This briefing is for WLR2, WLR3 and LLU Communications Providers.

Openreach is to begin a proof of concept trial in relation to the engineer making a call when no access is encountered on provision of service appointments. 

Currently CPs can be faced with end users stating that they were present and contactable at the time of No Access although the Openreach engineer was unable to contact the end user at the time of the appointment. 

We would like to test a process where CPs can add a standard note* to provision appointments – giving contact details and, if the engineer encounters no access he/she would make reasonable endeavours to contact the CP on the number given. The engineer would wait up to 15 minutes for the end user to be brought to site. If neither the CP nor the engineer can contact the end user then both agree it is No Access and the engineer will record a reference to the call in his notes (including any reference number the CP wishes to record). Note – this is about getting the end user on site quickly, or agreeing no access, and not about re-arranging a different time with the engineer.

The aim is to trial a process for practicality over a two month period starting 8th March 2010. At the end of the trial Openreach will review whether this should be continued. Whilst the process is simple, we do need to recognise that when CPs have added such notes individually in the past, the engineers often missed them. They are more likely to spot and therefore act on such notes as they become common place and in a standard format - therefore the practicality may depend on CP take up.

CPs are invited to participate in the trial and to register their interest by contacting Dave Richardson on dave.2.richardson@openreach.co.uk and Ron Murray on ron.murray@openreach.co.uk By doing this we will be able to assess the demand by CPs, and sample orders for those CPs to further assess the practicality and usage by engineers.

* Further detail can be found at: http://www.openreach.co.uk/orpg/products/cpp/cpp.do  

The contents of this briefing are accurate at the time of writing and are subject to change.

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