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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.



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Next post:  technical service crew mix

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