"The High Cost of Service" Part 2 of 3

Last week we examined the Training componant as mentioned in our introduction,

" I don't believe there is a contractor in the world that would ever intentionally do poor service, or that any manufacturer would build and inferior product. I do however believe that it happens. It happens for a myriad of reasons; training, heavy work load, lack of experience, humanism, or just plain accident. In all cases you are the unknowing beneficiary. Let’s examine some of the ways this happens and how to avoid it. "

Today we will discuss how work load and lack of experience can independently kill service. However, when blended together they can be a recipe for disaster. We will examine;

1. Signs and indicators that your Tech may not be as proficient as they want to be.
2. Over-training and the perpetual student.
3. The " I got this" trap
4. Home life vs Work life
5. Recognizing signs of "Quit and Stay"

Proficiency - As a buisness owner, a Service Manager, or even a fellow technician sometimes it's hard to notice the skill levels of the team we are working with. Many times it is glaringly evident, and those are the easy ones to identify and suggest training. Other times you really can't tell. Logical explanations for continued failures can cast doubt on your initial premonition. But like my Great, Great, Grand-pappy "Chiller-Mike" used to say. "Trust your gut." Ok I never had a Great, Great, Grand-pappy named "Chiller-Mike". If I had, he would have said that, I almost guarantee it. None the less you can usually get a feel for a team member as they stumble over credible solutions to simple problems or you can see as they work, the in-experience with tools and processes. This is a critical time for you to help them. Ease into it by saying something like, "Have you tried.............?" Guide them to the solution do not embarrass them. We need to bring back the days of the Master/Apprentice relationship. Help the people around you get better. There are many potential " High costs "in this scenario. Poor service and call backs, employee frustration and quitting, customer frustration and turn-over. Your service department is the key to moral at your company. Our service team members build lasting relationships with customers and staff. Encourage them, Train them, support them. However be cautious of the-

Perpetual Student - This is a tricky one. You never want to dissuade anyone from continuing their training. However many times individuals are afraid to apply what they know and fail. This can lead to paralysis through analysis. They are so worried about failing and making a mistake they become a perpetual student. Another type of perputual student is the one who hates field work. Yep, it is true. Not everyone likes being outside in the scalding sun or the freezing rain. Hard to believe. We can help them with a few easy steps.

• Create a culture of training and experimentation where it is ok to fail. In fact its ok to encourage them to fail. Some of the best service companies in our network have a "lab" where they continuously train on controls and scenarios. These are not crazy high tech facilities. Some are as simple as a couple sheets of plywood with controllers and actuators that simulate control functions. Invest a few dollars and have the service team build one. Ask your Manufacturers to comp or greatly reduce your price for new controls for your "lab". Many manufacturers' and their Rep networks will even conduct training for you at your site. Just ask.
• Create Tech Levels. Not all Techs are equal, we need to recognize that in a positive way. Many of our companies have Apprentice/Journeyman/Master levels. Some of our companies have Level I,II,III,IV. However you decide to validate the differences is not as important as actually doing it. Patches on shirts, a bonus, a pay raise, days off, awards, you pick them. Now utilize Training MBO's (Management by Objectives) to help them reach the levels. We have helped many of our network companies grow their service departments both physically and fiscally using these methods. We would be glad to help you as well. You are also able to then dissuade overtraining -

Overload- Personally this is the one I struggle with most, as do most buisness owners. We don't "feel" overloaded because we call it "focus". Truth is we are overloaded and this can hurt our customers and our team. Many of our technicians and teammates want to emulate their leadership, and can quickly fall into the trap of accepting everything given to them and volunteering for more. As service leaders, company leaders, and team leaders, we need to take a step back and see the big picture. We tend to hand our best techs and team members the biggest work loads because we are confident it will be completed correctly. This can backfire as well. Now our number one tech or Techs have a day that is almost impossible to complete, because we have given them all of the "emergencies". When everything is an emergency then nothing is actually an emergency. They will rush to complete their day, sacrifice quality troubleshooting, miss important clues, create un-necessary call-backs, miss time at home and generally burn out. This is one of the most prolific issues in the Service Industry. When they start to "burn out" get "grumpy" and generally have descending moral, the "go-to" is pay them more. This is a short term solution that will not solve the issue. The issue is workload. There are only two ways to deal with this problem. Reduce your workload by reducing your customers,(not favorable) or hire more team members to pick up the load. (I can't afford it). So there is really only one answer, you can't afford not to. Your team will thank you when you show them how to have a home life and a work life. lead by example. That means you have to go home. Its ok and expected that you are there before your team and leave after your team. Don't live at the job, you will begin to despise your team that wants a home life. Be the leader that your team needs. If you dont you will find you have a condition inside your company that is very costly.

Quit in Place- This is one of the most expensive and hurtful things for you and your customers. A team member that has burnt out and has no choice but to stay quiet in the background and collect a check. Here are a few ways to recognize this team member

• Mr/Ms Negative- They are a perveyor of negative information. They talk bad about co-workers, customers, and their own company. This person is poison in the pie and rarely can be brought back around. Chances are they are currently looking for other employment and just cant find anyone to pay them as well as you do. Often times they are your most senior tech and you are afraid to lose them. I submit to you that you already have. They complain about what you charge the customers to office staff and to the customers, they are the first one gone for the day and the one absent most frequently, or a combination of the above. This team member will cost you more than we can calculate and sometimes it is best to help them be happy somewhere else. Like my Great, Great, Grand-Pappy "Chiller-Mike" used to say, "You never lose sleep over the ones you fire, you loose sleep over the ones you keep" Well again, if I had him that is what he would have said.
• "The Lone Wolf" - Field service team members are typically comfortable and may even prefer to be on their own. However, when they are back in the office most often they are chatty and social. The "Lone Wolf" however rarely wants to come back to the office, is most stand-offish to training, and usually very resistant to change or any metric that measures their productivity. Many of our companies use incentive based pay along with their flat rate pricing to establish billable hour efficiencies. This type of metric will quickly show the lone wolf. Sometimes they can be brought back around and will do well for you. However, usually they have already decided to move on.

There are many other signs and ways to identify great performers and poor performers in your company. I hope you have found this article informative and helpful. If you have additional questions or would like to schedule to have an onsite consulting or evaluation please feel free to reach out to me at [email protected]

Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.

-Benjamin Franklin