Matt Koop
Contributing Writer
The New Flat Rate
When it comes to diagnostics, isn’t it true technicians can all feel a bit rushed by the home office to get into the home and diagnose the problem quickly? The work needs to start so ultimately the job can get done. This is especially prominent during the peak season. Technicians know, even if they’re not being told, there are a ton more service calls to do. In general, when anyone feels rushed, what do they tend to do? The rate at which they work speeds up considerably. Especially, when you know the work’s not even close to being done. So, what’s wrong with being speedy on the job you might say? Well, Every Action Has a Reaction.
When our front linemen rush the diagnostic portion of the service call, it causes them to miss some pretty important things. These things in turn can ultimately create that dreaded call back! Or, more importantly, lower the value of our service. The perceived cost of the job in our customer’s eyes is hard to change after it’s been made…the customer’s perception is what sells. If the customer perceives that it took little to no time to diagnose the problem, they’ll think, “It must be something simple!” And the value drops.
1. How can we maximize our technician’s time during the busy season? Slow down and follow the 1, 2, 3’s of diagnostics. Are there any safety issues? Is there anything that could be a health or safety risk? This should always be addressed with the customer and never overlooked.
2. Are there any failure prevention issues? Are there any aspects of the client’s home, building, or systems that could cause an inconvenience to the customer either now or later? Steps 1 and 2 are the simplest jobs to get because everyone wants their equipment working well and working safe.
3. Add-Ons. Add-ons are anything that improves the health, safety, or performance of the equipment and/or inconvenience of the customer, home, or building.
Once you have the 1,2,3’s down, there should be no doubt in your mind as to what the best services for your customers are. This allows you to share your concerns with them in a timely manner and close a much higher ticket with little to no resistance. Running a hundred calls to make a buck just causes frustration in management and burn out in technicians. Competent, Concentrated, and Complete work is what makes them call you back for more work…not for incomplete and overlooked work. Teach your office staff and technicians to work in harmony, allowing each other to maximize every call that comes through. This will always build the perfect client base for success. In the end the complete job is a complete sale…and pays the complete payroll by Friday.