Friday Morning Videos: Reverse Polarity

For this mornings selection, we have a video from internet appliance repair celebrity, technician trainer and field technician: The Appliance Samurai. In this clip he talks about the dangers and diagnoses of reverse polarity wiring at the wall outlet. He also runs a pretty good training program for technicians at appliantology.org .

        For more education and entertainment from W.L. May Company click...HERE

RSTI Reminder

For those of you have known us for more than a year, you may remember that last fall (and for several years prior) we have hosted the Fall RSTI's for United Servicers Association. These RSTI's, or Regional Service Training Institute provide opportunities training in both repair and business management.

Another HUGE benefit of these "institutes" is the opportunity to interact with your peers in the repair industry. Let's face it, this can be a crazy business sometimes. The roundtable discussions offered at these meetings allow participants to share there own solutions to similar problems. In many ways, the roundtables can be the most beneficial aspect of an RSTI-and that is saying something when you consider the product repair and business skills training that is also given.

The United Servicers Association and W.L. May company would like to invite those in the Sacramento area and beyond to attend the RSTI's being held there on September 16th & 17th at Holiday Inn Rancho Cordova, 11269 Point E Dr, Rancho Cordova, CA 95742. We will see YOU there!

United Servicers Association 2015 Regional Service Training Institute Agenda WEDNESDAY 7-8 am: Breakfast 8-noon: Samsung refrigeration and dual evaporatator refrigeration theory noon-1 pm: Lunch 1-3 pm: Basic electricity: Using wire schematics to ensure proper diagnosis 3-5 pm: Convection cooking with microwaves and ranges Break 6-8 pm: Dinner: Owner and management roundtable THURSDAY 7-8 am: Breakfast 8-10 am: Whirlpool Dishwashers with Factory Trainer 10-noon: Technician soft skills and service sales noon-1 pm: Lunch 1-3 pm: Setting the stage for profits: Customer service representative soft skills 3-5 pm: Using technology for marketing and efficiency

2015 Servicer Training from United Servicers Association

Recently, Trev and Glyn from W.L.May Company talked about the upcoming Regional Service Training Institute being offered by United Servicers Association. Many of you got this clip sent to you via email, but for those who did not, Here are Trev and Glyn:



They're right, you know. There are a lot of great reasons to recommend this opportunity. We hope you can attend. Here are the dates for the sessions being co-hosted by W.L. May Company:

• September 16-17, 2015                       Sacramento, CA
• October 28-29, 2015                            Portland, OR
• November 4-5, 2015                            Boise, ID  

To register and view session agendas visit the USA RSTI site HERE.

      For more education and entertainment from W.L. May Company click...HERE

Whirlpool Training

Last week, W.L. May Company was happy to host a training session in the conference room of our "new" Vancouver warehouse. Whirlpool's trainer Randy Kruger brought his expertise to W.L. May Company, showing the mechanics of high efficiency top load washers and the radically new hybrid heat dryers.

Due to some scheduling difficulties this was announced with very short notice. For that we apologize. Despite the late announcement the turnout was impressive and shows us the demand for training opportunities. We thank  you all for attending and look forwarding to hosting more of this type of event in the future.

Mark Guzman, the manager of our Sacramento branch, was also on hand and snapped some pictures of the event that we are happy to share. Once again, thanks to all of you who made time in your busy schedules to attend and increase your product knowledge, we hope you found the experience helpful.

W.L. May Company sales manager, Trev Pelzer opened the program

Whirlpool trainer Randy Kruger provides his introduction

Technicians taking a closer look

Inside the Whirlpool Hybrid Heat Dryer

Randy Kruger provides a close up explanation

Looking at the "motor" area of the Whirlpool High Efficiency Top Load Washer

Training involves breaking down an appliance, here the rotor is being removed

A rarely seen overhead view of training in progress

We like seeing so many branded service vehicles visiting us. Thanks again!

Kelly's Korner - Technicians Wanted

Hey, All,

I am asked at least several times a month if I know of any appliance technicians looking for a job because the company I am talking to is looking for one.

Good techs are hard to find.  And it's getting harder.  Much like your disappearing shade tree mechanic, today's technology requires a good understanding of electronics, too.  With all the computer boards in both appliances and automobiles, today's technician had to be a computer whiz.

If you decide you want to be an appliance technician - how do you get training?  There are several ways.  If you can find a company that is a train-as-you-go (apprentice program), you can get in on the ground floor and usually work in-shop with an experienced tech in diagnosing and repairing appliances that are brought into the shop for repair.  Then doing ride-alongs with the field techs before going on your own.

Check your local colleges:  Community and technical are best for this.  They may have a course available for you to learn the business.

Fred's Academy:  Located in Madison, OH, Fred's (see video) work's with the appliance manufacturers and offers a 3 week hands on course in appliance repair.  They have rooms available to stay in during the course.  You will get hands on training from a working appliance repair business and, at the end of the course, take nationally recognized tests to be a certified technician.  They also deal with customer service and running your own business. Check them out on Facebook, too!

In my 14 years of working with WL May, I've been proud to help new businesses and established ones grow their business - kinda like watching your children grow, I've been so involved in a lot of them.  It is one of the best parts of my job.

So, if you are a bit technically inclined and looking for a career change or to start a new one, check into becoming an appliance tech - there are lots of jobs available out there!

Have a great week!

PSOC Convention

The PSOC is the Professional Servicers Of California. Started in 1955, they are a trade organization dedicated to increasing the skill set of appliance and electronic servicers. They work with Sacramento regulatory agencies to defend the rights and standards of the service trades.

In addition to lobbying, the organization is committed to providing technical training to it's members. A large amount of that training is available at their annual convention occurring later this month, May 14-17. To register and for more information visit the PSOC website.

This year the training will be in Buena Park, CA in the shadow of the roller coasters at Knotts Berry Farm. Training will be offered on Whirlpool, Electrolux and LG Laundry and Refrigerators, Samsung and U-Line Refrigerators, and Bosch Dishwashers. In addition, on the business side of things, they will be talking about doing business with AIG, California regulations and licensing, the state of the industry.

As always, we support continuing educations for appliance servicers. The PSOC is a great opportunity for California service techs to improve their skills. We will be attending and hope to see you there as well. If you make down make sure to stop by and say hello to Todd.

            For more education and entertainment from W.L. May Company click...HERE

Three Types of Repair Companies

(Flickr user 401K 2012/CC)

How is your business doing? Are you happy with your current level of success? Would you like to to be more profitable?

We want you to succeed. In fact, your success is vital to our own. From this side of the counter we often see businesses in one of three stages: growing, holding on, or falling behind. We also see a lot of the same factors helping determine where a company might fall in that spectrum. Lets looks a little closer.

Growing. Even during the height of the economic downturn. some appliance repair companies managed to grow and expand. While each of those companies have their own style and approach to service, they also have a lot in common. Most of them are aware of how the Internet has changed marketing and have adjusted accordingly. They did not do this without help. Many of them also utilized training offered by the United Servicer Association. These companies also make time to keep up with new products and attend product training whenever it is available.

Holding On. The companies that we see holding on are not expanding their businesses. Occasionally they will take advantage of training opportunities if they are convenient enough to attend. These companies may need more training in Internet marketing. Sometimes they are learning new products on the job, wasting valuable time in the process.  They might also be losing time by not keeping a big enough inventory of parts on hand, resulting in return trips that cost both time and vehicle expenses. Not everyone that is just holding on is lacking in skills, though. Sometimes retirement is close by and they have no exit plan. They are willing to go out of business when they retire, leaving them with no desire or need to grow their business.

Falling behind. Sadly, we see some companies falling a little farther behind each year. These are the toughest cases to watch. Often these companies declined opportunities for further skills, either mechanically or digitally. They tend to blame the economy. Many times there is an avoidance of anything resembling a computer. By avoiding jobs involving computer boards, and pinning their hopes on the phone book ads that used to work so well, they find themselves with fewer and fewer jobs. These are the people that need to hear what the successful companies are doing. Unfortunately, they are the same people who will probably never even see this post.

If you want to be one of those "growing" companies, it is up to you to keep your skills up to date. To help you achieve that goal, W.L. May will be sponsoring and attending the ASTI (Appliance Service Training Institute). The event will be held in New Orleans, LA from Feb. 8-12th. Classes will be offered not only on product training, but also on business and Internet marketing. We hope we see you there!

For more from education and entertainment from W.L. May Company click...HERE

Technician Training and Hiring

Finding Repair People IS A Challenge (Flickr User JD Hancock/CC)

The roundtable discussion at a United Servicers Association meeting is always interesting and enlightening.The Portland roundtable in November touched upon an issue that is currently challenging our industry.

New technicians are not entering the trade at the same rate as old servicers are retiring. Many companies report great difficulties in finding skilled repair people. The conversation discussed the pro's and con's involved with training your own techs vs. hiring already knowledgeable techs.

In house training lets techs learn in an environment that matches how their company does business, but it is a time consuming process. Hiring an experienced technician can sometimes mean that they have learned to do things differently than your company might do them. In other words, you might be taking on "additional baggage".

There is a third way that was discussed to adress the need for techs. That would be to utilize one of the appliance training programs that are offered around the country. You might recruit a recent graduate or send a promising rookie to school.

Without our specific endorsement, there were three such programs discussed favorably at the roundtable meeting that I attended,

Freds Appliance Academy offers a three week immersion type of program that features classroom and hands on training. They even have a student dorm available for students.

Internet appliance repair celebrity, the Appliance Samurai, uses his irreverent (but quite knowledgable) approach to appliance repair. His online training program shows budding "appliantologists" how to repair and service appliances at his Samurai Tech Academy.

The last training program mentioned has been used by several Northwest technicians that I know of. Renton Technical College in Renton, WA has programs teaching appliance repair in a traditional collegiate training program.

If you are struggling to fill the gaps in your repair staff, graduates from one of these programs can step in already trained. Likewise, if you know of someone who would make a good technician, one of these programs could give that person the skills needed for success in appliance repair.

I know that there are other programs that exist around the country, if you know of a good appliance repair training program that I have not mentioned, please share it with us in the comments.

POST SCRIPT: This comment came in via Twitter:

@WLMayCo also add Los Medanos College in Pittsburg CA. Appliance Service Technology courses. short term, accredited. #SFBayArea
— ApplianceTechs_Marin (@ATOMsanRafael) January 7, 2015

For more from education and entertainment from W.L. May Company click...HERE

RSTI Closing Thoughts

Today's business classes mark the end of the United Servicers Association's RSTI sessions. Its been a great season and W.L. May Company is proud to have hosted three of these events. In Sacramento, Salt Lake City, and Portland, over 90 servicers increased their skills in working on appliances made by Bosch, Electrolux, Samsung, and Whirlpool. They gained valuable tips for managing and growing their businesses. Many of them also shared their experiences and gained from their peers at the Round Table Sessions held at each event. All of them are now USA members, and have access to the United Servicers Association's library of technical information and they will be able to consult with peers from accross the nation on the Associations USAChat forum.

Our sincere thanks go out to everyone who participated. Thanks to the servicers, some of who traveled long distances to attend and who invested a day or two lost in the field to improve their skills in the long run. Thanks, as well to the United Servicers Association for putting on such a great program. Lastly, thanks our team here at W.L. May that coordinated such successful events. Good job to all of you!

The next event for the United Servicers Association is the ASTI (Appliance Service Technical Institute). This event is the big dog of USA events. It runs for 4 days From February 9-12 in New Orleans, Louisiana. There are more sessions and more subjects covered in detail at the ASTI and servicers from all over North America attend. For those who want to expand the experience, USA offers an EXTRA day of training on February 8th where basic electrical and refrigeration will be covered. 

If all that is not enough, there is one more thing that may prove to be attractive about this particular RSTI. Mardi Gras is the following Tuesday, so for those who stay a few day longer in New Orleans, there should be no shortage of excitement to be found in the Crescent City. We will be there and we hope to see you there as well.

Here are a few pictures from the various RSTI's we hosted this fall, many of these were posted on social media, but in case you missed them.

From Sacramento:

From Salt Lake City:

From Portland:

Thanks Again! We Will See You In New Orleans!

Kelly's Korner - New Employees and the Learning Process

Hey, All,

As in any place of employment, there are people starting a job and some leaving (NO, I AM NOT LEAVING!) and we here at W L May are not in any way immune to this.  We do have employees that have been here for 30+ years!  And they will tell you that this job is a constant learning process.

We have a couple of newbie salespeople that I have been helping to train and the first thing we tell them is that they will NEVER know everything.  And not to denigrate the fast food industry because I have put my time in there - but this isn't burgers and fries.

Creative Commons license on image.

Think of it this way.  Over the decades, fads, fashion and technology has changed dramatically.  You can see this every day in the car you drive and the phone you use.  The same is true for appliances.  In its day, the old wringer washer was a break-through in modern techology.  Now it is a museum piece.  And they are not all the same.  Parts that will work on a Model T Ford will not work on Chevy Camaro, right?  So when I am training, the constant theme that I tell my trainees is to ASK QUESTIONS!!!  If they are not 100% sure what the customer is looking for - keep asking. We get people calling in all the time that want a shelf for their refrigerator or a belt for their dryer and think they are all the same.  NOT!

So if you call in and get one of our new people, please be patient with them and their questions.  They are in a constant learning process and don' t know the machines and customers like us veterans do and they do want to get you the part you need.  And believe me, I learn something new everyday and I will be the first to admit I don't know everything.  Welcome to the W L May family, Liz and Lloyd!

Have a great week!

It's That Time Of Year: RSTI's Are Coming

Here we are halfway through Summer. That means that before you know it Summer will be over, and the children will be going back to school for the Fall. With Fall also comes a schooling opportunity for the appliance service community.

Portland RSM 2013

Every fall, the United Servicers Association (USA) hold their Regional Service Training Institute (RSTI), formerly known as Regional Service Meetings (RSM). When the USA holds an annual convention in late winter, a lot of service companies and independent servicers that would like to attend have to decline due to travel, economic, or staffing issues. RSTI's offer a convenient alternative. A RSTI is is a sort of mini-convention. Various training classes in both appliance repair and business management are offered over a two day period in an area that should be no more than a few hours drive away wherever you do business.

In addition to the formal training opportunity, one of the most valuable benefits of the RSTI's is the Round Table discussion held at the end of the first night. Servicers who attend this meeting can compare notes and strategies for dealing with all aspects of an appliance service business. In prior meetings, I have heard discussions on everything from, labor prices, warranty issues, marketing ideas, equipment discussions and customer service techniques.

That is a whole heap of value. But wait. there's more! With your registration, five meals are included. You also gain membership in the USA. USA members enjoy access to the USA Service Library, which is stocked with all kinds of service pointers, manuals, and diagrams. They also have access to USA Chat, an email forum that allows techs to help techs solve problems encountered in appliance service.

W.L. May is proud to work with USA to sponsor RSTI's for customers in our service area. You can register for these events at the USA web page at http://www.unitedservicers.com/,  and at the top go to the drop down menu under Parts Distributor, there you can save $100 on their first year membership; $99, instead of $199. The benefits you will get as a member is worth exponentially more..It is all outlined on their website. We are hosting RSTI's on the following dates:

Sacramento, CA- September 25-26th-  Bosch, Electrolux, & Whirlpool, plus Business Classes

Please make a note there will be no Samsung training in Sacramento.

Courtyard Sacramento Airport Natomas

916-922-1120

2101 River Plaza Drive

Sacramento, California 95833

Salt Lake City, UT-October 9-10th- Bosch, Electrolux, Samsung & Whirlpool, plus Business Classes

Holiday Inn Hotel & Suites Salt Lake City-Airport 

(801) 741-1800

5001 W. Wiley Post Way

Salt Lake City, Utah 84116

Portland, OR-November 6-7th-Bosch, Electrolux, Samsung & Whirlpool, plus Business Classes

Monarch Hotel & Conference Center
503-652-1515
12566 SE 93rd Avenue
Portland, Oregon 97015



We truly hope you can make it out to the Regional Service Training Institute in your area. Support your continuing education, and demonstrate that there is a demand for more of these types of educational opportunities. We will be there, WILL YOU?

For more from education and entertainment from W.L. May Company click...HERE

Web Tools Wednesday: The Importance of Original Content

Creative Commons license on image.

Here at W.L. May, we are seeing the marketplace shift in some dramatic ways in a very short time. We have chosen to take a stance of educating our customers to help them address those challenges. That is why we so strongly support the technical and business training opportunities being offered by the United Servicers Association, as well as providing information to help your business via this blog, Facebook, Twitter and Google+.

It has been fun to watch as many of our clients have developed their own social media strategies, often with great success. We have seen some companies gaining greater prominence in their communities which is reflected in their adding technicians and growing their businesses. It is our desire that our efforts here have been helpful to you in providing inspiration or information to share with your customers, we even hope you have been having fun along the way. We do wish that for you.

As more and more companies begin their own forays into the world of social media. This seems like a good time to talk about original content. This can be a confusing issue when discussing social media because social sharing is at the core of how sites like Facebook work. For the rest of the article I will be using Facebook as my examples but the points are true for whichever social media platform you are using.

Sharing is a good thing to do when you come across an item that you think your page followers would find of interest. There is a right way and a wrong way to do it though. I have seen some companies that will go so far as to cut and past entire articles as their status posts. I have even seen posts like these that claim the were written by the poster, when a quick search shows the post to be a preexisting article. This is a really bad idea. You will be getting the information out there, but you are also exposing yourself to the potential of lawsuit for copyright infringement.

Now, you may be thinking to yourself that there is plenty of that sort of copy and paste thing happening on the internet every where you look and no one is going to notice if I just copy the text as if it were my own. You may be right, so far. The truth is, a search of Google did not lead to any stories of successful lawsuits for plagiarism in Facebook. Lawsuits have been filed against some blogs though. As a business owner, you are always the target of a certain breed of lawyers. Why give them something to work with?

The best method is either to take the article and rewrite it yourself, in your own words, and with your own opinions mixed in. The is not the most original approach but it still leaps and bounds above directly cutting and pasting. As those of you who follow W.L.May on the social networks know, we prefer to offer a link directly to the article. Best is a comment to go with the link explaining why you find it of interest. This allows the writer to recieve credit for their article being read. Since many writers are paid by the number of people who visit their page this is a way of letting them get their due for helping you with your marketing efforts.

When it comes to pictures, it is perfectly acceptable to "share" a picture that someone else has posted. However, if you choose to post a picture yourself again it is wise to make sure that you own the rights to the picture. There are numerous sources of free images you can use or you can take pictures yourself to use. Don't just copy a picture from Google images and use that. Those pictures are often copyright protected and again leave you vulnerable to lawsuit. Some photographers have been successful in suing for images being used on blogs and settlements have been fairly large. Why take the chance?

There are considerations to be made about the style of your posts: personal or business like, how often to talk about yourself or your company, whether you should talk about religion and politics. All of these things can have a huge impact on your success using social media. But that will have to wait for a future post. Have a great day and happy servicing.

For more from education and entertainment from W.L. May Company click...HERE

Kelly's Korner - Reflections on W L May

Hey, All,

As you may or may not know, W L May is celebrating our 90th year of supplying appliance parts to servicers and retail.  Wow, 90 years! 

As a relative rooky here (only 12 years to some who have over 20 and 30 years) this is so impressive.  How many companies do you know that have been in business that long?  Not a whole lot, and some that have been in business for way long have fallen to changing times.  Remember Montgomery Wards and Woolworth's?  Why do some companies stay in business for a long time and some are a flash in the pan?

I believe the W L May philosophy is the main reason we've been here so long - look, a pump is a pump and a belt is a belt, and you can get them just about anywhere, right?  What makes W L May different is that we CARE about our customers and their business.  We get to know our customers - not just the business - but the people in the company.  What they like to do in their off time, family, special interests - just like anyone does when they make new friends.  Because that's what our customers become - friends.  I have quite a few of mine as Facebook friends, have had dinner/drinks, and just yakked on the phone with them.  Some even have my personal phone number and, on the rare occasion that I am out sick, call and make sure I am ok, been invited to weddings, Christmas parties and have a place to stay in whatever town I'm in.

And W L May hosts OEM and business training sessions, is a liason to the OEM's, and we do our best to keep on fingers on the pulse of the appliance industry as a whole and pass that along.  We maintain this blog site, have a Facebook page and are constantly looking for ways to help our customers run a successful and profitable business. 

So it is not just looking up parts and getting them to you, we run a whole gambit of services for you and your business.  And if you've never dealt with us, give us a call so we can become friends.

Have a great week!

PS:  Keep your eyes peeled - there may be a birthday party in the offing!

Kelly's Korner - Education

Hey, All,

We have all been in the position of learning something new - tying your shoes, cooking, mathematics, job duties, etc. -  and being told how to do it by someone else - parent, teacher, supervisor, etc.  Think back to who your favorite and least favorite teacher was.  Why are they your favorite or not?


Creative Commons license on image.

Learning is something that happens every day, every hour, and how you retain that knowledge and use it depends alot on the person teaching you.  Have you ever been put in a position of starting a new task of some kind and just left to figure it out on your own?  How did that make you feel?  Or have you been paired with someone that explained every step, patiently answered your questions - even the same ones over and over - and didn't let you fly free until you were totally comfortable with what you were doing.  Which method do you prefer?

Here at W L May, we not only help to train new employees, but help our customers in learning more about the appliance industry.  One of the things that is best about this job is that  something new is learned every day.  And we are more than happy to pass on that knowledge.  This is one of the reasons I keep my Superhero Book. I may not have to remember detail of what I have dealt with, but remembering that I have that info in my Book is priceless.  The appliance business is ever-changing and we here at W L May do our best - not only keeping up with the new stuff - but remembering things about the older appliances out there, also.  And we are happy to share that knowledge with you.

W L May also sponsors training sessions for independent servicers to help learn what is going on in the industry and we have several of these coming up soon - check the link for a session near you.  Time is running out on the Portland session.  www.unitedservicers.com

Got a question or a tough research?  Call us. Chances are that we have heard your problem before and can help, or we will help you find an answer if it is a stumper.  After all, with being in business for 90 years and long term employees (some have over 30 years here!) there is a lot of knowledge here to share!

Have a great week!

Wednesday: Worth Learning More

Many of the service techs we talk to find it a challenge to keep up with new developments in the appliance repair trade. To help address that problem, W.L. May Co & the United Servicers Association (USA) have partnered to announce the fall round of Regional Service Meetings (RSM). At all RSM’s technical training will be provided on Whirlpool front load laundry and Bosch dishwashers, and both Sacramento and Portland will offer Electrolux front load laundry training, while Boise will offer a session on GE products. This is in addition to a business concepts class being taught at each meeting. This is a valuable opportunity, which attracts repeat attendees each year. Dues to the popularity of the program, seats fill up fast. If you would like to attend, don't delay and register now. If you have questions, you're friendly W.L.May representative will be happy to help.

Dates and locations are as follows:

Sept. 19 - 20
Portland, OR
Monarch Hotel & Conference Center                                                                  
12566 S.E. Ninety-Third Avenue                                                      
Clackamas, OR  97015                                                                        
503-652-1515                                                                                                                                      
RSM Registration: $149.00
Room rate  $99.00  Cut Off Sept. 1, 2013

  United Servicers Association Portland Regional Servicers Meeting Fall 2013

Oct. 31-  Nov 1
Sacramento, CA
Courtyard Sacramento Airport Natomas                            
2101 River Plaza Dr.                                                      
Sacramento, CA95833                                                            
916-561-3282
RSM Registration: $149.00                                                            
Room rate $129.00 Cut off  Wed Oct 9.

  United Servicers Association Sacramento Regional Servicers Meeting Fall 2013

Nov. 7- 8
Boise, ID
Holiday Inn Boise Airport                                                
2970 Elder Street                                                                        
Boise City, ID 83705
208/344-7444                                                                                        
RSM Registration: $149.00
Room Rate $90/All Suites   Cut-off Date  October 16

  United Servicers Association Boise Regional Servicers Meeting Fall 2013

Web Tools Wednesday-Five Ways to Use a Smart Phone on Service Calls

More and more companies are using smart phones to make their technicians more efficient and productive. In case you didn't know or need some convincing as to why you might want to upgrade your old cell phone here are 5 ways appliance service people can use a smart phone to help run their service calls.

1. Use your camera. Take a picture of the model number label. There are some techs who do this for every service call and save themselves a lot of writing. Even if you are in the habit of writing down the model number this is good insurance against damage to your notes. That camera can also come in handy for some of those hard to describe parts, just take the picture and let your part researcher see it for reference.
   
2. Research parts on the fly. W.L. May Company has full illustrated part breakdowns optimized for mobile phone available to our account holders. You can see a breakdown of the machine, get the part number, share a quote with your customer, and place the order all from the field saving you office time at the end of the day. And if you are in a really sticky situation, you can always use the phone to contact the factory tech line.

   

   Courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net

3. Help with scheduling, There are several apps that can help you with scheduling and/or to-do lists. Also, an appreciated courtesy would be to let the consumer know you are on  the way shortly before you arrive at the home. If you will be late or early for your appointment that would also likely merit a call of warning. You may not be able to control surprises that can throw off your schedule, but you can minimize the effect by respecting your clients time and communicating with your clients if you will not be there at the time you said you would.

   

   Courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net

4. Maps and navigation. Years ago, when you didn't know where you were going, you could call the customer for directions or find it in the grid of  a Thomas Brothers map. These days life is so much easier when it comes to maps. You can even have a voice to guide you to your destination. Granted, dedicated GPS units have more features and may prove to be more useful depending on your needs, but the navigation included in most smart phones will do the job for you pretty well for many situations.

   

   Courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net

5. Financial tools. There are a lot of financial tools available for smart phones. I know of several companies that are already using credit card processing apps to bill their service calls from the field. Also several banks offer check deposit options using the phones camera features. If you are going to use your phone for location based finances, make sure you are dealing with a reputable company with secured access and other means of security.  

KELLY'S KORNER - GE PART NUMBERS

Hey, All,

Search back in the deep recesses of your mind to your school days and them darn spelling lists.  So many rules to remember like " 'i' before 'e', except after 'c', or when used in 'neighbor' or 'weigh' " - and there are exceptions to this!  Well, many people have questioned me on GE model and part numbers so I am going to try to help everyone out.

GE likes to put in "0's" in both the model number and the part numbers, but sometimes you have to drop them in order for them to come up. Example:

This is what's on the model number tag: JBS02004WH
This is what shows up on your research program: JBS02*04

Why? I don't know, but if you are having difficulties, start backing off the numbers/letters - JBS02 - this should bring up a list of all model numbers that start like this - go down the list until you find the model number that works. The WH is just the color code for a white model and they just drop this off alot of times.

So now you've found the correct model and you need a surface unit knob -WB03X0464 - but this doesn't come up as a good part number. Drop the leading zeros - WB3X464 - and then it should come up.

The exception for this is like WB03K10218 - you would not drop any zeros on this. It is confusing, I know but, as always, we here at W L May are here to help you clear the confusion!

The first two letters of the part number will tell you what kind of appliance the part goes to (there are exceptions:  some knobs are used on both washers and dryers, etc)

WD - dishwashers
WB - any kind of cooking appliance; ovens, ranges, microwaves, microhoods, vent hoods, etc.  I remind myself that the "B" is for baking.
WH - washers
WE - dryers (gas and electric)
WR - refrigerators
(there are others but these are the basics)

Hope this clears a bit of the confusion!

Have a great week!

2013 PSOC Convention

This week the PSOC or Professional Servicers Of California held their 58th annual convention at Knott's Berry Farm in Buena Park, CA. Furthering our commitment to the continuing education of our industry, W.L. May was in attendance again this year. Glyn Stubbs was on hand to share with attendees information about the level of service and accuracy that W.L. May provides our customers on a daily basis. He also discussed with attendees how those things can increase their companies bottom line by increasing their efficiency. While at the convention, Glyn was able to attend a few of the training sessions being offered to servicers. He sent back some cell phone pictures from the event which we are happy to share with you.

LG Training with John Stanton

More from the LG session

Whirlpool VMW top load washer and Alpha Front Load Washer Training

Whirlpool VMW top load washer and Alpha Front Load Washer Training 2

Whirlpool VMW top load washer and Alpha Front Load Washer Training 3

Whirlpool VMW top load washer and Alpha Front Load Washer Training 4

Thoughtful Thursday: Facebook Roundup

As many of you are aware, W.L. May Company has made a commitment to helping to keep you informed about the appliance industry, with an emphasis on parts and repairs. We also are committed to the success of your company during these changing times that is the information revolution. This blog is one way we have been trying to share our knowledge and experience with you. Facebook is another way.
Here is a quick roundup of articles that have been shared on Facebook in the last month. For more of this kind of information make sure to "like" us on Facebook and visit us there often.

We told you about some new products in development.

• Whirlpool announced a new line of wi-fi smart appliances. Link
• GE Announced a refrigerator with a built in hot water dispenser. Link
• The web site Gizmodo told us about a device that uses ultraviolet light to disenfect your dishwashers interior. Link
• Consumer Reports gave good grades to Whirlpool & Maytag for the operating times on their front loaders. Link

We shared information about the business side of the appliance industry and the major manufacturers.

• GE announced the production of front load washers in the U.S. ,which they have never done before. Link
• Electrolux shares hope that an improving housing market in the US will offset sluuggish growth in Europe. Link
• A letter to USA Today talked about changes at Whirlpool and a growth of their bottom line. Link

Sometimes we share tips for home owners and the DIY crowd.

• We found some tips for cleaning refrigerators. Link

Information about running your business can be helpful. Here are tips for managing people and also technology.

• Great Leadership explained the importance of satisfied employees and how being penny-wise can sometimes be pound-foolish. Link
• We found an article that gave some practical advice about computer passwords. How to create very safe passwords for a variety of web sites and even more importantly, how to remember them! Link

Since it is Facebook, we also found some information to help your business use social media in its marketing mix.

• PostRocket talks about Facebook's EdgeRank. How it can limit who sees your Facebook posts, and how to maximise your exposure on Facebook. Link
• While, W.L. May encourages the use of social media in your marketing mix. It is not without some risk. This article from Dashburst examines a few things to be careful of if your are "going social". Link

Web Tools Wednesday: The W.L. May website

This article is for W.L. May account holders. Do-It-Yourselfers and others are encouraged to take a look through our archives for other articles that might prove more useful.



Today's web tool I'd like to talk about is the main W.L. May website. When you first arrive at our site, you will be greeted by a picture of some appliances and you'll notice some tabs above the picture. The left hand tab button says "Find A Part" clicking on that will take you to a field where you can enter your part number to check availability and our retail pricing. The right hand tab button says "Contact" which naturally will lead to a screen with addresses and phone numbers for W.L. May's four branches. But it is the center button "Technicians" that leads to all the "good stuff". Clicking on that button will take you to a page that has a few links listed on the side bar. One is for an application for an open account, which presumably you have if you are still reading this. The link to "access online account" is what you want. This will take you to the log in screen. You will need a username and password at this point. If you don't yet have a password, contact your account manager to get signed up for the program. It's free to sign up and allows access to a lot of useful data.

When you sign in you will be greeted by a welcome page that shows your company name. You will notice a menu of links on the side bar. Lets go through these one by one:
1. Item & Availability-This is just what it sounds like. Enter a part number to check availability at all four of our branches. Shows retail pricing as well as regular dealer costs and any other sales prices that might apply.
2. Flyer Pricing-This links you to a list of parts on our everyday low pricing program. Remember, these prices stay in place until the end of the year!
3. Web Specials-Every week we feature a few selected items as a one week special, and occasionally we will have big one day sales sponsored by the manufacturers. Check here weekly for extra special pricing.
4. Research-This links you to IPL. IPL is short for Illustrated Parts Lookup. This is an online version of the same software we use here at W.L. May Company for parts research. With pictures and complete parts list, this tool can help you find most items on a given machine. Here is a tip, many models have spaces or dashes that can confuse the search feature. If your model number doesn't show up, try typing the first half of the number, which will give you a list of models that start that way.Frequently, your model will show up on that list. We don't intend for the IPL to replace customer service, its just another tool we provide for your convenience. If you ever need ANY help at finding a part, just give us a call.
5. Backorder Inquiry-Provides you with a list of all parts that you have on backorder that have not arrived at W.L.May Company yet.
6. Package Tracking-Connects your shipped order to your shippers tracking information so you can keep track of your order until it arrives.
7. Shipped Orders-Enter an item number on this page to see a list of invoices where that part was purchased, as well a order dates, purchase order numbers and pricing to help keep your records straight.
8. Account Status-Provides you with a list of pending invoices to help you manage your cash flow.
9. Check Inquiry-See if a check you have mailed in for payment has been processed.
10. Order Entry-A form for placing your orders. Feel free to include comments if you have any special requests. Also, please make sure that all required fields are filled out as incomplete order forms are not processed by the computer.
11.  Communications-Blank returns forms for warranty and non warranty returns as well a database for reviewing your completed invoice by invoice number.
12. Billing Service-Connects you to BillTrust, our online account management partner.

As you can see, W.L.May Company has a number of free tools to help make your business run more efficiently, and thus more profitably. One more thing, if you will be accessing our website by smart phone we have a mobile version of our website that maximizes research tools for a phone sized screen. Also our mobile site site shows retail pricing only, in case you have concerns about your privacy. We welcome you to try one or both versions of our website and see how it can help your business run more smoothly and profitably.