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Guessing or a Genius?


Imagine running a business where your customer provides you with only the most vague requirements, for instance its "too hot". What on earth are you expected to do with that information? Is the problem a failed compressor or chiller, maybe it's simply a piece of plastic sucked up against the filter bank. Of course your next question will be; who the heck do I send?  If it's a failed chiller I send my highest paid, a compressor someone a bit less expensive, and a plastic bag my lowest paid.  This riddle has plagued service companies for a ridiculous number of years, however times are changing.



Assuming that you have the stomach for it, what is the secret sauce? Here are a couple of ingredients to consider:



  1. Understand what is happening at the asset level, and not just the primary asset it's associated and supporting components as well. For instance, if we have a modern building with VAV boxes, air handlers, and a chiller, data inputs from critical points of measurement across each of these assets is required to form an opinion.
  2. A dynamic mechanism must be leveraged to update and associate specific skill levels of a field worker to discrete natures of call (example: too hot).  This can be a bit dicey as a "too hot" call for a maintenance worker may be a proficient or even expert skill set, whereas "too hot" for an experienced air conditioning worker would be a fundamental skill set.  Let's not forget industries and building types as additional variables in the logic.  Finally, how are you going to qualify initially and maintain skills inventory for your workforce? How will you even come up with the questions? A topic for another post….



It is easy to get excited about emerging tools such as IOT which allow us to see what's going on in the field. On the other hand, it is also sobering when we realize those organizations who understand assets and workers at the foundational level must reassess their positions to truly leverage future innovation.



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Next post:  ruining your best field workers as salesman?

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