— Global telecoms client

Our people find solutions to challenges clients haven’t even identified yet

At OKIN Process quality and value go hand-in-hand. This is why one of the world’s largest telecoms companies trusts the OKIN team to deliver a range of their technical services. Bringing cost-efficiency and improvements to every solution. OKIN experts are the backbone of this client’s operations, making them a trusted and fundamental partner in their growth.

The challenge

With a global team of field technicians updating the infrastructure that keeps their customers connected. This client’s success relies on the accuracy of the manuals they use to carry out network maintenance and improvements. With installation errors caused by manual inaccuracies being costly for their business and reputation. In their quest for efficiency, this telecoms giant needed highly-accurate detailed engineering solutions that would maximize cost-savings, without ever compromising on quality. That’s where OKIN Process made the difference.

With core equipment engineering one of their most critical functions. From connecting cables and maintaining equipment to troubleshooting network issues, Field Technicians are vital when it comes to keeping their networks running smoothly. As technology advances, there is a greater push for investment into network infrastructure and the development of systems fit for the future. This also means that technical field manuals and engineers need to keep pace too.

Technical administration functions such as Detailed Engineering manuals had always been provided within the US. However, US contract restrictions limited contractors to a 36 month partnership. This turnover of staff resulted in a continuous ‘brain drain’ and a loss on training investment. So, in 2014, the client sought a more reliable solution. They wanted a partner with the knowledge and expertise to take on some of these technical administration functions permanently. A partner that could deliver savings they could use to invest in future-focused technology and infrastructure for their customers.

The results we achieve regularly for this client speak for us. We’ve shown we’re adaptable to their needs and proactive, and have built more than just a client relationship — we’re a trusted partner for their field operations.

Nuno Bonito

Core Equipment Engineering Manager, OKIN Process

The process

With operations in the Czech Republic and the US, OKIN Process offers pragmatism without the price tag. A high-retention of staff and in-house training academies meant that OKIN could give the client a highly-capable team that could be shaped to their needs. By reducing their reliance on expensive and temporary in-country contractors OKIN solved one of their biggest challenges. Offering as an alternative a hungry and capable Core Equipment Engineering team, eager to make their processes work more efficiently and take ownership of complex operations.

A signature trait of OKIN’s people is to find solutions to challenges clients haven’t even identified yet. At the beginning of a new role or function, OKIN would be provided with the client’s training materials. What this quickly revealed was a collection of disparate resources and lost opportunities to share best practices. With a fresh perspective, the OKIN team looked for applications that the client was already using, but wasn’t taking full advantage of, such as Sharepoint and Confluence. This allowed OKIN to collate all training resources into accessible formats that could then be used to train OKIN staff and other contractors to the highest standard in the quickest time.

99% of field manuals reviewed in 2020, up from 80% (2018)

The results

As the client realized the value of a resourceful and passionate outsourcing team the core equipment and engineering partnership grew – expanding from four engineers covering two functions to 90 dedicated staff covering 15 highly-technical functions across their business. The level of trust within the partnership has also grown. At the start of the relationship, their Quality Assurance (QA) team reviewed all the manuals created by OKIN Process and other contractors. A critical role, given the manuals must be accurate and leave no margin for error. However, their team was so impressed with the quality scores of the OKIN engineers, that in 2018 they brought four of them into their team to support this function. To date, this has grown to 12 OKIN engineers, meaning the biggest part of this telecom giant’s QA team now lies within OKIN’s base in Ostrava, Czech Republic.

Much of the success of this partnership is a result of OKIN Process’ honest and frequent communication with the client’s internal team. If a project unexpectedly changes direction the team is quick to call it out, share an improvement plan, and review it with everyone on both sides. An open flow of communication is at the core of this successful partnership. From team training to creating new processes, and suggesting solutions, a proactive OKIN team has taken on greater responsibility on behalf of this client. Making sure that if the team says they’re going to do something, they make it happen. OKIN’s naturally inquisitive nature gives solutions to emerging challenges that bring benefits the client hadn’t anticipated. In earning trust and respect for the quality of work, OKIN has taken greater ownership and delivered more services to help them grow their business.