HIT AND RUN service calls

[d7guitar]

Sometime the amount of calls you have may make you feel that you have to get to as many clients as possible in one day!
Everyone is down, or maybe a tech called in sick, or you maybe are covering two territories.
Whatever the case may be we all have had days where we run in, fix it, clean quickly and move on.
Sometimes scoring the 7+ calls in one day.
Other times the last tech missed something simple and the machine is in great shape and doesn't require you to spend the hour+ you normally would.
Or, maybe, you have eAutomate and are trying to hit the bonus multipliers by touching as many machines per day as possible to get your copies managed as high as possible.

I've had days where i see trouble machines and get to maybe two calls in a day and others where i see 7 machines.
But, i was trained 15 years to treat the machine as though it's your MOTHERS copier and if ANY parts need to be replaced in the near future, DO IT NOW!

Paradigm shift... I spend more on parts monthly than almost everyone else in my company. 3RD out of 56 techs. OUCH!!!!
My last review was okay but my service manager told me to STOP replacing parts too early!!!

Okay, since then i have been seeing 6 to 7 machines everyday. I repair, clean them, and test all functions before i leave. I also feel like i am on amphetamines while working and crash hard when i get home... It's like a race to see how much i can personally get done.

I feel as though i am Performing "hit and run" service calls. My gut feelings are contradicting the "new" way i am working.
I see the counts are past 100%, but no jams or ill effects so i leave it alone and move on. But my morales are telling me i am not doing the "job" as good as i should.
Is it just a contradictory feeling?

I know some parts can be Stretched to achieve maximum life, but i am working now as "if it's not broke, don't fix it". I am hoping this doesn't come back to haunt me.

Going from one extreme to another.
Hoping to re-invent myself.
And that has me feeling very uneasy.

Anyone else went through this wormhole??

[jonezy999]

Re: HIT AND RUN service calls

As far as hit and run goes, I think its fine if you have checked the error history, repaired the fault and tested the machines operation. As for replacing parts, I think its all about finding out what some units are capable of and using your own discretion. Quite a few fuser rollers, for example, will last 3 times longer than the expected yields, then again other parts might not last half of what the manufacturer suggests. I like to try and stretch a few parts in machines nearby the workshop just to see what they can handle. Can be quite surprised sometimes.

[slybot]

Re: HIT AND RUN service calls

dont beat yourself up over it. the 'if it aint broke, dont fix it' thing can on the odd/rare occasion back fire but most likely not, and jonezy is right most parts will go well and truly past their counter life with no problems whatsoever. (hell i had a copier here that the feed/pickup/sep rollers only got replaced once in over 3.5 million copies) so dont stress. if your unsure let the customer know that your not 100% positive (they will appreciate your honesty) and go with your gut feeling

[TonerMunkeh]

Re: HIT AND RUN service calls

This is a thing that really annoys me. You get two types of engineer on a team, one type that "hits and runs" and the other type that services and repairs a machine properly. You follow a "hit and run" engineer in, print off the SMC and the machine needs half of it replacing. It makes it slightly easier when the call repeats on them and you get the satisfaction of knowing you have repaired the machine properly and keeping the machine running.

The flip side is you can't do anything about the HAR's. Their figures look fantastic on paper, 6-7 calls a day, barely any repeats, no return to fits because they fix the machine to a standard where it doesn't repeat for a week, usually with glue and sellotape. Those of us who follow these assholes in usually end up lumbered with an RTF or several hours work to sort it out.

As someone once said, there's no I in team, just lazy bastards.

[d7guitar]

Re: HIT AND RUN service calls

This is a thing that really annoys me. You get two types of engineer on a team, one type that "hits and runs" and the other type that services and repairs a machine properly. You follow a "hit and run" engineer in, print off the SMC and the machine needs half of it replacing. It makes it slightly easier when the call repeats on them and you get the satisfaction of knowing you have repaired the machine properly and keeping the machine running.

The flip side is you can't do anything about the HAR's. Their figures look fantastic on paper, 6-7 calls a day, barely any repeats, no return to fits because they fix the machine to a standard where it doesn't repeat for a week, usually with glue and sellotape. Those of us who follow these assholes in usually end up lumbered with an RTF or several hours work to sort it out.

As someone once said, there's no I in team, just lazy bastards.

I agree. I am not being told to be "hit and run" by my service manager. I am being told to get my parts costs down, way down. I tried to explain to him that some of the other techs i follow are hit and run types and i get stuck making the machines right. He just repeated the "get your parts cost way down" mantra.

I am checking all the counters, parts, jams, errors, etc. and correcting any problems, fully testing and cleaning. Just not replacing any parts unless it is failing right then.

[Herrmann]

Re: HIT AND RUN service calls

This is a Thing, where only long year experience can help you.... you have to ponder which parts are about to replaced even if they are actually not worn; otherwise the mashine will bite you in the ass sometimes. And yes, i hate to tidy up after HAR peers leaving me a complete flat broken mashine

[Ollie1981]

Re: HIT AND RUN service calls

This is a Thing, where only long year experience can help you.... you have to ponder which parts are about to replaced even if they are actually not worn; otherwise the mashine will bite you in the ass sometimes. And yes, i hate to tidy up after HAR peers leaving me a complete flat broken mashine

In other words, you have to be virtually infallible. Anyone got the tool code for this f**king crystal ball technicians are supposed to have when deciding if or not to replace parts?

It's an ongoing cycle, you start off doing three/four calls per day and that's o.k for a while. Then some shiny arsed Excel-formula warrior in Human Resources goes on a seminar about "engagement" and gets all excited about it. The great thing about "engagement" is, all staff do an engagement survey (which makes you "engaged" because some of your less controversial responses are fed back to senior management making your voice heard) and then once "engaged" you are immediately 20% more productive, hence now you do five calls per day.

Of course none of this engagement bulls*it gives you any practical advice on where to find any of this extra productivity. Neither does anyone in management, apparently it's something you hold in reserve, your "discretionary effort" and if you don't provide it, well..... you're not engaged buddy, and as "engagement" is buzzword du jour in HR you best get engaged or go work somewhere else... one of those dark age Dickensian workhouse esque employers that haven't heard of engagement and it's benefits.

But then of course, five calls per day is not enough, especially when some more "engaged" techs are getting seven or eight done. This isn't of course that they are cutting unacceptable corners or "finding" other machines to fix whilst at a major account customer. The figures don't lie, more calls per day quite literally means a better technician. If you are a shiny arsed Excel warrior who lives vicariously through numbers on a screen, you literally have no comprehension of field service work and no other way of measuring performance. So that's the way it is, also as your seminar tells you, more "productive" staff is more "engaged" staff hence two birds with one stone.

Not that I'm cynical or anything. Engaged techs are never cynical.

[Herrmann]

Re: HIT AND RUN service calls

In other words, you have to be virtually infallible

neither i am infailible nor i will ever be, so dont step me on my foot. the only thing i want to tell is the fact, that the more experience you have you will be better in balancing if a part will go further or if its better to replace it right before failing. And BTW. the pure number of calls tells nothing about the type of failures... some are fitted in 10 min, some other needs a totally disassembling of the mashine, so the excel fetishist will never ever get a reasonable statistic.

[fixthecopier]

Re: HIT AND RUN service calls

I am doing a call behind a so called tech. On a Bizhub 600, with 1.2 million prints, he rebuilt the fuser, he used a web refill and the gear was broke so the web did not move and wiped out the new UFR. He changed the developer and blade, but left the drum in and zeroed the counter. He also zeroed the counters for the charge and transfer, not changing either. Now I am out there trying to get print quality back. ASSHOLE!!!

[prntrfxr]

Re: HIT AND RUN service calls

I'm one of those that has to replace everything (because I was trained as a rebuild tech). Sometimes I left it up to the client, but we didn't deal too much with service agreements and managed print things you deal with now. It is tough trying to find a happy balance. I would just bring it down a bit, while keeping your morals. If I don't feel good about the job I'm doing, I can't do the job. I don't really care what the boss thinks about it. You don't want to leave the machine in a bad state, but you can't get in a habit of replacing things that don't need to be replaced either.

[Dark Helmet]

Re: HIT AND RUN service calls

I fix my machines by the book. 90% of my machines go PM to PM. When the customer calls it's never a rush to get there, i can ask them what time is convinient for the machine to be down.

If i do get a call before a PM ill check the counters, if things look good i might roll the m-counter back 10-20k to steal some extra copies. I don't reset counters when a PM call was placed. Do the work, customer is happy.

It's sad when your manager tells you to stop doing a good job because it's costing to much on parts.

[mo0651]

Re: HIT AND RUN service calls

I had a service manager that constantly harped at the techs for parts cost. On the machines i worked on the normal wear and tear pm stuff was considered a part in the system. OIL roller units Dev units, etc. I hit my $1500 limit in the first week of month. I then took my usage list and went thru it.....Feed tires and fuser roller type parts were only $450 of the total. We had a major discussion on this when it got brought up. Sometimes you just have to prove them wrong, no matter how many times they are wrong!

[mervyn]

Re: HIT AND RUN service calls

I worked for a company that sent me to repair other techs machines which they didnt want to go back to .The machines were generally in a crappy state because parts hadnt been changed .The company worked a bonus scheme based on BEI figures so these techs got fantastic bonuses because they didnt replace parts .I however had to fit parts so my costs were too high for the company and I eventually got fired for being too expensive to keep . Best thing the could have done . I got a job with a much larger company who take a totall different approach . If you arent happy then get out . There are good companies arround .

[sim22]

Re: HIT AND RUN service calls

Sometime the amount of calls you have may make you feel that you have to get to as many clients as possible in one day!
Everyone is down, or maybe a tech called in sick, or you maybe are covering two territories.
Whatever the case may be we all have had days where we run in, fix it, clean quickly and move on.
Sometimes scoring the 7+ calls in one day.
Other times the last tech missed something simple and the machine is in great shape and doesn't require you to spend the hour+ you normally would.
Or, maybe, you have eAutomate and are trying to hit the bonus multipliers by touching as many machines per day as possible to get your copies managed as high as possible.

I've had days where i see trouble machines and get to maybe two calls in a day and others where i see 7 machines.
But, i was trained 15 years to treat the machine as though it's your MOTHERS copier and if ANY parts need to be replaced in the near future, DO IT NOW!

Paradigm shift... I spend more on parts monthly than almost everyone else in my company. 3RD out of 56 techs. OUCH!!!!
My last review was okay but my service manager told me to STOP replacing parts too early!!!

Okay, since then i have been seeing 6 to 7 machines everyday. I repair, clean them, and test all functions before i leave. I also feel like i am on amphetamines while working and crash hard when i get home... It's like a race to see how much i can personally get done.

I feel as though i am Performing "hit and run" service calls. My gut feelings are contradicting the "new" way i am working.
I see the counts are past 100%, but no jams or ill effects so i leave it alone and move on. But my morales are telling me i am not doing the "job" as good as i should.
Is it just a contradictory feeling?

I know some parts can be Stretched to achieve maximum life, but i am working now as "if it's not broke, don't fix it". I am hoping this doesn't come back to haunt me.

Going from one extreme to another.
Hoping to re-invent myself.
And that has me feeling very uneasy.

Anyone else went through this wormhole??

Welcome to my world !!!

[Ianizer]

I think you're probably on the right track, d7. Both in that you're trying to reduce costs and that you're concerned about your quality of service. But either school taken to the extreme will come back round to bite you where you sit.

Our work ethic dictates we walk a fine line between the "lick & a prayer" visit vs. "excessive fastidiousness". We do our customer a disservice by throwing money at a machine that is running well and to spec, with no expectation of failure in the near future; likewise we do them no service by playing fireman every day, racking up those gross calls that puts our leadership in that delightful mood we all enjoy so much.

They key word being "gross calls"... If the machine is left gross, you're sure to get another call...

It ain't easy, walking that tightrope between "If it ain't broke, don't fix it," and what Dad always said, "Anything worth doing is worth doing right!"

So, at the end of the day (or all through it) we just have to make some judgement calls. You've been doing this gig long enough to know some tricks of the trade -- siping or rotating rollers, guaging cust. expectations, clean/lube, patch it, tape it, glue it -- to eek out a little more life. But when your gut is telling you it's Done, you have to Listen.

I'd say, from a perspective of balance, maybe you could say you service a machine as if it's your mother's -- and your mother is paying the bill.

-I