Service engineers are at gas stations and spaceports, IT companies and car factories, VAZ and Space X, small businesses and international giants. And that’s all, absolutely all of them once heard the classic set about “it itself”, “I wrapped it with electrical tape and it worked, and then it banged”, “I didn’t touch anything”, “I definitely didn’t change”, etc. There are many legends, myths, funny comics and sad stories in our world. We have collected the coolest ones, translated them for you, and added a few paragraphs about the most important thing - how to make the work of the service department really cool. In general, it's fun under the cut, but not just for fun.
Service engineers have their own name :)
What do customers not want?
If you are a service company, you have technical support, you have engineers who fix problems on the client side, you need to think first of all about how to overcome the most annoying factors for the client. And it's not just the peppy music that your customers will listen to while they know that their call is important to you.
- Let's start with a long answer from the company. We live in an era of advanced IVR technologies, chatbots, rented call centers and other ways to entertain a client in the 30 seconds it takes for an engineer to view a caller's card and answer a call. Joking aside, the world is so fast these days and there is so little time that during the period of waiting for a response, a client can google a competitor’s website and price list and start chatting with him, simply because it’s faster. Don't be a dial up, it's terrible. Reduce the response time to a client's request through any channel to a minimum and the client is subdued.
- Unprofessionalism is something that should not be in principle, but it does occur. If your engineer doesn't know how to handle a task, isn't familiar with the equipment, and doesn't even try to read the instructions, that's a sure sign that it's time to make him not your engineer. Hours and even minutes of downtime for a customer's equipment is a waste of money, and the customer should not pay unprofessional service personnel. Therefore, accumulate a knowledge base, train employees, actively adapt them to new working conditions with clients. Otherwise, you can also fly into a lawsuit related to violation of the terms of the contract.
- In no case should you deceive the client. Be honest about the timing, quality, payment of work. Do not try to hide behind force majeure or excuses from the category of "the supplier did not deliver the nozzles in time."
- The client does not tolerate a conveyor relationship - it would be best if you can demonstrate personalization at 100%: call by name (CRM), history of relationships (CRM), history of problems and incidents for an object or equipment with maximum detail (). Attention to the client and the constant maintenance of relationships is a lethal weapon against your competitors.
- Inconsistent quality of service is a sign of problems in business, ranging from personnel to resources. The client will not understand if they do it for the first time in half an hour and with the highest quality, and the next time an intern arrives and digs for a day without completing anything. Another mistake: assign the status of a VIP client, provide a priority service, and then downgrade it to a regular client. Remember: VIP status, given for free, must remain so throughout the life of a client in your company. Not ready for it? Okay, do not scatter statuses and make the priority service paid. At least it's honest.
- The client does not tolerate distrust of himself and his employees. If he informs you about the incident, and receives in response “This cannot be!”, It looks ugly - in fact, you recognize the client as a fool. If you value your experience and keep the brand, are sure that you are right, go / connect remotely and prove it correctly and in practice. And what if the automatic gas station at the gas station really does not top up, but not because of your settings, but because of the engineering / hacking talent of the gas station?
All events are not fictional, any coincidences are not accidental.
Naturally, the top situations disliked by customers did not arise just like that - dissatisfaction arose in different companies from time to time, because there are systemic problems, and they exist all over the world. No wonder our team came up with to make equipment maintenance convenient and transparent. Here is what one (!) Only employee who came to us from the service department says.
I managed to work in a company where there was no organized service department and I was a witness to obvious problems.
- In order to close the request, service specialists had to hang on the phone for up to 45 minutes, which led to downtime for employees because of this, the efficiency in fulfilling requests decreased and, as a result, low SLA and shortfall in revenue.
- The application, by mistake of the dispatcher, could have been assigned to a service specialist from another region, to a gas station with the same number, as a result, we had an idle departure.
- The application could be assigned to the wrong contractor, as a result of which the time allotted for the execution of the application was lost and, as a result, penalties from the Customer.
- Communication with the gas station was carried out through the control room, as a result of which the costs for the services of this control room increased.
- It was impossible to estimate the actual workload of the performers and, as a result, the excess staff.
- Applications could be "lost". The application was assigned to the contractor, but he forgot about it, as a result, either lost revenue or a fine for an untimely completed application.
- Loss of service sheets for completed applications. When fulfilling the request, the service specialist could not bring the SL to the office, lose it, as a result of which part of the work was not exhibited to the Customer and revenue was lost.
As you can see, this is the experience of one person, but how many banal and offensive reasons for losing profits are in it. However, a business without proper automation of equipment maintenance processes (for both external and internal clients) is doomed to certain losses.
They laugh at the problem - it means that it exists
Comic 1. Simple picture, deepest meaning
Hello, tech support...
- Turn it off, pour coffee and you can call back ...
Oscar, do you know anything about computers at all?
- Nope.
“Actually, we should have fired you, but your customer approval rating is sky-high.
Of course, this is very bad when your employee is poorly versed in the equipment. But soft skills are also important, that is, communication skills - even if you serve hotels, refrigeration units or auto centers. Any employee is a part of the company's image, and today there is not that competitive atmosphere to be a harsh engineer, what the world stands for cursing someone who applied increased voltage to the machine, disrupted the power supply in the data center, or overloaded weighing equipment.
Here is a list of the basic skills of a XNUMXst century service engineer.
- Extensive product and business knowledge - exactly in this combination. An engineer must not only know his business inside and out, but also understand that a business process is connected with his undoubtedly brilliant work, and he himself is part of the company. Therefore, in addition to excellent work, there must be competent support: documentation, accounting of actions, invoicing, recording all the details of the work. Nobody likes this routine, but it is the basis of the company's income. By the way, mobile version makes a part of the routine automated and enjoyable - which is worth the mere access to the equipment passport via a QR code.
- Confident problem solving skills - employees involved in equipment maintenance should be able not only to make the mechanism workable, but also to make sure that the problem does not recur if possible, transfer knowledge to other relevant employees, and explain the causes and consequences to the customer. Only then can the problem be considered solved.
- Adaptability - a trait that every modern employee should have, from secretary to general. The types of equipment are changing very quickly, updates are coming, configurations and integration elements are changing - the technological environment is more mobile than ever. Therefore, adaptation can be ensured in only one way: by training both in the form of initial mastering of some novels and subtleties, and in the form of forming a single base knowledge (by the way, here the HubEx platform is again able to provide the accumulation of experience by tickets. But any knowledge storage system will do, from a corporate Wiki and CRM to a folder hierarchy on a server).
- Ability to communicate clearly - the engineer must react strictly and to the point, so that without emotions and negativity to find out what happened and explain how it will work. In addition, a restrained person inspires more trust and confidence in professionalism. Work like an ambulance doctor: less emotions, more business and well-thought-out actions. It's really impressive.
Well, back to the comics, a little empathy never hurt anyone. Every joke has a bit of truth.
Comics 2. The client does nothing, it is always itself. For "itself" someone stands
Get used to the fact that the client will always reach into the equipment himself before calling you. Neither the seal on the case, nor the service sticker (how skillfully it is glued!), nor the brand of the supplier will interfere with this. Simply because there will always be an employee who will say that he understands the topic and will do it quickly and for free. In fact, often this is just the result of communicating with Google. Meanwhile, such behavior of the customer is associated with problems that service engineers have to solve:
- damage to related nodes and modules due to misunderstanding of technical connections;
- work with an inappropriate tool (nail scissors, a screwdriver are in use, the top closes the paper knife - a weak, but wildly tenacious device);
- violation of software shells - especially if you poke keys according to the logic of ordinary application software;
- reset settings - partially or completely.
The task of superhero engineers is not only to eliminate, but also to knock on hands to explain that such interventions are not only harmful, but also paid extra.
I will give my father an hour of free technical support for the holiday
Just googled. They go and google.
Comic 3. The customer is always right, the customer is always scared
Call support. Brother Ernest has a paper jam
There is also the opposite situation, which is no less time-consuming for the contractor: the client is frightened by every little thing and fills out an application for any reason, being afraid even to shake off the dust from the equipment, let alone reboot or reconfigure. Of course, this is a load on engineers, trips for every sneeze, travel and gasoline costs, etc. You can try to fight in two main ways:
- charge a fee for each trip based not only on the complexity of the task, but also on the parameter of the trip and the time of the specialist (for example, this is how metrologists and gas station engineers work: they directly enter the distance, the cost of a kilometer, the extra charge for urgency, etc. into the act) - the client will think five times whether the problem will be solved by phone;
- conduct a total educational program: draw up and transmit instructions on basic trifles, limit the limits of permissible interference in the operation of equipment (conditionally - you can change the lighting element of the equipment yourself, but you can no longer climb and change fuses and boards).
Comic 4. Secret knowledge must become clear
We were going to get rid of this super monster, but he is the only one who understands this new IT system ...
It's very cool when your support team, equipment maintenance or outsourcing has a real guru - he can understand any topic, eliminate any accident and overcome the most difficult incident. But such a specialist is not only expensive, he, as a rule, is also in demand on the labor market - which means that he will be lured by all available means. Therefore, the task of the manager is not only to work for retention, but also to make the company relatively independent of key specialists. Business should not collapse with their departure. So here are a few tips that work:
- encourage such specialists;
- motivate them to transfer knowledge, and others to learn;
- automate the accounting of clients, incidents and decisions on them - the database of clients and tickets should belong to the company, not to individual specialists.
Your Jedi should be a force for good and not turn to the dark side for cookies.
Comic 5. Costs must be justified
- Something broke?
- Yes, the computer flew in the morning, I called the master, he is on his way.
Will it cost us money?
— No, he says he does it for free, we only have to pay for the travel time.
- Perfect. Where does he get us from?
— From Bangladesh.
If you do not manage the service, it is not automated for you, you risk incurring additional costs for incorrectly executed requests, dispatcher errors, purchases of unnecessary equipment and unnecessary spare parts. Therefore, use a small checklist in order to avoid trouble:
- draw up service sheets;
- keep records in automated systems;
- draw up route maps and control the movement of employees along the route;
- keep a strict record of the equipment being serviced and related incidents;
- collect as much information as possible about the incident, have a scheme/template for a client request that takes into account all parameters that are significant for the load and cost.
Comic 6. Calm, only, @#!#$!!, calm!
These days, yoga alone cannot survive, you have to earn extra money in technical support
Take care of your nerves! The work of a service engineer is a priori associated with an incredible psychological load, stress, and mental activity. How to overcome these problems, everyone decides for himself, but throwing off some of the routine and nervous little things on the software is as easy as shelling pears. We are like we declare: there are no trifles, and controlled trifles are the key to peace and success.
Comic 7. They do not believe in the work of the service department
- Customer Service? I think the server has crashed.
“Ok, I'll take care of it.
In the server room:
— Do not fall, server, we all think that you are doing a great job, everyone loves you.
This is how some users imagine the work of an engineer. This perception is especially affected by those who pay: accountants, top managers, commercial services of your customers. They are ready to accuse you of laziness, delaying working hours, too expensive services and unprofessionalism, just to pay a little less. The issue is solved simply: the cost and scope of work are clearly specified, everything is implemented strictly according to the terms of reference, application, act or contract. Any deviation must also be motivated and spelled out in the documents. So you save yourself from most of the headaches associated with calculations.
“Speak like a pro!” You've been working so long, I can't see the documents today!
- Hm. Will you pay me the same amount if I open it quickly?
- Yes, everything counts.
In a minute the safe was opened, in 15 it was working. The guy signed the documents and said:
— Often, when I do the work in three minutes, they refuse to pay me the bill. But time is not worth it - work is worth it. You have to imitate.
Comic 8. The customer is always angry
Dear customer service! First of all, you should know that I am typing this address with my middle finger.
Yes, the client is often angry and it is difficult to get an application or intelligible introductory information from him. That's why it's better to give him a chance to contact you through an app with smart customizable forms, because the electronics will endure everything, and the aggressive manager will have a chance to focus.
By the way, the client's anger is understandable: in case of breakdowns, failures, downtime and failure of the equipment, the client incurs direct losses, and the speed of the response of the service department often determines how serious these losses are and how quickly they will be covered. Now you understand that 45 minutes of waiting for an answer on the line is a disaster?
Comic 9. Problem has big eyes
Our computers are out of order, we have to do everything manually!
For the same reasons from the paragraph above, the client often exaggerates the extent of the breakdown: reports that everything is broken (but in fact the plug fell out of the socket), nothing works (in fact, one module failed), all devices are on (the stuck button is flashing ), we incur huge losses (the column overflows by 2 ml per liter), employees entered the criminal syndicate and raid the business (the column does not top up 4 ml per liter). In any case, there is a reason to apply, and your task is to help the client fill out the application as realistically as possible. Again, the application creation forms and the client’s personal account (or even a personal mobile application, like ). It is especially important to provide the client with the ability to track the status of his application.
Comic 10 Service work is fun. But first - professionally
Thank you for your support request. For quality control purposes, the call may be recorded, but most likely it will just give us a reason to laugh later in the break room.
Yes, the life of service engineers is really a lot of fun, here are some quotes from different employees:
“Your experts came with a vacuum cleaner and poked it into computers, we didn’t call cleaners” // an employee of an oil refinery to an IT outsourcer (coolers have collected the dust of the whole world)
“It is a beep, then a champ-chug, and the light blinks” // the pump at the fuel dispenser at the gas station flew
"Noises, crackling and creaking in the fuel dispenser" // arrived, opened the lid of the old Livna, and there the wagtail bird made a nest and already hatched chicks; silently closed and did not disturb them
“In a barrel of snot, almost half a meter” // in the fuel tank of the gas station, the sediment from very high-quality Russian fuel was cleaned with an ambulance on duty to prevent poisoning of workers
“The gun is jammed, we can’t clean it. Tomorrow the authorities will arrive, they need to work” // about the dispenser hose gun at the gas station
"Server down? No, he didn’t fall, he’s standing against the wall!” // in response to the clarification of the request for a problem with the speed of the internal server
"Printer Chewed Everything" // Permanent Paper Jam
But you should not get carried away: service, support and maintenance of equipment is very serious.
The key to successful customer service is the creation of a good service management structure and a streamlined business process for dealing with customer complaints.
You must forget forever about:
- Long chain connections.
- Long waiting time for service.
- About forgotten customer stories - every time the breakdown story is perceived as a whole, it has to be retold.
How to work?
- The first rule is to keep a history of the client and his equipment, which is in your service. There is nothing worse than explaining several times what the problem with the equipment is - exactly according to the number of specialists to which you were transferred. allows you to record all the details of relationships, save incidents, create an equipment passport - that is, maintain a database in such a way that any service engineer can immediately see the client’s history and can either promptly respond or immediately transfer the request to the right specialist.
- There is another important aspect of service desk management. If a company is unable to provide engineers with a tool that makes their work efficient and measurable, it should not use KPIs. Otherwise, it turns out that the coefficients were introduced, but the reality of their implementation was not controlled - as a result, continuous demotivation of the staff.
- You will learn more about your product and services. You will accumulate reviews, requests, incidents and, based on this data, understand what customers expect from your product. Such information will fill your backlog and help you find the right development vector.
A good service department with high-quality automation is an additional income for the company. Of course, the temptation is great not to create a service desk and use the capacity of existing employees, because creating a service desk is a cost. However, these costs will quickly pay off, because:
- You will increase sales and customer lifetime - no customer is ready to spend money on services and products that are poorly supported.
- Customer service saves money for both your business and your customers. having dedicated employees helps solve problems before they arise. Clients do not harm your reputation, as all incidents are resolved professionally and immediately.
- Your users remain your beta testers and your main advisors in business development - and this means savings on research, on staff, and on the wrong steps in product development.
Have a service department support, being an outsourcer or solving all problems on the side of your company for an internal customer is taking responsibility for someone else's profitability, quality and speed of someone else's work, actually ensuring the efficiency and continuity of processes. And the outward humorous side of support activities is not even the tip of the iceberg of the challenges that services face on a daily basis. So, smile - and that's enough, for work!
Taking this opportunity, our team congratulates everyone on the past System Administrator's Day, as well as on the coming August 1st, Technical Support Worker's Day! And in general, for true professionals - to work is like a holiday 🙂
And this is us and the nature of Karelia
Source: habr.com