One of the common barriers to efficient scheduling is the lack of skilled people to perform the work.
“If we just had more techs…” is the refrain heard from dispatchers and service managers everywhere.
Dig in a little deeper and you’ll find that these companies are often making really poor routing decisions. For example, I've seen dispatchers sending multiple technicians into the same areas, to the same address, on the same day.
When asked they will tell you that “John only does type A work and that was type B.” or “Janet doesn’t have a gauge for that.” and “Steve hasn’t got his certification for that.”
There are plenty of technicians on the road, and they are all operating at less than optimal productivity as they administer these “rules” that have evolved over time and become embedded in the culture.
Start over. Reset expectations that technicians will be broadly trained, then train them and provide the necessary tools to help them to be successful.
You will find a dramatic reduction in drive time, resulting in more calls performed each day and satisfied customers telling their friends and family about your skilled technicians and outstanding response times.
How do you cross-train your teams to improve productivity and reduce drive time?
Share your experiences in the comments below and learn more about field service transformation with Chapman Management Solutions at www.chrischapman.ca.
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