Retail Observer

RETAILOBSERVER.COM JULY 2023 56 T wo years ago I authored an article recounting several past attempts by Sears, A&E, and Direct Energy to create a national service network. In that column, I warned readers of Asurion's turn at bat, and questioned whether they would succeed where the others had failed. Nine months later I followed up with an article reporting that the warranty provider's dream of a national service network was starting to fade, after it was forced to let go 5 percent of its workforce. I hate to say "I told you so," but this May, after investing two years and approximately $160 million, Asurion pink-slipped its 48 remaining appliance repair technicians. The point is, there's no need to create a new national service grid when a network of self-service dealers and independent servicers is already in place. If manufacturers offered a fair and equitable warranty rate, many service companies would gladly accept warranty service dispatches, and the existing national network would flourish. ROUNDTABLE TIPS FROM SUMMIT 2023 During the most recent AVB BrandSource Summit, ServiceSource held roundtable discussions with 150 self-servicing dealers. The goal was to uncover the industry's best practices in four crucial service operation areas. Below are the top five suggestions for each category: Where are you finding technicians for your company? 1. Hire from within (mostly install/delivery) 2. Offer good pay 3. Use CareerPlug, Indeed.com, ZipRecruiter 4. Facebook 5. Community College How do you incentivize customer service reps (CSRs) to book more calls? 1. We're already too busy to take any more calls; don't want more 2. Offer CSRs a commission 3. Use a script 4. Hire CSRs with some technical skills/experience 5. Maintain a proper ratio of CSRs to service techs What are you doing to collect more online reviews? 1. Business card that thanks customer and requests a review via QR code 2. Use online reputation services like Podium, Broadly, Package.ai, Birdeye, Fluid Local 3. Pay techs for positive reviews 4. Leave a document behind 5. Send a follow-up thank you note or email What are you doing to grow your COD service business? 1. Too busy to take on any more business 2. Refrigerator magnets 3. Leave a company sticker on the appliance 4. Paid search 5. Facebook ads The two-hour roundtable was the highlight of the ServiceSource education series at Summit and was enjoyed by all. It was such a hit with the members, in fact, that we'll hold a similar event at BrandSource's 2023 Convention next month in Nashville. This time, a panel of successful self-servicing dealers will share their success in service and take questions from the audience. Until then, BrandSource's self-servicing members can join me for ServiceSource Thursdays, a new weekly value-add from the buying group to help you focus on your service operations. The second Thursday of every month is ServiceSource Coffee Break, featuring a live video call-in from a service vendor partner, and the third Thursday is Ask the Factory, where you can ask a manufacturer's national service manager hard-hitting questions about their warranty policies and procedures. Happy trails! DISPATCHES FROM THE SERVICE FRONT Asurion pulls the plug; top tips from servicers; ServiceSource Thursdays Paul Mac.Donald Service Trends Paul MacDonald, AVB's senior ServiceSource lead, ran his own 38-tech service business and is a past president of the UASA. Paul currently operates The Expert Service Program which helps servicers run their operations more efficiently and profitably. You can reach him at (647) 500-7785 or paul.m.macdonald@pmdgroup.ca. RO The author, Paul MacDonald, leading an appliance service seminar at AVB's Summit show in Las Vegas.

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