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

Parts Inventory Management: Elusive and Evolving

Today we reprint an article, with permission, that was featured in the January 2015 USA Newsletter. It is by USA's Executive Director Paul Mac Donald and covers an important issue facing the appliance service industry. Thanks to Paul for allowing us to share it with you.

As I wrote last month, the best way to facilitate first call completes is to pre-diagnose every service call before rolling a truck. But the second biggest contributing factor is also worth investigating. It’s all about having the right parts to complete repairs in a single trip. Having the right part will not only make you more profitable, it leads to happy customers who are impressed with your efficiency and speed, and inclined to make recommendations to family and friends across their social network. 

Typically, replacement parts inventories are not managed well. This can be a major problem for service providers, as consumers unleash their displeasure on Yelp, Facebook and Angie’s List. Technology in modern appliances is unique to each brand and model, and repair parts are costly, making it impossible for service providers to stock their trucks with fast-moving common parts. 

Service providers are being forced to take a new approach to managing parts inventories. Gone are the days of universal parts with elements that fit in eight different models. New appliance models are released every six months as consumers crave the latest gadgets and gear. Have you seen the Dacor wall oven with Wi-Fi connectivity enabling users to surf the net from the control panel? Imagine Martha Stewart walking you through stuffing a turkey via YouTube on your oven control. I’ve seen it in action. It’s impressive, but there’s not one part in that oven that can be used on a Wolf or GE oven. 

Evolving technology in appliances presents a real repair challenge.  How do service providers ensure they have the right part at the right time to achieve a first call complete? To make money in the service business a service provider has to pre-diagnose every call. Based on a customer’s complaint and the machine’s ability to self-diagnose using fault codes and internet connectivity, the servicer must order every conceivable part before running a call to the customer’s home. This is no joking matter since you may order three parts and only need one.  The other two go back to the supplier for credit. Parts distributors are taking the brunt of this new inventory return phenomenon. Sooner or later this condition is going to come to a head and the industry will be forced to resolve it and level the playing field so that no one party takes the hit. 

It is time to raise the retail price of appliances to cover the warranty and service obligations after the sale. So far we have not seen much motivation or movement from the manufacturers, however, in my opinion, they have to address the cost of this new phenomenon. Ultimately the consumer will bear the brunt of the cost to repair appliances of the future. One manufacturer has already stepped up to the plate. When you repair a Dacor appliance under warranty the manufacturer speaks to the consumer to validate the failure and pre-diagnose the repair. Then they ship all conceivable parts to the authorized servicer at no charge so that they have every chance of completing the repair in the first trip without the burden of cost of acquisition or returning of parts. Such costs have to be accounted for in the selling price of the appliance. You can’t ask for better than that. Or can you? 

I predict the appliances of the not-too-distant future will not only self-diagnose, but also self-repair, via internet commands. It won’t cost much more to build appliances with dual components during manufacturing so that when one fails the central controller will simply switch to the back-up component without the help of humans.  

Attend the United Servicers Annual Service Training Institute the 2015 ASTI February 9-12 in New Orleans to see all the latest technology in appliances and what’s coming next. Registration and details at asti.us. 

Paul Mac Donald

United Servicers Association

One Last Word About The RSTI in Clackamas

Tomorrow in Clackamas, we begin the last of the Regional Service Training Institutes that W.L. May will be hosting this year in conjunction with the United Servicers Association. I could tell you how you will learn new skills and make yourself and your company more marketable, but Bradley has already made that argument fairly persuasively.

I am going to focus instead on what I consider to be one of the most valuable parts of the session. That would be the Round Table Discussion held after Thursday night dinner, Sadly, a lot of guys opt out of this session. Either they are tired from a long day, or they have the opinion that they are already running a successful business and they don't have any more to learn.

I strongly disagree. Even if you run the best service company in the United States, the world is changing fast and it takes effort to stay ahead of the pack. Even though I live on the parts side of the counter, I am always interested in hearing what issues service companies are challenged with and how they are responding to those challenges. I always get at least one idea how to provide better service for my customers from the discussion. I bet you would too.

Time is running out fast, but a few slots are still open and you can even show up to the Monarch Hotel in Clackamas for last minute registration. We hope to see you there! And if you do attend, make sure and attend the Round Table discussion. I will be there, so introduce yourself. I will be the big guy with the graying beard.

Happy Learning Folks!

Monarch Hotel & Conference Center
12566 SE 93rd Ave
Clackamas, OR 97015 Map
503-652-1515
1-800-492-8700 Toll Free
503-652-7509 Fax

Speaking of Back To School

Flicker/CC

With the passing of Labor Day, it's time for the "Back To School" season. If the kids in your neighborhood are not already back in school, they will be soon. Please be careful as you are making your service calls, there's certain to be more bikes and miniature pedestrians on the road then you probably were seeing over summer break.

As Kelly mentioned in yesterday's post, we are also training some new parts people here ate W.L. May so we are in a back to school frame of thought as well. Its always exciting to share our knowledge and experience with newcomers to our industry.

Should you be thinking about going back to school too? Lets face it, no matter how much of a whiz-bang servicer you might be on the classic Maytag laundry products, or the old GE refrigerators, those machines are getting less and less common. More and more machines are coming onto the market that have made radical changes from some long running designs. The old rules just don't apply any more!

The new machines offer you both new challenges and new opportunities. Service calls on the newer machines frequently involve more expensive components. This means you have less room for errors but also the opportunity for greater profits. The changes will also, over time, make the skills of those who keep up with all of the changes more valuable. This alone is a powerful argument for going "back to school".

Business and marketing is also changing rapidly with the digital age, and those changes affect both your customers expectations as well as how you react to this new type of customer. United Servicer members are on the front lines of change and would like you to join them in tackling the challenges of the 21st century appliance repair industry.

W.L. May Co., in partnership with The United Servicers Association is offering you the chance to stay current with you skills with the fall Regional Service Training Institute. We have worked to offer training sessions regionally to limit the amount of travel involved for our more rural servicers.

Here are the dates and the types of training being offered at each RSTI:

• Sacramento, CA- September 25-26th-  Bosch, Electrolux, & Whirlpool, plus Business Classes 
• Salt Lake City, UT-October 9-10th- Bosch, Electrolux, Samsung & Whirlpool, plus Business Classes 
• Portland, OR-November 6-7th-Bosch, Electrolux, Samsung & Whirlpool, plus Business Classes

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

Registration for the event is $199.00. You registration fee includes all training and materials, five hot meals, and the opportunity to discuss challenges facing your company and the our industry, with knowledgeable peers who are outside of your competitive service area. 

More information  and to register visit the United Sevicers Registration site. Often these events sell out, and seats are filling up fast. Don't be the company that doesn't know how to fix one of those "new machines". Keep up with your competition, as we all move forward with new marketing and business management techniques for the digital age. Sign up NOW to make sure you are not "that company".

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

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