How can you reduce the need for repeat visits to customer sites?

First time right- work attitude is important. During the first visit, spend more time observing and monitoring all the critical and running parameters. Look out for any kind of abnormalities, you should develop the ability to think ahead of unforeseen circumstances which may cause trouble.

Discuss matters with co-workers , like scope of work , steps to follow and critical and optional actions to perform within the frame time given for servicing

If possible, call the customer directly ( What is it doing that it shouldn't, What is it not doing that it should) and go over details of issue and confirm time and location. If warranted, a call to technical support for the product(s) may provide insight in what tools documents and parts you should bring. Are two people required? Is there enough time allotted?

I have found it very beneficial to discuss with the customer as to when the problems started. Was it sudden, or progressively getting worse. Ask the rest of your Service team if they have experienced the same problem elsewhere. To troubleshoot you really need to understand the equipment, how it works. I used to get the individual Service Engineers to document each problem. We had a file which contained these reports online to allow everyone to access these before they went to site. Nothing is worse than travelling to site and not having the knowledge and tools to solve the problems.

This starts from initial customer contact. The person who customer first contacts must ask correct questions as to what the customer needs.

El tener un contacto fluido con el cliente y de manera bidireccional permite que tanto la información y la opinion dada por el cliente sea mas positiva ademas de permite conocer con mas detalle el momento de la incidencia ocurrida, tanto causales como ambientales. Asi mismo ser trasparente al cliente puede dar una mejor imagen de responsabilidad cuando aparezcan complicaciones en los mantenimientos y las reparaciones. Por ultimo si hay comunicación fluida se pueden detectar fallos de usuarios y corregirlos con formaciones in situ o programadas Por ello una comunicación fluida es un punto positivo para evitar visitas a clientes asiduas y evitables

They will want to tell you the story about what happened or is happening. Listen carefully for facts then ask careful questions. Has this happened before? What floor was the elevator on at the time? Was it raining? Has anyone else had this issue? Was anything else going on at the time this happened? People often exaggerate and generalize so ask for details "HAPPENS ALL THE TIME" may mean 2nd time and "HAS NEVER WORKED RIGHT" may mean 3rd issue in 2 years.

Troubleshooting : One thing I find helpful is to make a list of anything that is related to your issue. Then instead of finding your problem go thru the list and remove items that are not your problem, by proving each and every thing on the list. This does 2 things , it forces you to check things thoroughly and you will find the cause. Listen to the customer ,but remember they called you for help so listen but do not go down a rabbit hole by what they tell you. Check it out for yourself Always remember it was working yesterday and now it's not. Simple things always happen. IE loose wire, stop button contacts open.

If you cannot resolve the issue, I always have resources: fellow Service Reps or Technical Support teams to assist in resolution. Once done you should have specific functional & performance verification checks documented so that this does not reoccur. Nothing irritates a customer more than the same thing happening again!

One effective way to reduce the need for repeat visits to customers' sites is by implementing proactive maintenance schedules. This involves regularly checking and servicing equipment or systems to prevent issues before they occur. Additionally, providing comprehensive training to operators  how to troubleshoot common problems themselves can help minimize the need for on-site visits. Leveraging remote monitoring and diagnostic tools can also allow you to identify and address issues remotely, further reducing the need for physical visits.

Tips: -Do Not AssUme. -The problem is the difference between what it is supposed to do and what it's doing. -Troubleshoot one issue at a time but keep the other symptoms in mind. -If working remotely, Do Not ask yes or no questions of the tech/customer. GOOD: what voltage is between terminal A1 and B2? BAD: Is there 24vdc between A1 and B2? -A poor troubleshooter changes circuit boards and checks if that fixes it.

Proper Preventive Maintenance needs to be replaced by the consumables every 6months & Training on instrument handling to respective users.

Training the customer is invaluable! A well-trained, knowledgeable customer is more likely to take good care of the equipment and maintain it properly, which reduces damage and extends longevity. At my company we have a double-pronged approach to this. First, the FSEs impart as much good advice as they can, giving whatever pointers the customers seems to need. Second, we have an Operator Training course that can be conducted remotely via Teams. This has been a popular item and it's very valuable, especially since most of our customers have enough turnover that knowledge of the equipment becomes informally handed-down 'oral history,' which isn't good for preserving correct information and skills.

If you solved issue go back and look at customers story and compare to what you found. If big diference think about how to teach them to better report the issue next time. Explaining what each system is suposed to do for example may mean that you will get more and better information on your next service ticket. If you could find/recreate the issue, go over what it could be and tell them what to watch for if it happens again, tge idea being to get more information if it happens again.

Training the customer is a fantastic way to reduce repeat visits. Sometimes we don't give our customers enough credit to carry out their own troubleshooting and very basic repairs. As the operator, they are likely very comfortable with their device and would appreciate some quick tips and tricks to support their daily work. Having your support to carry out simple troubleshooting and maintenance of their device will give them the encouragement they need to be more involved in this way. This of course can vary based on individual comfort level and technical aptitude. One note of caution: make sure to confirm with your customer and/or their manager if certain maintenance procedures are deemed acceptable and within their scope of practice.

Ensure that equipment is serviced fully and timely. Dirt within moving parts contributes to a large portion of faults. Test all functions are performing fully before leaving the equipment, and never leave equipment operating below its optimum.

You solved the immediate issue, but your not done yet. It's time for preventive service. If one light bulb burned out and all 3 were installed at the same time, suggest changing them all. If one 2 of 3 contacts failed suggest changing the other one too. If you found one loose wire, check them all. If two of the same machines and one had an issue, check the other one. Is it time to upgrade? can I sell them a service contract? Should they get a detailed inspection? Any known issues with this model I should check while I'm on site? Is the machine room clean?