Is Your Service “Check Engine” Light On?

Just like your vehicle’s Check Engine light, ignoring alerts from your Service Check Engine Light (i.e. service metrics) can be costly.

By: Randall Selleck – Senior Consultant, Service Strategies

No, not the alert on your vehicle’s dashboard, rather your Service Check Engine Light, i.e. the KPI alert(s) on your service team’s dashboard. Just like ignoring your vehicle’s “Check Engine” light, not heeding the alerts from your service metrics can be costly.

As important as it is to take your vehicle in for a service diagnostic when that blasted “Check Engine” light appears, it is just as important to diagnose your service business and operations when Service KPIs (i.e. your service check engine light) turn red. When was the last time you and your team conducted a rigorous review of key service delivery processes, key metrics, internal recruiting, hiring and training your employees, or conducted a thorough investigation of employee engagement and customer feedback?

Service operations can measure their performance a hundred different ways. Fluctuations within your key performance metrics can be caused by several factors such as; growth, new or enhanced product introductions, seasonality, employee turnover, inconsistent third-party outsourcer performance, changes to key processes and even changing the metrics or their definitions.

Both in leading Service organizations and in my consulting engagements, many times I have seen either complacency in reviewing root cause issues impacting operational performance, or a reactionary “quick fix” approach to quickly turn that Service “Check Engine” light off for a while.

Just like having your vehicle inspected at the repair shop when that “Check Engine” light is on, I suggest a full Service Health Check of your operations with either internal or external resources. Some key focus areas: Planning and Strategy, Customer Feedback, Service Delivery Processes, Performance Metrics, Employee Development, People Programs and Service interface with Product Development and Sales. Dig beyond the numbers. Inspect service delivery processes and what is behind the numbers.  Fix the issues that are keeping your Service “Check Engine’ light on. Please let me know what you think.

If you are interested in getting a Service Operations Health Check for your organization, Contact Us.