improvement. Together, the teams brainstormed potential improvement ideas designed to reduce cycle time within mileposts. QualPro consultants helped the teams narrow the list of improvement ideas to eighteen practical, fast, and cost-free ideas. Ideas included a reordering of job steps, manual versus automated solutions, and the use of a centralized team to reduce handoffs.
QualPro consultants designed the experiments for Qwest personnel to perform. A screening experiment revealed that five ideas had a significant, helpful impact and were worthy of further exploration. After analyzing the results, QualPro consultants offered recommendations for implementation by Qwest to reduce service delivery cycle time.
In accordance with QualPro’s commitment to driving breakthrough improvement, our consultants worked closely with Qwest personnel to guide implementation of helpful factors.
Results
After implementing QualPro’s recommendations, Qwest decreased cycle time by over 30%, improving customer satisfaction and avoiding practices that increased cycle time.