Automated Repair Service Bureau: Evolution

Since 1971, Bell Telephone Laboratories has focused considerable attention on Repair Service Bureau (RSB) operations. Motivating factors for this effort included the increasing cost of trouble report processing, loop testing, and fault location; a decrease in the experience level of craft persons; increasing complexity of testing; and an increase in the number of customer trouble reports being processed. The result of this effort was the development of a family of integrated computerbased operations support systems, the Automated Repair Service Bureau (ARSB). The major reasons for automating repair service functions were to (i) improve customer service by more rapid detection, location, and repair of troubles; (ii) reduce the trouble report rate and outage time; and (Hi) improve the efficiency and reduce the cost of testing, dispatch and repair operations. In addition, the system was designed to be compatible with existing and planned future Bell System standard equipment and, as far as 1097