FROM THE FIELD
September 2006
Optimizing Your Own Service Experience

Stick your head into any industry seminar these days, and within about two minutes somebody will say something about service technicians.

Nobody schedules time to discuss good experiences, so mostly you hear about the downside, the need to improve first-time fix rates, slow response, delays awaiting overnight parts, occasions of double billing, technicians who one way or another give the customer a rash. It’d be enough to give you the jitters until you realize that your neighborhood plumber and furnace guy and car mechanic have all the same issues. It’s just that your job isn’t tied to their success, so you don’t think so much about them.

But all the discussions do prove one thing: Maintenance and repair really are crucial.

This all came to light again at our recent 2007 Market Forecast President’s Preview meeting, during which a panel of multiunit operators talked about their issues for the year ahead. Art Cone of Culver’s; Rick Gentry of Aramark; Roger McClendon of Long John Silver’s/A&W/Yum!; and Jim Shoemake of Copeland all outlined growth plans, shifting pressures, the need to take cost out, etc. As for service, the consensus was that manufacturers really need to understand that their fates are tied to their service network, and manufacturers should pay prime attention to who’s on their service team.

You want the truck properly stocked, you need to make a proper service request

Now it’s true that not all techs finished in the top half of their training group, and on-hand inventory could always be better. But it’s also true that you, as operators, can do some things to optimize your service experience. Post these on the forehead of every store manager:
 

1. First, make sure every store has a designated spot for equipment manuals, and make sure staffers know where they are. You have no idea how many service requests come from operators who don’t know what brand they’re calling about, let alone model number and date of manufacture. You want the truck properly stocked, you have to make a proper call for service.

2. Second point: Do you follow the recommended maintenance schedules for your equipment? Do you know where they’re written down? We all know foodservice is an abusive environment, but if you neglected your car the way you neglect your filters, calibration, steam components, air intakes and condenser coils, your car wouldn’t run, and the manufacturer would void your warranty.

3. Item 2 implies two other things: You have to train employees to treat equipment right, and you have to budget labor time for simple maintenance.

4. Schedule periodic maintenance inspections with your servicer. If you’re actually going to wait for total failures, you get what you deserve. Yeah, you might postpone some expenditures. But sooner or later, you’ll pay, and it’s cheaper if you haven’t lost any sales or inventory in the process.

5. If you’re bringing in a new piece of equipment, notify the servicer right away so parts and technical training can be on-hand.

In general, work with your servicers the way you’d work with your own staff. Everybody needs information and realistic reaction time. If you wait for the no-win situation, what do you get?

Brian Ward
Chief Editor