Using this system, project managers are able to track the location of vehicles to within a quarter mile. We have to have information now, in real time, not 30 days from now. The system allows the company to better handle customer service situations as they arise. For example, after a call from a client in Kokomo, Ind., the managers at Tele-Tech would be able to locate the closest technician with both the skills and the tools to do the job. Using the system, they can then message that nearest technician, telling him or her where the next job will be.
Technicians can also message back to headquarters, using a keyboard device in the vehicle.
The system proved its value to Tele-Tech shortly after its installation when a snowstorm struck the Midwest. The company was able to track its snowbound technicians and give clients reliable estimates of when the technicians could be expected to arrive. In its efforts to attract the right personnel, the company has a training program to help it compete in the aggressive recruiting environment of telecommunications. Tele-Tech's growth recently led them to expand their facilities, breaking ground on a new office on Mercer Road. But Morris said he's not about to let himself get carried away by the growth.