Tech Scrutiny, share your thoughts.

[JR2ALTA]

How many guys are getting call surveys sent to each customer?

Anybody getting computer generated evaluation, like how much money it takes you to fix a machine or how many call backs, etc?

I understand the competitive environment we're in, but it sucks to go to work everyday thinking you're the enemy, and you need to do your job as quickly, quietly and as cheaply as possible.

[blackcat4866]

Re: Tech Scrutiny, share your thoughts.

It sure gets old quickly doesn't it? Back in the Ikon days we used to get three pages of statistics at the monthly meeting. Maybe there were a total of three statistics that were actually meaningful, and the rest were just statistics for their own sake. Every month, as techs we were ranked by productivity. The guys who always ranked #1 and #2 were the best at gaming the system. (Canceling calls then placing a new call for 5 minute response time, 1 minute drive times, zero $ parts usage, etc.) Anyone with half a brain knew that those stats couldn't be true. I had too much real work to do to spend time manupulating the system.

I don't miss it a bit. =^..^=

[copiman]

Re: Tech Scrutiny, share your thoughts.

Blackcat, I know what you mean. I worked at Ikon as well. The stats are what you are judged by. Nothing else. The playing field is not the same across the board. If your numbers are not where they want them to be, you are counseled with in writing. Get a couple of counseling sessions and you are fired. Not every tech works on exactly the same thing, travels the same distance, can't park at the front door of the customer, carry everything they need, is trained on the equipment, same amount of copies per month, same number of equipment by segment, etc.... None of this is considered. The people that come up with these stats are not technicians, never was. They always change things when you get to where they want you to be. Its a never ending thing. I know, I was a tech, then got into management. Now I am a tech somewhere else and life is good today.

[nmfaxman]

Re: Tech Scrutiny, share your thoughts.

I worked for a company like this years ago. I found out the service manager was changing the numbers for whoever kissed his ass.
We got an excell spreadsheet each meeting. I got into the actual dispatch program and found the real stats. I went to work for someone else 2 weeks later.

[cccjjn]

Re: Tech Scrutiny, share your thoughts.

Working for a medium sized dealer for almost 20 years, I can't even relate to what I've read above. I could never work for the Ikons of this world. Guess we spoil our techs. Very little oversite and rarely have a problem here. Its easy enough to tell who the guys are who take advantage of the great freedom our techs have. So much different working for a small or medium sized dealer.

[blackcat4866]

Re: Tech Scrutiny, share your thoughts.

... So much different working for a small or medium sized dealer.

So true! It is truly empowering to be allowed to direct my own efforts. I work harder than I ever did under the Ikon thumb, and liking it.
As dealers go, they don't get much smaller than ours. =^..^=

[JR2ALTA]

Re: Tech Scrutiny, share your thoughts.

I have to admit, I don't see how the numbers add up. I see what parts cost nowadays, feed rollers damn near 50 bucks, fusers 400.

So it's either outprice the customer, fire people, fix it cheap, or break tech balls about every penny spent.

[kingpd@businessprints.net]

Re: Tech Scrutiny, share your thoughts.

I guess I've had it easier than some. I've never really worked for a huge employer and many of my bosses were pretty realistic and understanding. Even had a few take me under their wing so to speak.

As the entrepreneur these days, I've been thinking about things in different perspectives. For instance, I too agree that parts prices are getting damn right outrageous. So let's say I have to put in a $500 part(s). I pay for this part myself. Suppose this machine is a b/w device and on average I get a net profit of half a penny per page. Do the math, $500 for the part, divided by $0.005 = 100,000 copies/prints. That means to break even or be restored to the point where I have the $500 back in my pocket for the part(s); that customer needs to make 100,000 copies on that machine all the while nothing else breaking or going wrong during those copies. That doesn't include labor, travel, etc. either.

It always seems to come back to this point and I'm not the first to make it. Why do the dealers always get stuck being the insurers of these machines. We'll insure a machine for 3-5 years but the manufacturer at best covers only the first 90 days. Even the machines that cost tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars. Seems pretty risky to me. We warranty a machine that we had nothing to do with the raw materials manufacture or procurement, the assembly or quality control, the shipping, or testing. We need a national dealers movement!

So in relation to the tech, you're basically judged, employed, and compensated based on so many factors that you had nothing to do with. Can't keep a lemon running? Oh well, it's your fault. Parts die prematurely? Oh well, it's your fault. Setting a new machine up and one of a possible million things inside isn't working properly? Oh well, you look bad.

As you can see, it's clearly best to be the manufacturer in our industry. And although the dealers take some of the risk and BS, the tech does get the most of it.

[rthonpm]

Re: Tech Scrutiny, share your thoughts.

I've actually had the opposite experience: I had more issues working for a small-medium sized dealer than I ever had with Ricoh (this was pre-Ikon merger though). We were hounded with numbers that made no sense at all, yet were justified out. Techs travelling 100 miles and crossing time zones were judged the same as ones with a downtown territory. Parts were almost looked at as a sin, though that did have a lot of us look to see what parts were backwards compatible, or even worked better than the real part (e.g. MP3500 skinny thermistors make the heat tubes in the 2035-3035 series boxes run with fewer scars).

The point of the numbers should be to try and share best practices, not to cheat the system. Unfortunately, that's what it always seems to boil down to though...

[Ricoh_Warrior]

Re: Tech Scrutiny, share your thoughts.

I Work for Ricoh UK (10 years - 8 were really good)

Stats for

calls/day, rtf, repeat calls, MPG on cars, average time you started work in the day and finish, random calls to customers at 9 am to see if your their and again at 5, telephone fixes, cost of parts used breakdown down into colour, B&W etc

Ricoh was a superb company to work for - Ikon (dont let the Ricoh label fool you) is not so good

[CanonSco]

Re: Tech Scrutiny, share your thoughts.

Yip ,

Usual stat breakdown for us.

Job/day , Visit/day, RTF , PBC against target, Tel Clear, Cost per call, Cost per Million, yada yada yada..

ALL that matters are the cost ones. I loved it, say 5-7 years ago , when my personal bonus was all productivity based. Those days are long gone.

The customers also get random questionnaires to fill in. But these rate everything from the moment they lift the phone.

[JR2ALTA]

Re: Tech Scrutiny, share your thoughts.

I noticed the "devil company" that sells this overview shit says it's all about tech incentive, like bonuses or raises based on good scores...we all know that will never happen.

[Jules Winfield]

Re: Tech Scrutiny, share your thoughts.

I noticed the "devil company" that sells this overview shit says it's all about tech incentive, like bonuses or raises based on good scores...we all know that will never happen.

It's all about giving management an excuse for firing people for no real reason without getting sued. Although with the "employment at will" clauses most companies have you sign when you start work with them, they really don't need an excuse...

[CompyTech]

Re: Tech Scrutiny, share your thoughts.

I work for a real small company. We never really scrutinized the numbers before. Last year they hired a "consulting firm" to evaluate things and make suggestions. Well as a result, management now wants numbers to look at. So now we have been slowing implementing "benchmarks" based on things like: response time, time on call, travel time, parts used, call backs, etc. The usual fusual. I understand why they want to do it. But I don't agree with all of it. We do a pretty good now and could do better IMO. But it is what it is, so who knows how this will turn out. Hopefully better. Then if not, it will be time to bounce.

[Shadow]

Re: Tech Scrutiny, share your thoughts.

I say screw the stats, the only one that matters is customer satisfaction.
the company I used to work for tried the stats BS with me, and when it turned out that my gross revenue was covering 70%+ of the company pay roll it was a mute issue. the IT department didn't break even and the other 2 copier techs were both make work projects for me. They discovered how valued I was to them when I walked out the door. I now do contract work for them and 2 other companies and there is no mentions of what it cost a day and how much I bring in to the company.

Statistics are best left for the bean counters and kept out of a tech's vocabulary when it comes to the work place. if a tech is continually watching the numbers you may as well quit now and find something else to do. The only reason management has to show the techs the bean counters numbers is to scare them in to submission and follow like lost sheep. All a tech needs to know is that they are doing a GREAT JOB out there in the field. when it comes right. down to it, they need us more than they want to admitt

just my 2 cents worth, and add what ever tax equivalent your country has and have a good laugh at it all.