For the Appliance Doctor, 2013 marks a year of technology advancements, both for its in-office staff as well as every service tech in the field.
What does this mean for our customers? Invoice e-mailing. Universal parts prices. Digitally trained technicians who use computerized diagnostic tools right in your home. Real-time access to service quotes, parts availability, and the status of your service call. It all adds up to improved efficiency and the best customer service possible.
We spoke with Appliance Doctors’ technology consultant, Richard J. Sedlack, and asked him about the new digitally integrated system.
“Not only does Internet connectivity help efficiency in the field, but we’ve eliminated a lot of paper because now everything is stored digitally. That cuts down on the lag time when ordering parts, and frees up a lot of manpower in the office.”
Within minutes of leaving the customer’s home on a service call, all of the information about that call is immediately available. Should a customer call for information, the office staff knows exactly what went wrong with his or her appliance, if a part is in stock, if it’s been ordered, when it will arrive, and when it can be installed.
“Even a customer who is at home waiting for a tech to arrive can get information from dispatch because we know exactly where our technicians are in the field,” Sedlack continues, so no more waiting all day to get your fridge up and running while the rest of your life is on hold.
Even better, Appliance Doctor technicians now have mobile connectivity to OEM diagnostic software, making fixes that much more reliable and offering direct access to manufacturer data, like schematic charts, photos of parts and configurations, and more.
“In some cases, manufacturers provide diagnostic software that we install directly on our technicians’ tablets; it helps determine what is going on with a customers’ appliance with the best possible accuracy,” Sedlack says. “Other manufactures, like Miele, provide 24/7 connectivity with customers’ appliances and then downloads any data, providing it directly to our technicians — partnerships that have never before been seen in the world of appliance service,” he continues.
This new system will provide troubleshooting expertise in minutes and ensures that the exact parts are ordered quickly. Basically, the days of asking customers to describe every squeak and rattle are over.
The Appliance Doctor is continuing with its digital upgrading throughout the year, finally finishing by computerizing truck inventories. The result will most certainly be more jobs completed successfully in just one day, and with that, an increase in customer satisfaction, our number-one goal.
