The efficiency and effectiveness of your services are crucial for maintaining customer satisfaction and ensuring the longevity of your operations. One of the ways you can increase efficiency is to have a streamlined triage process. Triage is a prioritization and categorization system that allows the sorting of urgent and complex issues to be handled first. It comes from the French word “trier”, which means to pick, to choose, or to sort. For home appliance repair, triage can accomplish several goals:
- Identifies and prioritizes potential safety hazards,
- Pinpoints the right technician with the requisite expertise to handle the service call,
- Ensures the technician arrives prepared for the call,
- And provides situational awareness for technicians and customer service representatives to be transparent with customers.
This article will present some tips that may be effective in establishing a triage program and some considerations that are necessary when trying to decide if and how a triage program can benefit your business.
Develop a Standardized Intake Process
Having a consistent and thorough intake process is foundational for effective triage. Customer Service Representatives should be collecting relevant information for the service call that can be used to categorize the issue. Information to be collected should be:
- Appliance type and model
- Problem description
- Symptoms, inciting events, and any error codes displayed
- Appliance age (date of manufacture)
- Previous repair history
- Safety Concerns
This information is crucial to accurately ascertain the severity of the problem and the required expertise, and parts needed for the repair.
Categorize and Prioritize Service Requests
Once the CSR has gathered the initial information, service requests can be categorized based on urgency and complexity. This usually involves a tiered system, such as:
- Emergency: Issues that pose safety hazards or render the appliance inoperable. (i.e. gas leaks, sparks, loss of cooling).
- Urgent or High Priority: Issues that cause significant inconvenience, but there is no immediate danger. (i.e. dishwasher not draining, washer not spinning).
- Routine: Minor issues or routine maintenance that can be scheduled later. (i.e. unusual noises, minor leaks).
Categorizing and prioritizing requests ensures urgent issues are addressed promptly while less critical issues are scheduled appropriately. The JobsPerusal Form and Future Scheduler are tools in ServiceDesk that you can use to prioritize effectively.
Implement a Robust Scheduling System
Having an efficient scheduling system is vital for managing repair appointments. Ensure schedulers are equipped with the information and empowered to make scheduling decisions with consideration of:
- Technician availability and expertise
- Proximity to service location
- Estimated repair time based on intake information
You can further enhance your scheduling by using software tools for scheduling and route optimization. ServiceDesk offers tools to assist with scheduling and route optimization,
including a zone, monthly, weekly and daily views, as well as direct exports to Google Maps or Bing for individual technicians and assisted whole roster optimization via GraphHopper.
Equip Technicians with the Right Tools and Parts
Ensure technicians are well-equipped with the necessary tools and common replacement parts. Using the intake information gathered from the initial contact with the customer, technicians can be prepared for issues that may arise. This helps minimize the need for return visits as well as time and resources.
Ongoing Training and Support
Invest in ongoing training to keep technicians updated on the latest appliance models, repair techniques, and safety protocols. Regular training sessions with access to a knowledge base can empower your team to handle a wide range of issues effectively and independently.
Considerations
No two business models have the same opportunities or risks. When implementing a triage program, it is important to consider factors that may have a negative impact on your business. For example, one servicer may be located in the same town as a distributor and able to minimize shipping costs, while another may have long drive times and high shipping costs that require adoption of a different strategy. Additionally, you may be at a disadvantage when it comes to having a senior, experienced tech that you can dedicate to job reviews. It’s important to make decisions based on what fits your business and service area, and that you do a comprehensive cost/benefit analysis before proceeding with any process improvement ventures.
Dean Landers of Landers Appliance provided an article to UASA with some highlights on what to look for when instituting process changes. It focuses on first call complete metrics; however, it remains good advice for any process change that can affect your bottom line. Link here
Conclusion
Implementing a comprehensive triage program can enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of appliance repair businesses. By implementing some, or all, of these techniques you can deliver value and satisfaction to your customers. A well-organized triage process not only improves operational efficiency but also builds trust and loyalty with your customers, contributing to the success and growth of your business.
