Service Agents - Love them or hate them ?

System

Sunbeam and Breville service  agents seem to get a fair bashing....

I for one, have been known to have serious issues with what some do and how they do it.  That being said, there are some that I fully support...


After all, they have it tough in a society that expects to pay little for a product but also expect to be on the receiving end of good wages.  So why shouldn't service agents also make a living...

It is here that some manufacturers / suppliers need to accept some of the responsibility for how service agents structure there work priorities....


Assumptions:

1: Service agent gets paid to do the warranty work

2: User can just rock up and get things done under warranty.

Wrong on both accounts in many cases..

Reality is:

1: Service agent often gets a credit for the work done
2: The credit system can also be applied to the parts used
3: Even if the user gets a Repair Authorisation (RA) from the Manufacturer, the Service Agent still has to check the details and confirm authorisation to proceed.
4: Service agent does not always get hand on training and may get a document of sorts or a DVD with video - These are not always ideal and may often skip or assume a critical step.

Outcomes:

Thus if the Service Agent is not ordering other billiable parts from the Manufacturer, one could have a credit build up;  but that does not pay the bills....

Warranty and other works brings in little if any cash but still requires a cash outlay and TIME.

Sale of consumables is the cream and billable repairs is the bread and butter.

Thus warranty work will get pushed to a lower priority or managed via a different process and if not; then they would go broke.


While many may say, but it's only a 10 min job to adjust an OPV; The process, ALL the unseen paper work and EST and validation all takes time.  If there is a couple of other Warranty jobs also on the table, then it all adds up and NO $$$ coming in to pay staff.


So while we all want it YESTERDAY, we must remember there are lots of variables and these issues and the Service Agent's situation, deserves some clarity and understanding.... 


Further more, it must be recognised that the Manufacturers set the systems up to minimise the risk to them and thus the Service Agents often have little they can do about it.  They are not National large corps with bargaining powers, but often small local concerns trying to do the best with the hand they have been dealt.

Kelsey

Thanks AM. It's always good to understand the other side's position more clearly. Good post, much appreciated.

FreshCoffee2

on 1320847032:

...I understand a few customers have been known to state... But Phil said it only takes 5 min to do an OPV adjust....

Thanks for annunciating your thoughts in this topic M. Consumers should have atleast a small understanding of what has to happen "on the other side" of the bench to get things done for them. Service is a lot more than a "snap the fingers and its done" affair. Regarding "Phil"......this is the phenomenon (which thanks to you  we will for ever more in my own workshop call the PhilPhenomenon or PhillPhaktor....where "Phil" the serviceman or service receptionist opens his trap and says things to the clients that he shouldnt. It happens very very often, and we all seem to have a "Phil" in our worshops. "Phil" in fact, is a never ending workshop problem and you will find there are plenty of workshop policies designed around "Phil" for this very reason...."Phil" always opens his trap and says things to the client that he should not, shooting his employer in the foot each time.  He is often being "counselled" about this, and his job is often on the line. This is why many clients will find, that it can be extremely difficult to get information out of the prerson standing behind the counter when they take their  machine in for repair.....because reception staff are drilled NOT to open their traps and say too much to the clients.  There is a difference between being informative, and saying stuff that shoots your employer in the foot like that its only a 5 minute job. Dunderheads like "Phil", dont consider when they are opening their mouths before thinking, that there could easily be a quarter of a million dollars worth of investment in a not so big workshop, and every job is entitled to be costed out for a fair return on investment. You dont earn your living by doing "favours" for people, and charging for 5 minutes work on a 5 minute job constitutes both a huge "favour" (to a total stranger I might add) as well as a huge loss on the real cost of running the operation to do the 5 minute repair. (Consider that to do the 5 minute job there was probably 10 minutes time spent with the client at book in, 10 minutes time spent with the client at book out, and say 10 minutes to write up the paperwork. That's already 35 minutes real time spent on the 5 minute job, without anything else. Not to mention extra time spent in unproductive discussion with an unhappy client if when he is asked to pay the arbitrary minimum job charge, he argues the point that "Phil" said it was "only a 5 minute job"). This was just a couple of extra thoughts because frankly as far as "Phil" is concerned, many workshop owners have been there and "Phil" is the reason why some consumers sometimes think they havent been given enough info about their repair. Its a never ending job to try and keep "Phil" muzzled  Rgdz, Attilio very first Crema site sponsor

Brett H

This is all most enlightening.  Thank you!  As someone who worked on the peripheries of technical support in Education I have seen this phenomenon and the angst it has caused.  What I haven't seen is the argument from the service centre's point of view articulated so elequently. The insightful words in both your posts Attilio and AM will hopefully balance both sides of the argument... should people choose to read them.

askthecoffeeguy

I'm very fortunate to have a coffee roaster who builds and rebuilds espresso machines in his 'spare' time - so any time a technical issue turns up its been promptly sorted although I've had very few 'problems' with my coffee machine (except for a few custom modifications) - I've never once heard back from the folks I bought it off, to see if it was running ok, which you would kind of expect when you're parting with some serious dollars my 'problem' area is more so with deli grinders breaking down or needing repair - thank god I've got a Ditting now which is practically indestructible, its even been dropped by a chef and survived the fall relatively intact! but seriously who'd want to be an 'on site' service man, everyone wants the job done yesterday but during trading hours and with minimum disruption to the workplace! P