In this Issue:

• Look Forward
• Progistix-Solutions Profile
• The Value Inside Outsourcing
• Explore the Progistix Toolbox
• Customer Profile – Bell Canada
• Focused on Reducing Complexity

Customer Profile – Bell Canada

Peter Renshaw, General Manager, Field Services, Bell Canada

Peter Renshaw moves quickly. As General Manager of Field Services for Bell Canada, Peter oversees the daily service needs and commitments of 1,800 Bell technicians working throughout the 416, 905 and 519 area codes. We recently sat down with Peter to discuss the evolution of Bell, how Progistix is helping meet increased logistics demands, and the evolving communications landscape.

Progistix - How have the challenges you face evolved over the past 10 years?

Peter - The technology we install and repairis much more complicated. New bundled services have added a layer of complexity to the technical expertise that our technicians require. Our residential and business clients are savvier as well, and have higher expectations. From ADSL modems to satellite dishes and receivers, to mobility, we’ve got all kinds of products and piece parts that are required for a single order, as opposed to one telephone. There is the IP push, with hundreds of millions of dollars going to place fibre optic cable. There is also increased competition today and convergence within the communications industry. Field force automation technology has also helped me optimize service delivery. Today’s automation tools facilitate overall co-ordination and deployment of field service technicians, products and replacement parts, and customer care.

Progistix - How does Bell measure success, and what metrics do you use?

Peter - The CRTC sets the base standards,but that’s just the bare bones. For example,it is mandated that 80% of out-of-service calls be cleared within 24 hours. We are regularly in the 86 to 90% range. Customer satisfaction is a key metric. Today, 40 – 45% of our technicians work from 1 to 9 p.m. in order to better meet the demands of our busy customers. This is a drastic change from 10 years ago where the standard workday was 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. Of course, the conventional measurements of churn and market share are critical.

Progistix - How do you define success? How do you know when your logistics solution is working as planned?

Peter - For me, success is defined by client satisfaction and productivity. The feedback on technicians is that the field folks are well respected and that the brand still carries weight with the customer. If you look at the drivers of client satisfaction, particularly on the business side, appointment convenience and speed of appointment are the keys. So providing prompt service to as many customers as possible is critical. When you’re talking about 1,800 technicians, increasing productivity by one job a day represents a lot of money. Even a half-day increase is worth millions. Our logistics solution is working as planned when we are able to translate increased efficiencies into productivity gains.

Progistix - How do you measure Progistix - what is your view of outsourcing?

Peter - We’re trying to get five and six things installed at the same time, so the linkages in our supply chain are critical to our whole order flow process. Over the years our field performance has improved as a result of better material availability, load consolidation, and on-time delivery performance. Progistix values their relationships, and follows up quickly on feedback. You can tell that they care because when I take the time to fill out their annual survey, they follow up with me directly.

Progistix - What happens next - what new logistics ‘wins’ are you looking for, and how do you expect to attain them?

Peter - We’re heading for a world where the networks are stable and customers will essentially be able to plug and play - it’s all about self-service. However, Canada has an aging demographic that might not be able to adapt well to such rapid technological change. Either way, development and maintenance of the network will still be priorities, so partnering with our suppliers will continue to be critical as we do more with less. Tight control on material flow, where management can track whom is ordering what, will continue to be important as outsourcing increases. Bell will benefit from the increased flexibility that outsourcing allows.