Dakota Supply Group - Index

Dakota Supply Group - dakotaoctober - Index

Who’s Running the
Service Department?
By Tom Grandy, Grandy & Associates
The question is: “Who is really running your
service department?” Some will say, “I do. I am
the owner, and I run the service department.”
While others will say, “My service manager runs the
service department. All the service techs answer to
him.” The real answer, however, in most cases, is
that both of the above answers are wrong.
The person who is really running the service
department is your most senior service technician.
He has been there the longest, and he is being
paid more than your other techs. Let’s call our
senior tech Joe. When do the other techs arrive
in the morning? Well, if Joe comes in on time,
or before time, most of the other service
techs do also. When do the techs
physically leave the office for their
first call? Answer - when Joe leaves.
Where does Joe go when he leaves
the office in the morning? If the
answer is “To gas up his truck, go
to Billy Bob’s for a cup of coffee or
to Scramble Egg Heaven for a full
breakfast”...guess where the other
techs go when they leave the office?
Oh, they may not go to Billy Bob’s,
but if Joe can stop for coffee
somewhere each day and get
away with it, so can I!
When does Joe’s truck
get restocked? During
working hours, before
working hours, is it right
after the service meeting
– or perhaps before he
goes on his first call? How
often does Joe clean up his
truck, inside and out? How
long does Joe wait when the
customer is not at home?
If he routinely waits
5 minutes or 30
minutes, guess
what? That
just became the
standard for the
rest of the service
techs. Again, if Joe can
wait that long and not get into trouble, so can I.
How often does Joe call in sick? How well does Joe
adhere to the dress code? Does he show up each
day in full uniform, neat and clean, with his hair
combed, or do you allow him (because he’s your
top tech) to get away without quite meeting the
standards set by the company?
Now it’s time for the biggie. What does Joe’s
performance look like? How many billable hours
does Joe bill the customer a day? How many
add-on sales does he generate? Does he grumble
and complain when he is sent on a maintenance
agreement call, or when he is called out in the
middle of the night on an emergency
call? Get the idea? Joe, your most
experienced service tech (and usually
the one making the most money), is
really the one who sets the standards
for the service department.
Now let’s look at Joe from
the company standpoint. Is
Joe concerned about company
profitability? How about maintaining
current customers through
outstanding customer service? Is
Joe concerned about measuring
up to specific performance
goals? The answer to each
one is no. Joe doesn’t
care because no
one holds Joe
accountable for
performance,
much less his
overall work
habits. Does
Joe know
this?
continued
on page 22
MECHANICAL
Fall 2008 CONNECTIONS 21