Understanding the inside of telephone companies

The ordering process is quite difficult and complicated. Forms have dozens of fields and if 1 code is wrong the entire process gets delayed by having the order go back to the originator. Someone has to pick up the telephone and solve the problem. Very few have the skill set to solve the problem which involves talking to the end user many times to find out what they wanted. Then the next hurdle is finding exactly what is holding up the order. The process flow is days and days of electronic feeds while engineering is done from three or four different engineers on both ends of the order including the central office. If the request is big two or three project managers are needed on the receiving end, the equipment end, the central office (s) depending on the path the circuit is taking. The more complex the order the more engineers are involved prior to the electronic mapping in the network. The bigger the pipe, the more complicated the process, the more people are involved including the end technician.

New construction brings even more variables into the picture...but that's another blog.