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By Margaret Gaillard, AT&T Broadband

Margaret Gaillard won CT's 2000 Women in Technology award, in part for her role in the impressive deployment of 500 digital headends and 500,000 set-tops in one year. What does this task require? Here's her advice on mobilizing for such a feat.

People often ask, "How did you manage to deploy so many digital headends in one year?" The task did seem enormous and overwhelming, but everyone loves a challenge.

However the goal is described--500 digital headends in one year, one million digital customers in one year--the process is basically the same. How should a multiple system operator (MSO) roll out new products massively in a short time frame?

First, gather people from cross-functional areas together to explain the goal. Here's an obvious but often overlooked statement: The goal must be clear and precise to keep everyone focused.

Determine minimum lead times for each group on subjects such as headend equipment, marketing materials, billing configuration and so on. Use this information to create a project schedule all groups must adhere to.

The most efficient approach is to create a "cookie cutter" process. Every system receives the same equipment the first year. During the second year, systems were allowed to add additional digital programming. Maintaining a standard for all systems allows each functional group to concentrate on the goal rather than the exceptions.

Channel line-up

Determining the channel line-up is more of a numbers game. If the goal is 500 headends, sort the systems according to customer counts. Systems with the most customer counts are on the top of the list because the capital payback is quicker. The last system on the list is used to determine how many digital programs to offer considering programming costs, length of payback and cost to customer.

As an example, the standard digital package for AT&T Broadband (formerly TCI) for the massive deployment was a "3-pak" headend, meaning three headend in the sky (HITS) transponders of programming. The 3-pak offered almost 100 digital programs in a combination of special interest and movie channels, impulse pay-per-view (IPPV) and music channels for about $10 with a payback of less than four years.

The same approach may be used for determining a standard interactive TV package. Instead of the number of transponders, the number of simultaneous sessions defines the package. The number of sessions is driven more by the hardware than the number of interactive services offered. Some of the interactive hardware will have limits on the number of digital set-top boxes and other hardware supported.

For example, a specific piece of headend equipment may support 11 out-of-band modulators, 20 return path demodulators and 25,000 digital set-tops. Taking this information into consideration, the logical separation is 12,500 digital set-tops, as this approaches the minimum number of set-tops required to meet the payback requirements for most companies.

Headend

Once the digital channel line-up is determined, engineering may begin working with the vendors to create a pre-pack headend, including an equipment bill-of-materials, rack diagrams, install process and so on. Headend equipment--including satellite dishes--typically requires the longest lead time for delivery. This phase of engineering determines how much space is required in each headend plus the heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) and powering requirements.

The system requires the preparation of the headend facility before equipment installation. This includes determining the location of a satellite dish (if needed), coordinating the power and HVAC upgrades and ensuring that the cabling is done.

This type of "cookie cutter" approach is much easier if all systems have similar combining networks. At a minimum, the systems need to have specified levels required at the headend, so installation of the pre-pack headend will be as close to "plug-and-play" as possible. The key to a mass deployment is to get in and get out quickly, then move on to the next location. Time spent on system problems delays work at other sites.

Training

When launching new products in a system, training should not occur more than two weeks prior to commercial launch for customer service reps (CSRs) and installers. The further the separation between training and launch, the more information will be lost. The sooner the trainees apply the new knowledge, the better the retention. Other tools should be provided to supplement the training. Job aids, such as a customer service tip sheet (see sidebar, page 84), should be kept close at hand for reference.

Headend technicians should receive an equipment overview during headend installation. Detailed training is more cost-efficient at regional locations.

Installation

The installation process needs to be as efficient as possible. How physically to perform the install typically is welldocumented, but the order in which the install is performed often is overlooked.

When the installer calls dispatch for service authorization, does he or she just wait with the customer? Do set-tops go into the field "hot" (all services authorized) to save time, yet tempt someone to "lose" a set-top at a friend's house? Do set-tops go into the field "cold" (no services authorized) for security reasons, yet cause the installer to spend more time at the customer's house? These are some of the tough questions that need to be answered by each company.

If set-tops are dispatched "hot" and systems are worried about tracking inventory, a weekly reconciliation should be performed. If installers are held accountable for discrepancies in inventory assigned them, lockers should be used to dispense/return set-tops. Even cameras may prevent theft. This is not to insinuate that installers are thieves, but one bad apple causes grief for all. Set-tops dispatched "cold" may take up to 30 minutes to complete a download of services. What does the installer do during this time? Customer education. The installer should have "leave-behind materials" for the customer and should discuss some of the system's new features, such as parental control.

The dilemma of not having enough installers to meet the demand needs another solution. Encourage customers to do self-installs. The customer picks up the set-top or modem with an install kit that should include instructions, cables, phone wire, installation software and whatever else is needed.

If the customer cannot complete the install, a regular install may be scheduled. Some systems perform up to 60 percent of total installs using self-install kits, and only 10 percent required a follow-up truck roll. Fast and efficient!

Conclusion

Stay focused on the goal. Weekly update meetings help all departments maintain this focus. Determine guidelines such as no system customization during massive deployment, all marketing materials ordered online from the same vendor, consistent headend levels from system to system and so on. A "cookie cutter" approach will guarantee success for massive deployments.

Margaret Gaillard is director of technical operations for AT&T Broadband. She may be reached at .

Digital Problem Escalation: A Sample CSR Quick Guide

Editor's Note: The following is an example of the level of detail needed in a customer service tip sheet, which Gaillard recommends as an additional tool to supplement CSR training.

Note the Following for Reference on Trouble Calls to the Headend Technician:

1. Identify Symptoms on DCT by Displayed Channel Number and Service Name

• Accurately identify symptoms on DCT by displayed channel and service
• Identify all display channels with symptoms

• Determine if a known national HITS problem matches the situation--call headend technician

Using a display Channel Lineup with associated HITS Mux numbers:

• Determine if more than one service on a HITS Mux is affected
• Determine if services on more than one HITS Mux are affected

4. Verify Navigator Program Guide is Present

• Verify Flip Bar is present on affected channel--press info button on remote
• Verify programs and times are present--press menu button on remote

5. Verify Billing System Operations Status

• Identify any existing known problem
• Determine if MIS has recently run scripts

 Back to June 2001 Issue

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