Intec Communications, LLC
April 29, 2015 | Newsletter
Chris's Corner
Communication is paramount, now more than ever, in our constantly changing industry. One of Intec’s biggest goals is to communicate everything that is going on within our company, to all of our employees. This includes both Intec’s initiatives and our client’s.
This is the intent of this Newsletter and specifically Chris’ Corner; to be open and honest with all of our employees so that we can eliminate rumors from starting and give each employee peace of mind.
Along with communicating changes within our Company, I try to give your mind a little food to digest, I like to do this myself, so I pass along some of my thoughts to you. Take a minute and think about the Quotes to Ponder found below. Hopefully they will help or motivate you, at least a little.
Now for some of the changes going on in our company…
Intec is changing health care providers from Aetna to United Healthcare. Every Intec employee should have filled out a new Health Insurance Enrollment Form for United Healthcare. This is your yearly opportunity to change your benefits package without a qualifying event.
* Please take the time and find out more about our new health insurance provider in the article below.
Other changes that are impacting our company:
Comcast is transitioning to an ALL in-house Comcast employee dispatch team.
Comcast is going to dynamic dispatching in all markets by 7/1/2015. The Big South and Atlanta are launching in the middle of May, Chicago launches in June, and is Houston is still TBD. (This does not include future Heartland markets) We have already had the regional meetings regarding this process, and it is going to happen.
All of our Technicians and Supervisors will be issued i-devices by 6/1/2015. It is extremely important that you take care of this device, you must have an i-device to be issued work.
All of these changes and the direction our company and industry are going lead to one thing: Self-Reliance
Our clients want our field personnel to be self-reliant and so do I. Are we 100% there? Not yet. However, we are on the right path, we have the necessary policies in place, and we have highly trained and qualified employees. We will get there.
Below are the steps to being a successful, compliant & self-reliant technician - You may recognize this from the December Newsletter, I have decided to represent it because the volume of work issued to you and all Intec technicians depends on it. Your success and company’s success depends upon it.
Steps to being a successful, compliant & self-reliant technician:
Every employee needs to understand the following definitions:
FTRST - Field Tech Self Reliant Tool
ETA - Estimated Time of Arrival
HIC - Home Integrity Check
UPTX – Upstream
MTF - Missed Time Frame
VOC - Voice Of the Customer
SOI - Service on Install (within 30 days)
The average day of a successful, compliant, & self-reliant technician:
Being in compliance starts before your get into the building. Prior to entering any Intec facility, technicians must have their uniform on. A complete uniform looks like the following: uniform shirt, approved work boots, visible ID badge, tan “Docker” work pants, and all outerwear must have only company, client, or NO logo’s anywhere. As an example, sports caps are not allowed.
Arrive at your local facility with enough time to turn in all unused CPE, to acquire new CPE for that day’s route and address any issues with your Supervisor from the previous day. Every single morning it is the technician’s responsibility to check their buffers on their handheld device (Technet) for CPE. Warehouse and Supervisors will help you if needed, just ask. This should take 30 minutes.
Prior to leaving the facility, on your handheld device, update the ETA to your first job. Drive to your first appointment. Never park in your customer’s driveway. All 1st appointments must be started by 8:00AM, in person and on your handheld device. No exceptions. Not doing this could mean 2 of the required metric items will not be met before the work has even started.
Knock on the door with a smile. :) Introduce yourself. Explain the entire job, exactly what’s on the work order, and explain what you will be doing, where the cabling will go. Everything. The customer may have different needs than what is listed on the work order. (Depending on the market, there are different procedures) Correct the work order to meet the customer requests. Double check with the customer, and set an ETA on your next appointment at this time. If you believe you are going to miss the time frame at any point, you must immediately call your supervisor. At this point, you should know how long it will take to successfully complete this job.
Begin the job.
Run a HIC test on your handheld to understand current levels. Go to the tap to verify levels.
Install all wiring and CPE.
Activate all CPE with your handheld, especially Modems and EMTA’s. If there is a failure to activate (could take 10-15 minutes to fail, if it does), IM dispatch. After all CPE is activated, go through full customer education. This should take 20 minutes.
Fully inform your customer of the VOC post call. 100% of your customers will receive one. Let the customer know this call is only to comment on your performance. After informing the customer of the questions, ask if there is anything else you can do to ensure a 5 for all questions. Any previous challenges with the client will not be addressed on this call. Thank the customer and walk outside.
Repeat the steps outlined above on every job.
If each and every technician follows the compliance/self-reliant rules on every job, everyone benefits.
I want everyone to have a great rest of April & May, stay diligent, and know I and the entire corporate staff appreciate each of you.
Stay safe,
Chis Matatall
Chief Operations Officer
Quotes to Ponder...
Your future depends on many things, but mostly you.
- Frank Tyger
Blame yourself if you have no branches or leaves; don’t accuse the sun of partiality.
- Chinese Proverb
April Company Wide Metric Numbers
Terry Miller - March 2015 Employee of the Month!
Intec Communications, LLC is proud to announce as Terry Miller as March 2015 Employee of the month.
An extremely Satisfied xFinity Customer Wrote:
I wanted to contact you about one of your techs, Terry Miller. I just wanted to say he is awesome.
I set up service and thought I was going getting a great deal… come to find out I was misinformed by a salesman, he told me I would be receiving services that I really wasn’t. I didn’t find out until tech get out here, and informed me it was a whole different story. I started crying and I was on the verge of just canceling everything. Terry was extremely kind and calmed me down, I am 6 months pregnant and I am not supposed to be stressed. :)
He asked what can he do to help me - I said I just wanted what the salesman promised, and I showed him the paper he gave me. Terry made some phone calls didn’t have no luck getting this resolved. He started installing the services that matched his paper work. All the while he was calling around to get me help... in the end he got everything resolved and I received all of the services I was initially promised!
Terry went over and beyond his duty if you ask me, I have had technicians come out and just do what is on the paper, they didn’t care if it wasn’t what the customer wanted or not. He installed, explained everything and cleaned up behind himself.
Intec did an awesome job hiring and training him! We need more people like him working in other fields. I can tell that he really loves his job and he cares about the customer. I heard nothing but great things about the company when he was calming me down. He kept letting me know that I was getting the best deal. He guaranteed my happiness and I can honestly say that I am happy now!! This tech was heaven sent!!! I will not hesitate to refer people to xFinity and refer them to Terry Miller an awesome tech also!!!
Terry, on behalf of the entire Intec family we would like to thank you and congratulate you on receiving this award. Your proven hard work and dedication to Intec is invaluable, and you truly embody the characteristics of Intec Employee of the Month.
April Fools at the Corporate Office - Prank on the President
The Corporate staff play a light hearted prank on the President of Intec, Paul Gordon.
Paul was a great sport and took the prank very well... Only 2 people were fired!
Health Care Provider Changes: United Healthcare
As Chris stated above; Intec is changing health care providers from Aetna to United Healthcare, and Every Intec employee should have filled out a new Health Insurance Enrollment Form for United Healthcare.
We are currently in an Open Enrollment period until May 1, 2015. Keep in mind that this enrollment period is your yearly opportunity to change your benefits package without a qualifying event.
The following is a partial list of qualifying events, other than Open Enrollment, these are the only times when changes can be made to your benefits package:
- Change in your legal marital status (marriage, legal separation, divorce, or death of your spouse)
- Birth of a child or date you adopt a child, or placement for adoption
- Death of a dependent
- Change in employment status that affects eligibility for health insurance benefits.
If you have previously waived enrollment but would now like to now enroll, or if you need to make changes to your enrollment plan, there is still time! A new enrollment form must be completed with the necessary changes and plan you would like to enroll into, then sent to the corporate office by May 1st. Enrollment Form Received after this date will not be processed.
If you have chosen not to enroll in one of health insurance plans offer by Intec, and you do not have insurance with another provider, you will be responsible for a Federal Individual Mandate Penalty.
According to Healthcare.gov the Individual Mandate Penalty you pay if you don't have health coverage:
2015 Penalty - $325 per adult and $162.50 per child (up to $975 for a family) or 2.0% of family income, whichever is greater.
2016 Penalty - $695 per adult and $347.50 per child (up to $2,085 for a family) or 2.5% of family income, whichever is greater.
It is Intec’s goal to provide all of our employees with Healthcare option that is both affordable and comprehensive, and we hope that all of our employees decided to take advantage of enrolling with United Healthcare.
For those who have enrolled and are now UHC members, here is glimpse of some of the resources you have access to:
- The myuhc.com Member Portal; where you can search for primary care physicians, hospitals and much more.
- You can speak with a 24-hour nurse at any time by calling the number listed on the back of your health plan ID card. Add this number to your cell phone directory for access and answers no matter where you are.
- Access to Teladoc: Teladoc is a national network of board-certified physicians who provide quality healthcare through the convenience of phone or online video consultations for members of any age. Teladoc physicians can diagnose, treat, and write prescriptions, when necessary, for routine medical conditions.
- As a member of UHC you and your family have access to discounts on a wide range of health and wellness-related programs Discounts typically range from 10 to 25 percent. Programs such as: Jenny Craig®, Nurtisystem®, Anytime Fitness®, Snap Fitness® and many more.
- UHC myHealthcare Cost Estimator - Check costs for outpatient procedures first.
We appreciate all of our employees completing and submitting enrollment forms in such a timely matter. For those employees who have enrolled, information packets should be received in market sometime next week and we will update your market administration team on when ID cards will be received.
If you have any questions or if you do not receive your ID Card please email health@inteccommunications.net.
Thank you,
Deborah Berthiaume
Corporate Benefits Coordinator
Did you miss last months Newsletter? Check it out by clicking the link below!
Get into 'Spring Cleaning Mode'
For some of us Intec employees it is currently Spring, (sorry Chicago…) and a lot of you may currently be in ‘Spring Cleaning Mode’ or at least you are thinking about it. Hopefully, reading this article will encourage to clean up, get organized, become less stressed and more productive!
A cleaner, more organized workspace/vehicle, allows you to have easy access to everything you need to get the job done. Whether it's your calculator, files, stapler, screwdriver or cable stripper. If a customer or supervisor requests information or services, you'll be able to find what you need and get the job done quicker if you have the necessary resources readily available. (i.e. they are not buried under piles of clutter)
Reducing clutter will boost your productivity, and reduce stress. According to Princeton University Neuroscience Institute:
Multiple stimuli present in the visual field at the same time compete for neural representation by mutually suppressing their evoked activity throughout visual cortex, providing a neural correlate for the limited processing capacity of the visual system.
Uh… In other words: When your environment is cluttered, the chaos restricts your ability to focus.
Another important reason for cleaning and organizing your workspace is to make a good impression on customers, coworkers and bosses. In a recent survey of 500 HR managers, more than eight in 10 (83 percent) said the appearance of an employee's workspace at least somewhat affects their perception of that person's professionalism.
We want all of our employees here at Intec to be professional, more productive, and less stressed, and a great way to start is by getting organized!
Most of us already, or at least we should, know how to clean up & get organized, so here are some simple steps/tips to refresh your memory, and motivate you to clean your workspace, and keep it organized.
Evaluate
You need to start with an honest evaluation of your work environment. Sure, everything has some sort of purpose, but unless you need it to get your work done on a daily basis, it probably doesn't belong there.
Declutter
Trash it, recycle it or shred it if you don't need it. The less clutter you have, the closer you are to having an organized workspace.
Pro tips for keeping your Truck clean:
- Turn your cereal container, into a small sealed garbage can for your truck
- Use a shoe organizer on the back of your car seat to organize all of your tools and equipment
- Keep a plastic bin in your truck to put loose items in, that way they wont be rolling around
- Every time you leave, take something out!
For all of our office employees - File, Don't Pile
Don’t touch the same piece of paper more than once without filing, recycling or tossing it, or passing it along to the next person.
Your Equipment
After you've purged anything you don't need, clean your computer, tools, and equipment. Untangle and then organize cords and wires, making more sense out of them to avoid both clutter and safety hazards.
Commit to Making Your Space Usable
After you've completed your spring cleaning, commit to taking just a few minutes each day to maintain your space and ensure it stays organized.
Good luck in your cleaning endeavors!
April Employee Anniversaries
Please join us in celebrating the following employees with February & March Anniversaries:
Frank Harper 1 Year With the Houston Team
Rodolfo Barriga 1 Year With the Chicago Team
Michael Lewis 1 Year With the Houston Team
Jason Cheek 1 Year With the Atlanta Team
Michael Angelo 1 Year With the Houston Team
Anthony Upshaw 1 Year With the Houston Team
William Bruce Boling 1 Year With the Big South Team
Thomas Santillanez 1 Year With the Houston Team
Andrew Deleon 1 Year With the Houston Team
Alfredo Cornejo 1 Year With the Houston Team
Daniel Darrow 1 Year With the Houston Team
Rim Urniezius 1 Year With the Big South Team
Anthony Walters 1 Year With the Atlanta Team
Romello Jackson 1 Year With the Atlanta Team
Terry Jackson 2 Years With the Atlanta Team
Raymond Taylor 2 Years With the Atlanta Team
Kerwin Charles 2 Years With the Atlanta Team
Gary Crosby 2 Years With the Atlanta Team
Fdamion Hewitt 2 Years With the Atlanta Team
Randall Hodges 2 Years With the Atlanta Team
Darryl McGhee 2 Years With the Atlanta Team
Dwaine Walters 2 Years With the Atlanta Team
Thanh Duong 2 Years With the Houston Team
Norris Byfield 2 Years With the Atlanta Team
Steve Dobbins 2 Years With the Atlanta Team
Keltrus Lindsey 2 Years With the Atlanta Team
Man Nguyen 3 Years With the Houston Team
Ed Ross 3 Years With the Corporate Team
Thank you for your countless hours of hard work and loyalty to Intec!
Meet the Atlanta Office Team!
From the Left
Steve Dobbins, Terry Jackson, Tanika Hall, Raenique Jackson, Keltrus Lindsey, Anthony Walters
Employee of the Month
What employee of the month looks like:
- This individual’s efforts have inspired and supported the performance and achievements of others.
- This employee is punctual and dependable.
- Demonstrates a positive attitude toward work responsibilities, co-workers, and customers, and services as a role model for others.
- Commitment to quality in carrying out job responsibilities, and is an asset to Intec Communications.
- A willingness to exercise leadership, take initiative, and accept and carry out additional responsibilities beyond the regular job assignments for the good of the company as a whole.
Please submit your nominations for Employee of the Month by completing the form below. The winner will be included in the next newsletter.
Get Plugged In
Have a question on a policy? Suggestion on how to improve an aspect of our business?
Please email any questions, suggestions, or concerns to: info@inteccommunications.net