Skip to main content

Didn't you double check?


Apparently a battle ensued last night between Influential Irene's hair and pillow as her golden locks now looked as if she had just stuck her finger in an electrical socket.  Business travel was not Irene's favorite; however, she understood how important it is to get out of the office.  A nice hot shower, that would get everything back on track.  Much to her dismay only cold water flowed from her shower nozzle.  Torn now between frustration and empathy, as all service companies know that electro-mechanical equipment fails.  Hotels highest profile items, hot water, power, and no bed bugs should be checked and double-checked.  Now the actions, or in this case lack thereof, will likely cost this organization immediate and long-term costs.



As Irene made her way downstairs the roar of complaining guests filled the lobby.  How is it possible that this happened?  Conscientious technicians typically correct these errors during their testing or observing phases.  Her thoughts bounced back and forth just like a ping-pong ball between the left and right sides of her brain.  Irene started to run through some possibilities:

  • In a hurry and / or careless?  possibly a late night call after a full day.  Remedy | checklists, digital or paper and the discipline to run from top to bottom
  • Lack of skills?  often a convenient catch-all; however, many times simply BS.  Remedy | product documentation at site, FAQ's posted, leverage of BOT (see previous posts)
  • Tech does not give a crap?  the longer a service manager has been in their position the higher likelihood of using this cop-out.    Remedy | while the aforementioned may be true the root cause is often traced back to your organizations culture.  How does that saying go about throwing rocks in glass houses?



While no technology can solve all of these challenges, augmented reality shows promise.  Once you believe folks are trying to do the right thing, your world will open to many possibilities.  For me, if sensors and logic can assist someone when they need help, without compromising them amongst their peers, bring it on!



-----

Next post:  who's data is it?
----- 
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

why transform?

Why do I want to change, who said anything was wrong with my stack of papers and sea of Excel files?   We solve problems, that is a key characteristic of any successful service organization, if it isn't broke why fix it?   Often, when discussing a transformation from paper or cobbled together systems to a cohesive digital approach, folks struggle with the gap between what they currently do and how digital tools can help.   You really need to look at where the pain points are in your organization and how these compare to your business objectives.   Consider writing down these points on the whiteboard in no particular order, spend a few days shuffling and consolidating into a prioritized list.   Once you have the "why" and the "what" identified, the old remaining step is "how".   Some of the most popular observations over the years have been; Slipping through the cracks :   you know, not the major muscle movements, instead those little i...
Post a Comment
Read more

entusiastic about preventative maintenance

Why do I really care if my field technicians are enthusiastic or not? When you look at a person's work output, as directly related to workforce sciences, you come up with three primary ingredients required to achieve your desired results.   These ingredients are; attitudes, attributes, and capabilities and when mixed properly with enabling tools can yield unbelievable outputs. So what does any of this have to do with routine maintenance? If your maintenance routines actually become way too routine then pretty soon performance will be replaced with complacency. In order to keep any piece of equipment running as trouble-free as possible the maintenance performed, and the thoroughness of the inspection and tasks at hand, have a direct impact on the asset's life expectancy.   There are some strategies that help service organizations keep the enthusiasm at all-time highs. Switch techs from time to time :   One of the best ways to ensure maintenance is being performed...
Post a Comment
Read more

jumper wire, really?

Okay already, do I have to say it?   Are you really that insecure?   Avid Andy's mind began to flashback; jumping the safeties because you did not understand how to read a schematic, manually forcing the new-fangled VFD at 60hz since the "last system" never changed speed, blaming that new magnetic compressor for the lack of cooling in the building (due to its size) ... by the way where do I check the oil?   Each one of these, and there are countless other examples, have the same root issue:   humans.   You can see the frustration flood over Andy's face, very similar to that of Charlie Brown as he endured tireless teasing from Snoopy.   It seems convenient, especially as time causes our opinions to become increasingly cynical, to respond with "they just don't give a crap".   Reluctant Ruth, the epitome of cynicism,   shouts out, "possibly you should hold a mirror up to yourself, this issue has stood the test of time, it squarely lies on the sh...
Post a Comment
Read more