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Calling for help


Years ago when I was in the field I remember those times when I would get really stuck. You know as a service technician that a solution is always possible; however, sometimes it just simply escapes you.  We all have a pretty good feeling on which call is going to be a challenge and which call isn't.  Certainly this has been minimized with the advent of smart phones and the Internet. 

As my role changed within the service organization, and my responsibilities broadened, other variables surrounding the topic of "calling for help" started to enter my thought process. On one hand if you are in the field, arguably one of the most coveted sources of revenue within your service business, if you have a question by all means let's get you the answer.  While the aforementioned is certainly logical it is not always practically the best approach, here are a couple of considerations:

  1. If the call for help is made to another technician, assuming that this technician has the correct response (which can be an issue), how do you account for the distraction that you've now placed on both of your fieldworkers?  Essentially we have doubled our inefficiency with our revenue generating resources.  Many times service organizations fill the void with field supervisors or service managers.
  2. Using the same scenario above, what about the client's perception? Just the other day a maintenance man was working inside of our office, replacing some light bulbs. The task was simple enough; however, about 70% of this person's time was spent on the telephone, sometimes standing on the ladder, sometimes meandering around our office.  At this point it really did not matter if this maintenance man was the best lightbulb changer on the planet, the perception was that he had more important places to be, who wants to feel that?  As the recipient of service don't we all want to feel like we are the only one that the service person is concerned about?

This topic always makes me think about the military (thank you to all of those who have served) and specifically fighter pilots.  While I have not personally experienced this, my understanding is that many emergency procedures are strapped in a small booklet on their leg.  In an emergency, for those procedures not committed to memory, these instructions are referenced and followed religiously.  Providing a resource for your workers to access in their time of need allows them to focus their energy on solving the problem with tested and scalable alternatives. As the worker gains confidence in the collection of advice they will also elevate their own confidence when approaching work which is outside of their normal routine. 

It is very convenient to blame the workers for this paradox; however, in my experience the responsibility lies squarely on the shoulders of the service organization.  Sure technicians have relationships with one another and will certainly reach out when they need help. Yet that is not an excuse for putting together effective knowledge transfer environments focused on micro level issues that workers experience daily.  You will be amazed at the results when you build a relevant and non-judgmental resource for worker collaboration. Really it's that simple; why after 34 years in the service business we are still having this conversation is really the only complicated question to answer.
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