CHAPTER 9

Call Center + Field Practices

In too many companies, dispatchers and technicians clash. Getting them to coordinate, or even just coexist, can be as simple as a ridealong or job shadow that creates better understanding. The efficiency that fosters is invaluable.

SECTION 3 OF 10

Call Prioritization

For biggest bang, book biggest opportunities first

To maximize the opportunities for the company and to facilitate greater customer satisfaction, it is important to understand the best way to prioritize service calls. 

When a company has limited availability for technicians because of high demand or labor shortage, it’s best to prioritize the calls based upon warranty work, memberships, non-working vs working equipment, older equipment, and location. 

It’s important to identify what types of calls are most valuable to your company. It’s a best practice to always take care of warranty work first. Company reputation is at hand and you want to keep your existing customers happy and taken care of. 

The following order is a good rule of thumb: 

  • Demand service call for new (within 1 year) residential installations (typically a warranty call)

  • Demand service call for residential membership customers

  • Demand service call for new (within 1 year) commercial installations (typically a warranty call)

  • Demand service call for commercial membership customers

  • Demand service call for recent (within 5 years) residential/commercial installation

  • Demand service call for residential equipment we installed (over 5 years ago)

  • Demand service calls with equipment over 10 years old will take precedence over equipment less than 10 years old

  • Demand service call for non-working equipment (service call) will take precedence over maintenance

  • Maintenance calls for residential membership customers

  • Maintenance calls for commercial membership customers

  • Maintenance calls for new customers

  • All other calls, scheduled according to availability

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