Notes from the Service Management Breakout Track

DWC Recap: Service Management Sessions

The Service Management breakout sessions featured three insightful presentations aimed at enhancing service operations. Here, we summarize the key takeaways from these sessions, providing valuable insights for you to implement in your organizations.

Presentation 1 – Optimize for Your Techs: Strategic Choices to Grow the Business

David Vogel, Product Manager for mobile apps at ServiceTrade, led this session focusing on strategic choices to mitigate and prevent chaos for technicians through effective use of ServiceTrade.

Key Points

Technician Optimization

David emphasized the value and scarcity of skilled technicians. He discussed the necessity of optimizing their schedules to prevent overuse or underutilization. Technicians are a valuable asset, and their effective management is crucial for business growth.

• Technician Scarcity: Technicians are becoming harder to replace, making it vital to optimize their schedules and work assignments.
• Optimizing Use: Ensuring technicians are neither overworked nor idle, balancing their workloads to maximize productivity.

Role of Service Managers

David highlighted the critical role of service managers in ensuring that technicians perform work that drives the business forward. He stressed that service managers must focus on tasks that align with business goals and optimize the use of their techs.

• Core Responsibilities: Service managers should focus on tasks that move the business in the right direction, ensuring technicians have the right work and are executing it efficiently.
• Strategic Oversight: Service managers should provide oversight and support to optimize technician productivity.

Collaboration Across Departments

David stressed the importance of collaboration between departments, particularly between service managers and sales teams. Effective communication and coordination can significantly impact the efficiency and productivity of technicians.

• Identifying Ideal Customers: Sales teams need to gather and provide information that supports the technicians, ensuring they are well-prepared for their tasks.
• Information Flow: Clear communication channels between departments can prevent chaos and streamline operations.

Breakout Discussions

David facilitated several breakout discussions to encourage audience participation and peer learning. These sessions were designed to help attendees share their experiences and strategies for optimizing technician productivity.

Breakout Session 1: Sales Collaboration

Participants were asked to discuss the following questions:

• Does the sales team know who the ideal customer is?
• Are they gathering enough information during their surveys?
• How can the service manager influence this process?

The discussions highlighted the need for sales teams to understand the qualifications and preferences of technicians, ensuring they are matched with the right jobs. Participants shared strategies for improving the flow of information from sales to service teams, emphasizing the importance of thorough surveys and effective communication.

Breakout Session 2: Communication with Dispatchers

In this session, the focus was on the communication between service managers and dispatchers:

• How are you communicating with the dispatchers?
• Do you help them with prioritizing the work?
• Are they able to plan tech work effectively?

The discussions revealed common challenges, such as dispatchers sending unqualified techs to jobs or techs sitting idle due to poor planning. Participants shared successful strategies for improving communication and ensuring that dispatchers are well-informed about the qualifications and availability of technicians.

Customer Success Stories

David shared compelling success stories from ServiceTrade customers who had effectively optimized their techs by leveraging sales and dispatch strategies.

Qualifying the Customer for Better Work

One example was a multi-site hospitality-focused company that faced costly, chaotic work due to poor customer qualification. By identifying their ideal customers and targeting specific companies and industries, they experienced significant improvements:

• Predictable Capacity Needs: The company could plan more effectively and maintain consistent workloads for their techs.
• Timely Payments: Customers were happy to pay on time for the uptime provided by the techs.
• High Gross Profit per Hour: The company saw an increase in profitability and overall efficiency.
• Revenue Growth: They experienced over 40% revenue growth in the last year by building out their sales team and using SalesManager.

Optimizing Techs Through Detailed Information

Another success story involved a company that improved its processes by providing detailed information to its technicians. This included asset info, parts lists, comments, and deficiency history. The results were impressive:

• Better Prepared Techs: Technicians were more efficient and effective in their work.
• Increased Efficiency: The company saw significant growth by ensuring all relevant information was available to everyone, not just the techs.

Practical Takeaways

David emphasized several practical takeaways that attendees could implement in their organizations:

• Help Your Sales Team: Assist your sales team in identifying ideal customers, which in turn provides the best work for your technicians.
• Effective Communication: Maintain clear communication with dispatchers to prioritize and plan work effectively.
• Leverage Technology: Use ServiceTrade features to streamline operations and optimize technician productivity.

David wrapped up the session by emphasizing the importance of using ServiceTrade features and improving inter-departmental coordination to optimize technician productivity.

Presentation 2: Optimizing Technician Productivity: Tips For What Works

Amid a significant skilled labor shortage, this session focused on actionable tips to maximize technician productivity, presented by Shawn Mims, Adam Strong, and Juanita Guzman.

Encouraging Technician Productivity

Juanita took the stage to discuss the importance of motivating technicians to perform at their best. She emphasized the need to define clear goals and create incentives that resonate with technicians.

Goal Setting: Identify specific outcomes you want from your technicians, such as finding more deficiencies to increase pull-through work.

Incentives: Offer rewards that are meaningful to technicians, including monetary bonuses, professional development opportunities, recognition, and even fun incentives like pizza parties and t-shirts.

Effective Scheduling and Dispatching

Adam Strong then discussed the critical role of scheduling and dispatching in maximizing technician productivity. He highlighted the importance of focusing on revenue generation rather than the volume of work.

Revenue Over Volume: Prioritize jobs based on their estimated revenue, not just the number of tasks.

Tech Revenue Targets: Set revenue targets for each technician and track their performance against these goals.

Efficiency in Planning: Use detailed planning to reduce downtime and ensure that technicians spend more time solving customer problems.

Shifting Administrative Work

Juanita returned to discuss one of the most significant challenges for technicians: administrative tasks. She stressed the importance of shifting as much administrative work as possible to the office staff, allowing technicians to focus on their specialized skills.

Administrative Burden: Reduce the time technicians spend on paperwork, customer communication, and other non-core tasks.

Office Support: Invest in office staff and tools to handle administrative tasks efficiently.

Breakout Discussions

The session included several breakout discussions, allowing participants to share their experiences and strategies. These discussions were a highlight, fostering peer learning and collaboration.

Breakout Session 1: Encouraging Tech Productivity

Participants were asked to discuss:

• What do you need technicians to do?
• How do you encourage them to do it?

The discussions revealed various incentive strategies, from simple recognition to complex bonus structures. Participants emphasized the importance of aligning incentives with technicians’ personal and professional goals.

Breakout Session 2: Productive Scheduling

This session focused on scheduling and dispatching strategies to enhance productivity:

• What scheduling and dispatching tactics does your company use to reduce windshield time and overall downtime?
• How do you maximize revenue productivity?

Participants shared insights into optimizing routes, prioritizing high-revenue jobs, and using technology to track and manage technician schedules effectively.

Breakout Session 3: Shifting Work from Techs to Office

In this session, participants discussed how to reduce the administrative burden on technicians:

• What are technicians doing beyond inspecting and fixing equipment?
• Who is better suited to do that work instead?
• What work have you already removed from technicians?

The discussions highlighted the importance of clear role definitions and the value of investing in office staff and technology to handle administrative tasks.

Success Stories

Shawn, Adam, and Juanita shared inspiring success stories from ServiceTrade customers who had effectively implemented these strategies.

Rob Lisi’s Incentive Program

Rob Lisi, Owner & General Manager of Lisi Services, created a successful incentive program to encourage his technicians to find more deficiencies. By offering attractive rewards, Rob saw a significant increase in reported deficiencies, leading to more approved quotes and a steady revenue stream.

Results: Over twice the number of reported deficiencies, more approved quotes, and predictable work for technicians.

Kevin Harris’s Technician-Centric Approach

Kevin Harris, CEO of Preferred Mechanical Group, grew his company from 3 to 65 technicians by focusing on reducing administrative tasks for technicians. Kevin’s background as a technician helped him understand the pain points and bottlenecks, leading him to invest in tools and office support to allow technicians to focus on their core tasks.

Results: Consistent growth and a steady stream of technician applications without the need for job advertisements.

Practical Takeaways

The session concluded with practical takeaways that attendees could implement in their organizations:

• Define Clear Goals: Set specific, achievable goals for your technicians and align incentives to motivate them.
• Prioritize Revenue: Focus on scheduling and dispatching strategies that maximize revenue rather than just completing tasks.
• Reduce Administrative Burden: Shift as much administrative work as possible to office staff, allowing technicians to concentrate on their specialized skills.

Shawn wrapped up the session by reiterating the importance of continuous improvement in technician productivity. By implementing these strategies and leveraging the tools available through ServiceTrade, attendees can enhance their service operations and achieve significant business growth.

Presentation 3 – Everything Begins with Assets

Derek Torres, Senior Instructional Designer, kicked off the session with a focus on the critical role of asset management in service operations. This presentation highlighted the importance of creating and curating assets to optimize technician productivity and streamline office operations.

Elevating Technician Productivity

Derek stressed that moving from reactive to predictive maintenance is a game changer. By providing technicians with detailed asset history and leveraging upcoming features, companies can anticipate issues before they escalate, resulting in quicker, more efficient repairs.

Predictive Maintenance: Technicians can prepare better, spend less time on each job, and reduce callbacks.

Efficiency Gains: Improved preparation and efficiency lead to better management of the skilled labor shortage.

Streamlining Office Operations

Advanced asset management offers powerful tools for risk mitigation and strategic decision-making. Having a detailed view of each asset’s history enables the office team to make informed decisions, reducing the likelihood of unexpected equipment failures.

Risk Mitigation: Proactively addressing potential issues improves operational efficiency.

Strategic Decisions: Informed decisions help position the business as a trusted advisor to clients.

Building Stronger Customer Relationships

In today’s market, customer trust is paramount. Providing customers with detailed asset histories and predictive insights positions the service provider as a strategic partner invested in their long-term success.

Trust and Transparency: Detailed asset histories help build trust with customers.

Long-term Success: Predictive insights enable better anticipation and fulfillment of customer needs.

Breakout Discussions

Derek facilitated several breakout discussions to encourage audience participation and peer learning. These sessions allowed attendees to share their experiences and strategies for managing assets effectively.

Breakout Session 1: Asset Data Creation

Participants discussed their current practices for creating and curating asset data, focusing on ensuring data accuracy and tying repair and inspection services consistently to assets.

• Responsibility and Timing: Who is responsible for asset data creation, and when does it happen?
• Accuracy and Consistency: How to ensure that asset data remains up-to-date and accurate.

Breakout Session 2: Communicating with Dispatchers

This session focused on the communication between service managers and dispatchers, emphasizing the importance of prioritizing and planning tech work effectively.

• Communication Strategies: How to communicate effectively with dispatchers.
• Work Prioritization: Ensuring dispatchers can plan tech work efficiently.

Customer Success Stories

Derek shared inspiring success stories from ServiceTrade customers who had effectively optimized their asset management processes.

Qualifying the Customer for Better Work

One multi-site hospitality-focused company faced chaotic work due to poor customer qualification. By identifying their ideal customers and targeting specific companies and industries, they experienced significant improvements:

• Predictable Capacity Needs: Effective planning and consistent workloads for technicians.
• Timely Payments: Customers paid on time for the uptime provided by the techs.
• Increased Profitability: Higher gross profit per hour and overall efficiency.
• Revenue Growth: Over 40% revenue growth in the last year by using SalesManager.

Optimizing Techs Through Detailed Information

Another success story highlighted a company that improved its processes by providing detailed information to its technicians, including asset info, parts lists, comments, and deficiency history.

• Better Prepared Techs: Technicians became more efficient and effective.
• Increased Efficiency: Significant growth by ensuring all relevant information was accessible to everyone, not just the techs.

New Features and Innovations

Derek introduced several new features and innovations aimed at enhancing asset management:

• Asset Swap Tool: Allows changing asset types without losing service history.
• Parent/Child Asset View: An improved way to manage assets and sub-assets.
• Supergroups and 3-Tier Hierarchy: Enhanced asset grouping capabilities.
• Future AI Integration: Highlighting the importance of well-curated assets for effective AI use.

Practical Takeaways

Derek emphasized several practical takeaways for attendees to implement in their organizations:

• Create and Curate Assets: Invest in creating and curating detailed asset data.
• Utilize New Tools: Leverage the latest tools and features in ServiceTrade to streamline operations.
• Enhance Communication: Maintain clear and effective communication between departments to optimize technician productivity.

In summary: This session underscored the importance of detailed and accurate asset management for leveraging new technologies and improving service delivery.