T-MOBILE. Store Location: 9296 Westheimer Rd Houston, TX TELS 4341 ASHTON PATEL

Transcription

1 T-MOBILE Store Location: 9296 Westheimer Rd Houston, TX TELS 4341 ASHTON PATEL

2 INTRODUCTION I did this project over a T-Mobile store that one of my friends works at. The store is located at 9296 Westheimer Rd., Houston, TX T-Mobile is a telecommunications and wireless communications company that provides nationwide wireless services, messaging, and data plans to many people. The store sells a variety of phones, tablets, other devices, accessories, and various deals or plans. The U.S. T-Mobile headquarters are located in Bellevue, Washington. T-Mobile is also known for its trademarked magenta/pink color. It s major competitors are Verizon, AT&T, and Sprint. Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM) was first offered in the United States, nationwide, by T-Mobile USA.

3 PROJECT MANAGEMENT The employees are trained to deal with all kinds of projects. The projects are usually done individually. They can work in groups if more than one person is working on the same type of project. The projects are created or pre-made by the company and batches are sent to store managers, who assign the different projects to different employees. The store also makes use of a computer program called Out Reach, which helps assign projects to employees. I think that their organizational structure is similar to that of a functional project. They can work on more than one project at a time. Expertise are maintained within functional area. Some projects will tie into other projects. So when one project is finished, it is handed off to help complete another project.

4 Manager checking and inputting assigned project for different employees.

5 PROCESS ANALYSIS They keep track of customer records to help improve performance of business They also keep track of customer information, so they can know what kind of things the customer will buy, and be ready for them when they come back. The store uses both Make-To-Order and Make-To-Stock processes Make-To-Order: They get people who place orders for products ahead of time, and customers will pick up their products once they have arrived at the store. Make-To-Stock: Customers can order ahead and employees will pull products from current available inventory or customers can come into store and buy products from the inventory available at the store. If the store does not have what a customer wants, an employee can order it from the company or transfer the product from another T-Mobile store. Customers can also call ahead of time to see if the store has a particular product in stock.

6 Employee just got off the phone with a customer who has ordered a new phone. Employee will soon place order for the customer s new phone.

7 STRATEGIC CAPACITY MANAGEMENT The store uses a program called Quick Connect This program tracks and records any inventory or products that are purchased or leave the store. Quick Connect sheet automatically updates the company of the store s current capacity of products. The company s warehouses/facilities adjust inventory packages to replenish the store s capacity. The company also makes adjustments based on what is being sold and what is not. The T-Mobile company has control of the store s inventory shipments But the manager or employees can place extra or special orders if need be. The company gets updates from the store so it knows what it can do to best support its long-term strategy or goals.

8 Two employees checking purchase and inventory records.

9 SUPPLY CHAIN STRATEGY The operations and supply chain strategy is controlled by the company. The company does get updates and statistics from the store to make any necessary changes. If the store sells more on a product, they will get more of that product when an inventory shipment is delivered. For things that are not selling well, the store will eventually stop carrying that product If someone needs something that the store stops selling, the employees can order it for them or recommend where to find it.

10 Received more stock of a popular selling cell-phone.

11 QUALITY SYSTEMS The employees are trained to handle different situations as well as different types of customers. The employees are the front line for the store. Customers can range from polite and satisfied to angry and disgruntled. The store does have security, and disgruntled customers are thrown out. Offer good customer service They offer a plan where if your phone is too old you can get a discounted or free upgrade. May depend on what kind of phone you want to upgrade to. The T-Mobile company gives the store phones to steal. These phones are specifically designed in case they are stolen. Phone tracker activates once it leaves the store. Some are programed to be practically useless.

12 Employee dealing with a persistent customer on the phone.

13 FORECASTING Tracker on the front door records what products are leaving the store. Records the data on what products are being sold into the computer so the employees and manager can see. Report gets sent to company for evaluation The employees also record how many people are making purchases and what kind of purchases they are making Like phones, tablets, accessories, or other things. The store makes use of both strategic and tactical forecasts The company and store managers primarily deal with the strategic forecasts to make their decisions The employees use mangers use tactical forecasts for the day-to-day decisions and changes Previous years statistics are used for forecasting future demand Also known as time series analysis

14 Employee scanning phone for purchase and checking to see if it updated the inventory record.

15 INVENTORY CONTROL Inventory is controlled by company Small inventory packages arrive at the store 1 to 2 times a week. Sizes of inventory packages may vary on current inventory. Larger inventory packages arrive at the store about once every month. The store mostly uses a fixed-order quantity model for their inventory management Used to maintain items in stock and are resupplied when the amount of the item reaches a certain number. They also use the single-period model for dealing with one-time purchases.

16 Two employees going over customer records and purchases to see if they have enough inventory for the rest of the week.

17 OPERATIONS SCHEDULING The schedule is computer generated Manager inputs what needs to be done and computer assigns to different employees. Spreads the workload evenly. The manager can edit the schedule if necessary or make any last minute changes. The store uses a phone program called Kronos, so employees can check the schedule on their phones. Computer sends employee s phone an alert about schedule updates.

18 Employee checking schedule for work and any assigned projects.

19 COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGES Customers can pay off early termination fees They can beat other companies trade-in-values They are located on a major road that gets a lot of traffic Westheimer Offer free or discounted upgrades for old phones Really old phones Offer monthly discounts or reward cards during certain months of the year.

20 CONCLUSION I think that this T-Mobile store is doing quite a few things well. When I was there interviewing my friend, the store was getting a lot of customers I do think that their inventory system is working well, because when people buy things it get recorded into the computer and sent to the company, so inventory can be adjusted to help improve business. I also like the process they use to schedule work, so that it is spread evenly amongst the employees, so no one employee is overloaded. I think that the project management system could use a little improvement, like creating team projects. It could be that having employees handle the projects individually, might be too much for some. I like the system that is connected to their front door, letting them know and automatically record how many people have come in, how many people have bought something, and what products people have bought. One thing that surprised me were the phones that were given to the store that were meant specifically to be stolen. While is was there it also looked like the employees were doing a good job at helping customers with their needs.