Here's a great idea I learned from a company in the communications industry. Customers rent equipment maintained by the company as part of the rental agreement. When a technician goes out on a service call their first priority is to diagnose and fix the problem that prompted the service call.
When the original problem is fixed, and before the technician leaves, there's a second priority. The technician reviews the installation to see if there are other issues needing attention. Perhaps something was overlooked at installation. While not affecting current performance it may become troublesome in the future. Or perhaps it's an older piece of equipment that needs an upgrade. Or maybe it's a filter or some other consumable that will need replacement in the near future.
If time permits and the necessary parts are in the technician's vehicle, the improvements, repairs, changes or upgrades are made before the technician leaves. If the work cannot be performed now, the technician schedules a callback with the customer before leaving.
In essence, the last technician coming out of a customer site is always responsible for ensuring that the customer's equipment is up to standard before leaving, or that the customer is scheduled to be brought up to standard. This increases equipment reliability which results in greater customer satisfaction while eliminating the expense associated with emergency calls for equipment breakdowns.
About me: Dan Pelley teaches problem solving and continuous improvement techniques including predictive and preventive maintenance as part of his "Proactive Leadership" program for supervisors and other first line managers in Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island.
Copyright © 2009 Daniel W. Pelley
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