Profit Fix #8: Are Your Profits Getting Gobbled Up By Multiple Truck Rolls?
“Not again!” sighed Ken as he slammed the van door.
He went to service a broken dishwasher but didn’t have the right parts to finish the job.
Not only that, but he needed to order a few parts from the manufacturer…
… who kept him on hold for 40+ mins the last time he placed an order.
So Ken took a deep breath, dragged himself to the driver seat, and headed to a nearby Jack In The Box—not to fix anything... but to grab some curly fries and large soda to cheer up because it’s going to take a while.
The dispatcher was notified to schedule a second truck roll.
The billing staff was notified that there will be at least two truck rolls on this invoice, but one of them should be waived, and credited to the client.
Sounds familiar?
Then keep reading to find out all the ways we’re helping our Field Service partners reduce the number of multiple truck rolls and keep more profits in the bank every month.
I recently spoke to a Field Service executive who blew my mind with some stats.
He said that for every 1% of multiple truck rolls, it cost him $23,000 a year.
First, and as a side note, it was impressive how well he knew his numbers and had his figures down to the dollar.
Second… he had about 30 technicians.
Which means that if you have 50, 100, or 200+ techs all working at full capacity, every 1% of multiple truck rolls could be costing you six figures every year.
And that’s just ONE percent of multiple truck rolls!
Beyond the cost, client relationships are affected as well.
“Why did you bill us two truck rolls for this fix? It’s not my problem that you didn’t have the parts in the van!”
Some of those get credited back to the client, some don’t, but it leaves a bad aftertaste regardless.
And, even if the multiple rolls are waived from the invoice, the client still spent days (weeks?) without their equipment working properly, and probably losing more money on their end.
So, why does this happen?
Here are some of the main reasons:
? Incomplete diagnosis of the problem before dispatching the tech
When service requests are picked up by an answering machine— the client doesn’t leave much details to diagnose if it’s a fan or a fuse.
Also when techs are answering after-hour calls—they can’t be bothered to dig too much into the issue while having dinner.
But, sometimes even during the day, the dispatch team is so busy juggling so many work orders there’s no time for a proper diagnosis.
It’s just “Hi... Oh, the fryer is not working... Ok, I’ll send over a tech.” and the tech is left to figure it out on-site.
? Sending the “wrong” tech
Tied to the last point, when there’s not enough time for proper planning and scheduling of calls, dispatchers can send the “wrong” tech to do the job.
There’s nothing wrong with the tech of course, but they often specialize in fixing a certain set of equipment or brands. So, not taking this into account, can cause multiple visits and a lot of wasted time for everyone (and money).
? Not auditing the parts in the van
This is a tough one. The number of SKUs to keep in stock has grown exponentially over the past decade.
Also, pre-COVID, trucks used to be full of parts.
Post-COVID is another story. Everyone is trying to optimize what to keep in stock and what to order on a per need basis.
All of these are complex issues, and there’s no one silver bullet to deal with all the problems…
But these are all issues that our partners have to face less, once we deploy a dedicated remote team with the right process to help out with dispatching, customer support and billing.
We’re:
? Keeping the lines open 24/7—with Field Service specialized operators — who can triage service calls around the clock.
? Freeing up dispatchers from the constant chaos, enabling them to schedule the right techs for the right jobs.
? Auditing parts. Keeping track of the most common issues on the most common units—with data.
It’s all part of the new “gold standard” of building remote teams —focused on business profits—that we’re thrilled to be bringing to the Field Service industry.
Executives at leading companies like SmartCare Equipment Solutions, United Service Technologies, and Windy City Equipment have already discovered the kind of competitive advantage that we can give them, and we’d love to give it to you as well.
So, I’d like to invite you to have a run through our “Profit Score” Quiz, to find out if you are leaking revenue from multiple truck rolls—as well as look into 8 other key business areas.
We’ve developed the quiz after processing more than ONE MILLION work orders over the last three years—so we have enough DATA to assess where a Field Service business could be leaking profits in 30 minutes or less.
The last time I ran a Field Service executive out of NY through the quiz, he uncovered 6-figures in profit leaks. Per month!
That’s newfound profits he could use to afford hiring Master Technicians, stock his bank account with cash for rainy days, or treat himself and his family with a new car or vacation.
But even if you don’t find any leaks, you can be sure that you’re running a tight ship that’s ready to scale!
Honestly, for the amount of strategic clarity it provides, I reckon fancy consultants could charge 10s of thousands for it...
But, if you’re reading this, you get a free run through it with me, as my New Year’s treat ;-)
Would you like to squeeze more profits in 2021?
Send me a message and let’s make it happen.
Scott