Ever wondered what sets a great service technician apart?

Taking a customer for granted is never the attitude you want to display when you are on the job as a service technician. You know that you are doing a good job when customers ask for you by name. People only ask for you when they have confidence in your abilities. And that confidence is because you have demonstrated it in the past with your accurate reports and assistance in keeping their lights on. If you truly want to understand a customer, try to see the service from their side of the invoice.

Effective Communication is Key

1)????Timely, effective communication demonstrates to the customer that you are listening to their needs and have a plan to conduct the service.

a)?????Nobody likes sitting around waiting for the cable guy all day. When you schedule a service for first thing in the morning, make sure you write FIRM 08:00 on the assigned technician’s calendar and ask them to call the customer to let them know their ETA if they are going to be late. The same goes for any other scheduled job for that tech on that day. If the tech is assigned a job for FIRM 13:00, the tech should call that customer with an ETA if they are going to be late.

b)????Upon arriving on site, advise the site contact what the purpose of your service call is and how you plan to proceed. If you are there to conduct an inspection, briefly describe the process.

c)?????The same holds true when leaving an assignment. Advise the site contact that you are finished the service and let them know the current state of the generator. Often the contact is hard to find as they have their own duties to attend to. Get the contact’s cell number in the initial introduction so you can call them on the way out to report and ask if they have any questions.

d)????Know the rules. Every site is unique and have their own set of rules. Most retail operations do not allow building load transfers during store hours. ?Red fire logs are kept at customer service and generator logs are kept in the generator room. The time to ask and confirm the rules is during the initial greeting with the site contact. Do not skip this important step in the process.

e)????Quickly answer any emails or voice messages from customers or potential customers. Even if you can’t get the answer for them, make sure you respond within a few hours of the request. Even if it is just to say that you received their message and you are working on it. Nobody waits around for you to call them. If they don’t receive a response in a reasonable time (to them) they move on. If you tell them you are working on it, this buys you a little more time to get the answers.

The Importance of Detailed Reporting

2) ??Many people who receive generator service reports never actually see or work on the generator. They simply look at the report as verification that that work was done so, they can approve that purchase order for payment. Others, like safety, compliance managers or maintenance planners will go over most details on the report. We can’t go over every facet of the service report, but some aspects are more important than others.

a)?????Just as you keep track of the mileage between oil changes, a maintenance planner will keep track of the Unit Hours in their system.

b)????Record and confirm both the Genset Make, Model and Serial # and the Engine Make, Model and Serial #. Note that companies like Generac and Kohler are packagers whose dealers charge a hefty premium for aftermarket OEM parts. Very often, if we know the engine manufacturer’s digits, we can get the OEM parts from them at a fraction of the packager’s price.

c)?????Record and confirm the transfer switch Make, Model and Serial #. Most often it isn’t the physical action of the switch that is at fault but a control board. If we have the OEM’s numbers, we can order the board and schedule the repair.

d)????Confirm and record all filter numbers and quantity. Write the date on oil, fuel, coolant and air filters so everyone knows when the filters were last changed.

e)????Natural gas gen-sets need their spark plugs changed every annual service. Pop the plug wire and record the spark plug number.

f)??????Check the date on the battery and record in the notes section. The Electrical Generating Systems Association recommends battery changes every three years. If the service manager sees a note that the batteries are four years old, they can quote to customer for the next service. It is good practice to use a white market to write the date of change directly on the battery itself.

g)?????Fluid sampling is important. If either the oil or coolant does not appear as it should, take a sample so we can follow up with a quote should analysis prove that it is a problem.

h)????Conduct a Clean & Bright test of the fuel by pouring a sample in clean, clear glass container. If it appears turbid or has particulates floating around, make a note so the service manager can recommend remediation.

Building Lasting Relationships

3)????Why would a customer ask us back or recommend us to their network? Customer retention depends on how our services are perceived by those in the office and those on the tools.

a)?????Good housekeeping. Did you leave the generator room as good or better than you found it? If you see some oil or coolant on the floor, maybe covered up with oil dry, clean it up. If you use oil dry to mitigate your own spill, clean it up before you leave. All spent filters, batteries and other waste from the service should be taken away with you. If the generator or transfer switch room is being used for storage, make note of it and send photos to your manager so they can make the customer aware this is not a safe practice.

b)????Take the time to engage with the customer and build your confidence and theirs in you, by getting them to ask you questions about their gen-set. Do they understand how to put the generator into manual to safely conduct the weekly inspection of the unit? Do they record their weekly inspections in the logbook? Some people are uncomfortable asking questions about the generator because it is a big noisy machine and they may actually be afraid of it. If you make it known that you are a resource they can use to ask questions and provide training, they will remember.

c)?????When you take your car in for service, you usually get a list of items to keep an eye on or recommendations for the next service interval. Gotta love those cabin air filters ?? Keeping proper notes, verifying OEM digits, collecting fluid samples, battery dates, fuel cleanliness and recording any other deficiency as urgent or able to wait for next service; all of this information is what the service manager looks at to create a quote for the customer. In the long run this attention to detail serves the customer by keeping operating and repair costs to a minimum.

d)????Record your site visit in the generator log by date and description of service or repair. Keep a personal logbook by date of every site visit you make. Who you spoke to, their contact information and what was discussed, in case you need to refer to it, if only to jog your memory. Take relevent part or site specific photos or videos, such as before and after service photos, and organize them in appropriately dated folders on your phone and routinely upload them to the cloud. In the end, it's the little details that matter. By providing exceptional service, maintaining open communication, and offering proactive solutions, you not only retain customers but also become their trusted advisor in the generator industry.

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