Anatomy of a Service Call
By Stephen Pieramico, Toshiba America, NY
Moments to SHINE or FAIL
I will talk only about shining or failing because no-one ever achieved greatness through mediocrity.
1. Dispatch
2. Tech phone call
3. Tech arrival
4. Tech work/repair/replace
5. Tech departure
The above list is not meant to diminish the value of our sales, supply and delivery persons, they are invaluable to the smooth functioning of our company. I will be only focusing on what I have direct, daily experience with.
Now we begin…
“Hey! The stupid copier is broke again! Better place a service call.”
“What’s the matter with it? I don’t know, it just isn’t working, get someone out here”
SHINE OR FAIL MOMENT #1
This is the mood some of our clients are in when they have that all important first-contact with us. Either the caller, or the caller’s boss is upset, and their business is suffering. In my experience people take copier problems very personally. The dispatchers have the deep responsibility of being the first contact with a client in need. As long as the phone is answered with a smile, and the client is given time to explain their issues, this first contact will go a long way towards ensuring a satisfactory outcome.
We have, in the past, required technicians to sit-in for a half day with one of our dispatchers. This, in my opinion, is an invaluable lesson in empathy. The tech may learn a few things from how the dispatcher handles their responsibilities, and will have more respect and patience for them. All too often the dispatchers have to listen to techs venting their frustration. This is an unnecessary source of stress for an already stressful position.
All the client really needs to know is that their issue is understood properly and will be responded to in a timely fashion. If dispatch can solve their problem over the phone, then great! With today’s MFPs, all that may be needed is a little coaching to get the machine to work as expected. The Call Avoidance program is a great resource, I recommend it to all, including the techs when they do their call-aheads.
SHINE OR FAIL MOMENT #2 The Technician call-ahead
OK, I recognize this is a necessary part of service. It doesn’t mean I have to like it. A big problem in my day is scheduling. On a good day I can easily estimate times required to perform most service calls. On a normal day, I am torn in several directions at once. (I would wish for a clone, but he would probably want his own paycheck.) Then our friend Murphy appears and what should have taken 10 minutes takes 2 hours. The thing I dread is then having to contact a client for the second time and tell them my original estimate was wrong, I might get there in late afternoon instead of mid-morning.
The importance of the call-ahead outweighs all my previous concerns and fears. It is more than mere courtesy; it can set you apart from your competition. It calms your clients and assures them that the cavalry is indeed, on the way. In the best case scenario, it will prevent the service visit altogether. Many times I have contacted a client and heard the glorious news that the emergency was just a minor problem they had managed to solve themselves. In that case I congratulate them on their expertise, thank them profusely, and let them know I will contact dispatch for them and cancel the call. (YES! Insert vigorous arm pump here.)
The other prime purpose of this call-ahead is to gather more information. For some reason, clients seem unwilling to give the dispatchers a service (wrench) code. If you have a good rapport with your client, they will help you out in this respect. I always reinforce the idea that reporting a wrench code or even a jam code will benefit the client. Once I explain that knowing the code could allow me to show up with the necessary parts in hand, they willingly accommodate me.
Now I will go over the mechanics of the call. I find that if you make this a procedure, a habit, a routine, it is much easier. First, I get into a quiet area, usually my vehicle. Take a deep breath, let it out and then smile. I know this sounds hokey, but it really works. Now you are ready to dial that number. If this is a new account for you, introduce yourself and your company. I usually state, simply, that I have received a service call on their machine, and attempt to verify the reported problem. At this point in the conversation, you will have been able to gauge their level of frustration, from calm to WHY AREN’T YOU HERE ALREADY?
If they are on the calm side of the scale, they will be even calmer when they know their problem is being paid attention to and the aforementioned cavalry is on the case. If you have the unfortunate position of being on the receiving end of some choice, sometimes unprintable language, then you must take another deep breath and hold off from saying anything until they have vented their frustration on you. Resist the urge to defend yourself or interrupt them. Once they are done, about the only thing that you can offer them is the assurance that you will be there as soon as possible. Even if you think it is something they can fix, I believe it is best at this point to actually make a physical appearance.
What time will you be here? I never promise a specific time unless they are my next call. All other times are chosen from the following four, early morning, late morning, early afternoon or late afternoon. Remember this; the client will hear what they want to hear. If you say I will be there between 2 and 4, they will only have heard “I will be there at 2” That is the reason I am intentionally vague as to my estimated arrival time. Another good rule of thumb is to overestimate; it is a rare client that will complain because you arrived too soon.
Whew, when I started this section, I thought it might be only 1 or 2 paragraphs. This length only serves to reinforce the importance of this seemingly simple courtesy call.
SHINE OR FAIL MOMENT #3
The Technicians Arrival
You never get a second chance to make a good first impression. When I was in the Navy and docking at a foreign port we were always reminded that we should act as ambassadors for the United States. (Try telling that to a shipload of 19 year olds with 4 weeks pay in their pockets!)
The point is that our behavior, appearance, and attitudes directly reflected on the United States, and the local population would base their opinion of the entire country on a bunch of wild sailors. Is it fair to judge our whole population by just a relatively few individuals? Absolutely not! Does it happen every day? Of course! It happens all the time on small and large scales. You can probably think of times that you have even been guilty of this.
The same rules apply when you make an appearance at a client’s office. Now, while we know we are here to save the day, their attitude may be one of indifference or outright aggression. Tread carefully on their threshold, and never forget that it is your client’s office, your client’s equipment, your client’s time, your client’s inconvenience that brings you there. If you are lucky enough to have a good working relationship with your client, then I cannot pretend to tell you the best way to interact with them, but it is still best to keep in mind the above thoughts.
Your neatness of appearance, and even of your toolcase will give your clients assurance that here is a person that is a confident and well-trained representative of a company that we want to do business with.
So, keep clean and neat, wear clean clothes, put on a smile, wipe your shoes as you enter (hey, I live in NY and we’ve had a little snow already), and introduce yourself to your client. “Good morning, I am Steve from Toshiba. I am here to service the copier for Joe Smith.” Make sure you have business cards with you and be ready to offer one.
SHINE OR FAIL MOMENT #4
Tech work/repair/replace
This is what we’ve been working towards, the meat and potatoes, the crux of the biscuit, the (drum roll please) SERVICE CALL!!!
All right, what do we do first? I prefer to find the key-operator or whoever was responsible for placing the call. Then we confirm the symptoms with the client. This is important; by the time the information gets to you it has been relayed between several people and is possibly corrupted, misunderstood or otherwise just not right. I have spent an hour working on the document feeder when the actual problem was with the bypass feeder. A few minutes of conversation would have saved me from this situation. As with any other step in this operation, it is important to listen well. Pay attention, don’t interrupt, and thank the client for their time. If necessary, ask the client to reproduce what they were doing when the problem occurred.
Now, “To the Machine, Watson!” Before you whip out that screwdriver, you need to establish a starting point. If possible, make a copy, and print out the error history and PM support list. This will give you a reference and some information to work with. Having this reference will let you know if you have a tech-induced problem later on, if it worked when you got there, but it doesn’t now, then it is something you did. An obvious statement, but one commonly overlooked. Regardless of why the call was initiated, examine these printouts, they can help you to do a complete job, and do some preventative maintenance. This will impress the client with your knowledge, thoroughness and attention to detail. Not to mention avoiding a potential call back.
Every technician has their own skill set and method of troubleshooting, I cannot teach anyone those skills in a mere blog. Some advice that has served me well through the years might help though. First and foremost, isolate the problem methodically. If you have jams, narrow your focus using the jam history and the evidence basket ie: recycle bin. Our rule of thumb here is if you haven’t got a clue after 45 minutes, call your supervisor. Another set of eyes might catch something you have missed. This call may help you fix it yourself, by making you recount the symptoms and what you have done so far; just by repeating your train of thought verbally, you may have an “Aha” moment.
Secondly, is my “Rule of Halves”. You have paper in the cassette and want a copy in the finisher. Does the problem occur before or after fusing? Before or after development? If you can eliminate sections of the machine, that is a big step. Take that big problem and chop it into smaller pieces, one half at a time.
Now that you have the machine repaired and PM’d, let’s do a little cleaning. A certain local copier manufacturer, who I will just call X, did a study on cleanliness. Two of the same machines, same environment, same volume, same type of office. One is dirty, the other is clean, which one generated more service calls? Exactly! My job is not done until the machine and the workspace around it is cleaner than when I arrived. Have you ever been asked if you do windows? My favorite reply is “Yes, but you probably can’t afford me”.
SHINE OR FAIL MOMENT #5
The machine is fixed and cared for, now let’s pay some attention to the client before we leave. Explain what you have done, briefly. If you see their eyes rolling back in their head you have gone into too much detail. Take care of any paper work, if necessary, and ask if they have any other problems or questions. Take time to learn more about the features and functions of your products and this will benefit you and your client in the long run.
