. Strategic Analysis of Options

Strategic Analysis of Options

Prepared by: Thomas D. Coates

Date: July 29, 2024

Executive Summary

This report addresses the discrepancies and issues found within the STAR reporting system at Cox Communications, which have significantly impacted my sales performance and compensation. The key findings include underreported revenues, missing sales data, and technical issues affecting productivity. Recommendations for resolving these issues are provided to ensure accurate reporting and fair compensation.

Introduction

Since my employment at Cox Communications, I have encountered multiple issues related to the STAR reporting system that have adversely affected my sales performance and compensation. This report aims to highlight these discrepancies, provide a detailed analysis of the impact, and offer recommendations for resolution.

Detailed Analysis

Transfer Negative Posting Error

Instances where negative revenue of the "MOVEFROM" address was posted to the STAR report against the salesperson, without corresponding positive revenue from the "MOVETO" address.

Incorrect and Underreported Sale Revenue

Sales recorded in STAR at significantly lower amounts compared to ICE orders, customer biller, and ICOMS.

Sales Not Included in Monthly Revenue

Sales made and billed correctly but not reflected in the month's sales revenue, impacting my efforts significantly. For instance, in May alone, 46 sales worth $6,227.02 were not included in the STAR report.

Data Discrepancies

Google Lighthouse Audit

This is a popular, open-source tool used for auditing web page performance, SEO, accessibility, and more. Google Lighthouse generates reports that are commonly used by developers and businesses to improve website quality. It’s highly recognized in the industry and integrates well with tools like Google Sheets for data tracking.

Moz Site Audit

Moz is a well-known SEO tool that provides a comprehensive audit of a website's SEO performance. Moz’s audit reports cover technical SEO issues like broken links, missing metadata, and crawl errors, making it widely used by companies seeking to optimize search rankings.

Ahrefs Site Audit

Ahrefs is another highly recognized tool for SEO auditing. It provides detailed insights into backlink profiles, site health, keyword analysis, and competitor comparisons. Ahrefs is widely adopted by large organizations looking to monitor online performance and competitor benchmarking

Schema Validation with SQLLint or Schema Validator

This method involves running the SQL table through a schema validation tool like SQLLint or an online schema validator. It checks for compliance with SQL syntax, table structure accuracy, and adherence to best practices. You can extract the table data and submit it through these tools, which often accept uploads in HTML or CSV format


Basic Data Type and Consistency Check via Google Sheets or Excel

Convert the SQL table to CSV format and import it into Google Sheets or Excel. Use built-in data validation features to ensure consistency in data types (e.g., integer, date, text). You can create conditional formatting rules or scripts to highlight any anomalies like missing values, incorrect data formats, or mismatched column


HTML Table Validator (W3C Validator or TableCheck)


If the table is directly rendered in HTML format, you can submit it to W3C's Markup Validation Service or tools like TableCheck, which analyze the HTML structure for errors. These validators ensure that the table is syntactically correct and follows web standards, ensuring the integrity of the table’s structure.



SQL Query Test on a Local Database Environment

Before submitting the table for further auditing, run it through a local database (e.g., MySQL, PostgreSQL) using a basic SQL query that tests table integrity. For example, perform simple SELECT queries to check for null values in required fields, validate foreign key constraints, and confirm that primary keys are unique and correctly indexed.

CSV Lint

is a web-based tool for validating CSV data against a defined schema. It checks for consistency in data types, missing values, and other structural issues in CSV files.

https://csvlint.io/

Schema Validation with SQLLint or Schema Validator

This method involves running the SQL table through a schema validation tool like SQLLint or an online schema validator. It checks for compliance with SQL syntax, table structure accuracy, and adherence to best practices. You can extract the table data and submit it through these tools, which often accept uploads in HTML or CSV format.


Datawrapper

Datawrapper can be used to upload your dataset (including CSV or Excel files) and provides data validation tools before creating charts or visualizations. It helps identify inconsistencies and errors in the data format.

https://www.datawrapper.de/


CSV Validator (Validator.nu)

Validator.nu offers a simple tool to validate CSV and other types of data formats, checking for missing fields, invalid entries, and general syntax errors.

https://validator.nu/


SQL Fiddle

SQL Fiddle allows you to submit SQL tables and test queries directly in the browser. It’s useful for ensuring that your SQL queries and tables are correctly structured and can run without errors in real environments.

http://sqlfiddle.com/


Online XML Validator (for HTML Tables)

If your SQL table is presented in HTML, you can use the W3C Markup Validation Service to check the validity of the HTML structure. It highlights errors in table tags and overall markup.

https://validator.w3.org/.


Data Discrepancies

STAR Report Discrepancy (Summary)

Order Discrepancy: STAR reported 178 orders, while you documented 197. This represents a 9.6% difference (19 orders / 197 orders).

Negative Revenue Omission: STAR's total revenue excludes documented negative revenue of -$1,931.40 from 23 orders.

Missing Accounts: There are potentially 52 accounts with missing revenue information in STAR, totaling an estimated $6,227.02.

Underreported Revenue: Combining negative revenue and missing accounts, the potential underreporting in STAR is $8,158.42 (-$1,931.40 + $6,227.02).

Conversion Rate Discrepancy: If all 744 calls were yours, STAR's reported orders suggest a 23.9% conversion rate (178 orders / 744 calls). Including your documented orders raises the conversion rate to 26.5% (197 orders / 744 calls).

Missing Revenue Impact: The potential underreporting of $8,158.42 represents a 44.7% difference from the reported STAR revenue of $18,272.99.

Agent Performance Inaccuracy: The discrepancy could lead to an underestimation of your individual performance based solely on STAR data.

Commission Impact: If commissions are based on reported revenue, the underreporting could negatively affect your compensation.

Data Quality Concerns: The discrepancies raise concerns about the accuracy and completeness of STAR data for reporting purposes.

Missed Opportunities: Missing revenue data could hinder identifying areas for improvement and optimizing sales strategies.

Network Issues

Date Event Details
02/2024 Network Issues ICE not loading, internet down, VPN not loading, Avaya not loading. Total impact to results documented.
03/2024 Network Issues ICE not loading, internet down, VPN not loading, Avaya not loading. Total impact to results documented.
04/2024 Network Issues ICE not loading, internet down, VPN not loading, Avaya not loading. Total impact to results documented.
05/2024 Network Issues ICE not loading, internet down, VPN not loading, Avaya not loading. Total impact to results documented.
06/2024 Network Issues ICE not loading, internet down, VPN not loading, Avaya not loading. Total impact to results documented.

Timeline of Events

Date Event Details
11/27/2023 Employment Start Began working for Cox Communications
11/27/2023 - 02/2024 Training Period 4 months of training
02/2024 On-the-Job Training First month talking to customers
03/2024 First Full Month High revenue but did not meet six mobile units requirement
03/2024 - 05/2024 Miscalculated Mobile Units Corrections submitted but ignored
05/2024 Unplanned Absence due to Health Issues Took 5 days off due to heart disease, depression, anxiety, and ADD. Quotas not prorated correctly
03/2024 - 06/2024 Computer Malfunctions Numerous technical issues affecting revenue generation
07/01/2024 Paid Leave Start Began paid leave due to ongoing issues
07/2024 Short-Term Disability Application Applied but withdrew the claim due to the doctor being out of the country until the 19th
03/2024 - 04/2024 STAR System Discrepancies Documented discrepancies in STAR system reporting
03/2024 - 04/2024 Order Discrepancy STAR reported 178 orders vs. documented 197 orders (9.6% difference)
03/2024 - 04/2024 Negative Revenue Omission STAR's total revenue excludes -$1,931.40 from 23 orders
03/2024 - 04/2024 Missing Accounts 52 accounts with missing revenue information totaling $6,227.02
03/2024 - 04/2024 Underreported Revenue Potential underreporting of $8,158.42
03/2024 - 04/2024 Conversion Rate Discrepancy STAR reported 23.9% conversion rate vs. documented 26.5% conversion rate
03/2024 - 04/2024 Missing Revenue Impact 44.7% difference from reported STAR revenue of $18,272.99
03/2024 - 04/2024 Agent Performance Inaccuracy Discrepancy could underestimate Thomas's performance
03/2024 - 04/2024 Commission Impact Underreporting could negatively affect compensation
03/2024 - 04/2024 Data Quality Concerns Discrepancies raise concerns about the accuracy of STAR data
03/2024 - 04/2024 Missed Opportunities Missing revenue data could hinder sales strategy optimization
06/25/2024 Family Health Crisis Follow-Up Discussion on health, leave options
06/27/2024 Occurrences Email Review of occurrences and warning
06/27/2024 Physician Accommodation Request Form Accommodation request form details
06/28/2024 Meeting Request Request for one-on-one meeting
06/28/2024 Family Health Crisis Follow-Up Discussion on short-term disability
06/28/2024 Work Matter with Lawyer Email to lawyer about issues
06/28/2024 STD Leave Details Short-term disability leave details
07/11/2024 Withdrawal of STD Claim Notice of STD claim withdrawal
07/12/2024 Recent Paycheck Reduction Inquiry Inquiry about reduced paycheck
07/12/2024 Open HR Cases List of open HR cases
07/20/2024 Immediate Documentation Documentation of all discrepancies
07/22/2024 Formal Request Submitted formal complaint
07/26/2024 Escalated Complaints Escalated issues to higher management
07/26/2024 Contact with Legal Communicated with legal team
07/28/2024 Follow-Up with HR Continued follow-up with HR

Case Management and Follow-Up

The following list contains current open requests in the HR system, demonstrating the ongoing issues that have yet to be resolved:

Conclusion

In summary, the issues with the STAR reporting system, coupled with ongoing network problems and the lack of timely responses from HR, have significantly impacted my performance and compensation. It is crucial that these matters are addressed promptly to ensure accurate reporting, fair compensation, and a supportive work environment.

Appendices

Supporting data, documents, charts, system logs and graphs

Appendix A: Supporting Data


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Appendices

Supporting documents, charts, graphs, and references can be found in the attached appendices.

Appendix B: Supporting Documents

Appendix C: Charts and Graphs

Chart Description
Chart 1 Chart 1: Comparison of Documented vs. STAR Reported Orders
Chart 2 Chart 2: Monthly Revenue Discrepancies
Chart 3 Chart 3: Conversion Rate Discrepancies
Chart 4 Chart 4: Agent Performance Impact

Appendix C: References