enx magazine

This communication scenario used a phone call as an example. Those who use email or instant messaging as your preferred form of communication should also follow a set of rules to ensure actual information transfer has occurred. Requiring written or voice reply confirming receipt of an email, IM or voicemail is proactive managing.

Having a set of written guidelines that enumerates exactly what is expected of a technician is vital. I continually hear service managers complain about techs not responding to email, IM and voicemails that are left for them. This is especially prevalent at the beginning or end of each day. When I ask about what disciplinary actions are taken when a tech is non-responsive, I receive blank stares, shrugged shoulders or “What can I do?” as an answer.

As a manager when forming policy, I always ask myself the ‘risk versus reward’ question. When does the risk of negative repercussions outweigh the reward of misbehaving?

A tech knows a contact from the office at 4:10PM usually means he will be given an additional call to be completed before 5:00PM. Mentally (or physically) he is already on his way home. Through past experience he knows if he does not respond, no negative repercussions will happen to him. In fact, in most cases it will not even be mentioned. Excuses of “I must have been out of range, my battery needs charging, I didn’t get the page, I turn my ringer off in the customer’s office, I couldn’t get a single, or I was getting gas” are quickly expressed if necessary. But in most cases the techs have learned that there is little risk if they do nothing.

Profit minded managers require techs to be available and willing to work the 40 hours for which they are being paid each week. Our written Field Tech Standards (and signed by each field tech) requires a response to any form of contact 8:00AM-5:00PM on work days. If a tech clears his last call at 4:10PM and dispatch is unable to provide a logical call that can be completed by 5:00PM, he is still on the clock and responsible for being available for work until 5:00PM. If this tech does not respond to an appropriate form of communication from the office at 4:30PM, his pay is docked from the time of the last communication. Risk - Reward. No Response = No Money. This is a written expectation, backed up with a predetermined recourse.

It is not just what you say. It is even more than how you say it. Confirming the transfer of thought through asking questions and listening carefully for the response will increase your productivity and profitability. Think risk – reward when establishing the cause and effect of your field service standards. An apathetic work force is usually created and reinforced by lackadaisical management.

Ronelle Ingram, author of Service With A Smile, also teaches service seminars. She can be reached at ronellei@msn.com or visit her website www.ronelleingram.com

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