Skip to main content

is factory service better?


Often times we find ourselves competing against perception, and we all know that our customer's perception is our reality. Do you find it frustrating when faced with competing against OEM-based service? For some reason there is a belief that the OEM, or the manufacturer of the equipment, has the "inside" edge regarding service on a particular piece of equipment. In some cases when the manufacturer has controlled the ability for anyone to purchase materials this is indeed a distinctive advantage for the OEM (not to mention a BS move). However, savvy customers are now refusing to put up with this type of "lock up" process which restricts them to only use manufacture-based service folks.  Now don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with OEM-based service people. During my second decade in the service business I worked for a manufacture in Texas. We manufactured pump stations for oil and gas, chemical, offshore, golf and ski. I was brought in to help them configure a service network of subcontractors to commission and maintain these large pieces of equipment and skid assemblies.  More times than not the flow of relevant information was coming from the field to the manufacturing process and not the other way around.



When you are an agnostic service provider, working on anybody's equipment, you gain a broad perspective. In order to learn you must make mistakes. Repetitive mistakes on the same equipment simply limits your learning opportunity. There is more to it than that, often manufactures are constrained in ways to present all of the information to other service organizations. These constraints are often outside of the control of the service arm yet can impact you as a non-OEM service representative. Ways exist to get around this conundrum, get certified with the manufacture and be a representative (watch out for getting flat rated) , join an OEM service crew (we see this from time to time as technicians and mechanics work for an OEM and then go back to agnostic service organizations). The reality is that superior service is tied to the individual and the organization. If you continue to do the right thing for your customers, regardless of whether you are an OEM or not, you will provide high value for clients and yourself alike.



-----

Next post:  technical service crew mix

-----
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

In$pired

As the steam from Avid Andy's coffee fogged his glasses on this crisp January morning, he reflected on last year and thought enthusiastically about the year ahead.   Sometimes the noise of business is deafening, we rarely take the time to contemplate our moves, instead are often thrown one direction or another.   Hey, face it, if you are reading posts to gain perspective you fall in the group of folks who pride themselves as obsequious hoop-jumpers.   We live to help others and expect that all of those around us feel the same way.   I just love Influential Irene.   Okay, it is out in the open, she is an inspiration for me and so many others.   Irene reminds folks every year, without fail, these three statements which she fondly refers to as "the punchline" (although this is no joke).   Businesses, of any size, will be successful if they remember that it is people that make a company.   Put this advice into practice, today: Sincerity |...
Post a Comment
Read more

expert at everything...not a problem

Well... I would say sometimes there certainly is a perceived notion that one person is an expert at everything. For the worker "everything" may be defined as the specific area in which you were hired or are constantly scheduled. Our opinions are frequently influenced off of past experience, or information we've received from their coworkers. Unfortunately this only gives us partial insight to that workers expertise and often is limited to their most recent history. Narrowly focused accounting is made of the skills that this individual possess. Come on, can't we figure out a way to leverage all of the skills of a particular worker? One of the challenges has always been that relationship between the activities which need to be accomplished and the myriad skills of individuals within your workforce. In addition, even if you could inventory and get a pretty good handle on the skill sets, they are constantly changing (with any luck) and thus the ineffective process of ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Single Point of Entry

Cloud platforms, with all of their interconnected tools and functions, are perceived by some as overwhelming.  Sure change is hard, yet it meets considerable resistance when the worker must deal with too many factors, such as: their anxiety related to computing having too many choices Both of these, along with many others not mentioned, make it too easy to revert back to comfortable habits.  This is the reason that so many organizations stop at email and file management on their transformation journey.  One solution to be considered is allowing the workers to get comfortable with a single point of entry (SPoE).  That is a single application that can serve as the launching pad for all digital tools.   A well executed SPoE provides value for the office and remote workers alike.  Imagine that you had just one business application, a single place that you would travel to and jump in to meaningful digital tools.  Sound familiar?  Sure, f...
Post a Comment
Read more