How many service technicians does it take to service a rooftop package unit, a water heater, a chimney flashing, or an electrical panel? A surprisingly large number of companies don’t really know… or their answers aren’t consistent.
According to most studies, companies don’t measure—or are even aware of—their “first-time fix” rate… That is, they don’t know how often they’re able to take care of the repair on the first visit.
In 2013 a study revealed that 25% of all repair calls aren’t resolved on the first visit, and some not even on the second. And of course, that’s a costly oversight — the need to dispatch technicians a second or third time adds an estimated $300 in operating costs per visit. In a larger service organization with 100 added calls per year, that’s a whopping $30,000 slashed from the bottom line.
Need more calls to fix the problem? Well, employing that strategy wreaks havoc and disrupts successful service with other clients and jobs. It forces you into more cancellations and unhappy clients. So, what’s the lesson here?
The study showed us that service companies that can hit an 80% first-time fix rate for clients saw a 6.5% boost in service revenues over the previous 12 months, while those that didn’t only gained an extra 1.6%.
So let me ask you this: What can your company do to clean up this costly act? Here are three basic strategies to consider:
1. Get The Right Parts, Not More Parts
The top reason that hinders field technicians from a “first time fix” is unavailability of parts, which causes 51% of second or third visits. You normally don’t need more inventory; you need the right inventory. Look back at the last 12 months of parts used and exclude the small special order items. Your suppliers should be able to help you with this request.
2. Train Your Techs
Lack of experience and training to resolve customer issues is another Achilles heel of field service — 25% of second and third visits can be traced back to inexperience. Train your people! Don’t be afraid they will leave if you train them. Be scared they may stay if you don’t.
3. Don’t Be Late
This is one of the worst sins we can do in the service arena. No surprises here, either: 13% of second and third visits were caused by technicians late for calls or the tech needed more time to complete the task.