Taking it Easy

The Situation

Since we are quarantined due to the Covid-19, all of our encounters are done on video conferences, and that includes new clients. A few weeks ago, a plumber with a fleet of trucks reached out to us regarding a remote employee. He was concerned because his business was much slower than expected. While the shutdown might explain a small decline in business, when people need a plumber no virus will stand in the way.

He made arrangements for his scheduler to work remotely when the government began recommending people work from home. That's when business really started to sink.

The Assessment

He was well-represented online. Along with being listed on various home improvement sites, he was also listed with the Better Business Bureau- something that he was very proud of. And since he was listed as an essential business, his company was still making house calls.

The first week, everything was going as usual, they even had an increase in business. And then things slowed down. He said that he had expected it, but the following week, there were almost no house-calls scheduled. One day, he decided to play an on-line game that he enjoyed and noticed his scheduler was also playing. He said he didn’t think too much about it, although he was surprised, but since he was able to multi-task, it wouldn’t be unusual for his employees to do the same thing.

The next day, there was nothing on the schedule. This surprised him. Since his business had started, he never went three days in a row without anything on the schedule. He checked with the call tracker that he subscribed to and it indicated that there had been more than a dozen calls that had left messages that were still outstanding. When he asked his scheduler about it, she said that the phone lines must have been down. But, he had his suspicions. With the current pandemic situation, he couldn’t just fire her. It would make him look like a bad guy and that could cost him business.

We Went to Work

This was going to be a breeze, kind of old hat for MG & A, but the twist would be doing all of it on-line with some limited real-time observation.

First, my computer team was going to be the big guns in this case. One of the team was a gamer and logged on to the game that the client had found his employee on. Logging the times and duration that the employee was on was easy.

While the scheduler was playing this interactive war game, another team member called the scheduler’s phone line pretending to be a telemarketer and the call connected without a problem.

The scheduler said “Hello” and then hung up when our team member started a sales pitch. So, the phone line worked.

Next, five of us called the various websites that would allow us to schedule a call for service.

We never received a return phone call.

The company’s own website allowed you to call directly into the office to report a problem.

No answer. Plus our team gamer playing the on-line game reported the scheduler was on and playing, even trash talking during the game. The team member also said that if you listened carefully, you could hear the phone ringing in the background from the scheduler’s headset.

Finally, the team member on the street went passed the scheduler’s apartment. Fortunately, she lived on the first floor and since the weather was nice, all of the windows and doors were open. From the street, he was able to take video of her playing the on-line game. And to verify the timing, I had the game-playing team-member say something directly to her and was filming him, while the team member outside her apartment was recording her response.

We had her!

I was able to give the client the videos, the screen grabs showing her on-line player handle and time stamps. We also provided written statements from team members and screen shots and e-mails thanking them for inquiring about service with the client’s company. Now, he had all of the tools he needed to terminate the scheduler and finally start lifting his head above water.

If you're a business owner with concerns regarding your remote employees or team give us a call. We've got the tools and resources coupled with 40 years of experience to get you the answers you seek. Visit us at www.ispyck.com or give us a call at (919) 363-6321.