Answering the call: BellSouth tailors lean and Six Sigma to fit the service industry.

It's 8:35 a.m. on a sunny Monday in downtown Atlanta. Andrea and her team of telephone testing technicians are discussing the group's previous day's performance, the current day's schedule, as well as future plans. The team is excited to learn that their efficiency numbers are continuing to climb and that Andrea is rated the second best supervisor in the district. Technicians high-five each other and then go to their desks to start their day.

How is such a high level of employee engagement and enthusiasm achieved? At BellSouth, the answer is a management method called Management System and Operating Control, or MSOC, that was first rolled out through the BellSouth network centers in 2004 and is now being implemented in field work groups throughout the Southeast.

MSOC combines process management, work measurement, management controls, and people development. It is the BellSouth way to achieve operations and process excellence and create a culture that focuses on continual improvement, contributing to improved execution, and focusing on streamlined processes that add value (Figure 1).

[FIGURE 1 OMITTED]

MSOC drives the corporation toward operations and process excellence through behavioral changes. Over the past two years, BellSouth has seen cost reductions ranging from 15 percent to 25 percent while improving customer satisfaction in all areas of the business.

The MSOC method helps fulfill the following goals:

* Provides the foundation to leverage opportunities in managing the business more effectively

* Establishes clear performance goals

* Provides a framework for continuous improvement

* Enhances organizational capability for best practices and employee skill development

By using MSOC, management and front line employees are fully engaged in the daily operation of their group while both first- and second-level managers better understand their circle of control and how it applies to a successful and highly efficient organization.

Making a case for change

In the 21st century, the service industry faces dynamic challenges in worker productivity, outsourcing, offshoring, home-sourcing, and rightsizing. BellSouth and the telecommunications industry are no exception. For example, cable companies can now offer what was once considered traditional Bell-based services along with broadband and television.