SERVICE AND MAINTENANCE

By Joshua Brown

Photo credit © Adobe Stock- MAXSHOT _ PL

On the dealer side of the equation, many are recognizing the incremental revenue and margin opportunity that mobile maintenance offers and continue to get better and better at servicing their customers this way.

For both parties, speed and efficiency are paramount for a mobile maintenance program to be successful. Landscapers and homeowners want their equipment up and running as quickly as possible. And for dealers, the offering is optimized when the mobile technicians have what they need to quickly perform the maintenance task in one trip.

To be successful, it comes down to the right people, the right processes and ondemand access to the right information.

Of course, it starts with knowledgeable technicians and thoughtfully planned out and stocked trailers to address any surprises that come up when they’ re on site performing maintenance or repairs.

It isn’ t enough just to train somebody to perform basic tune-up tasks and set them loose.

Josh Naylor at Haight’ s Outdoor Power Equipment in Madison, Wisconsin, shared that the mobile tech never knows what they’ re going to find when they get on site.“ Sometimes, you need to have a discussion about the lifespan of a machine. Maybe you can get the mower up and running in the short term, but you have to be candid about how much is too much to invest in an old machine.”

This is where Josh says that the best mobile techs are also sales-oriented.“ It may be a good opportunity to talk to the customer about a replacement. You’ re there in their yard or driveway in the case of a snowblower. You can assess the conditions and terrain and advise them about appropriate units for their space.”

A good process means the ability to identify issues outside of what the initial request was and be able to address it in the same visit. The call may be for routine maintenance, but once on site, a technician may observe or diagnose an issue that may cause problems and downtime down the road. Maybe the deck belt is worn and in need of replacement. Identifying this and having the ability to replace it on site will help that user avoid an issue a few weeks down the road, keeping that mower running and that operator productive.

One of the most important factors for an efficient process is simple and quick access to information.

That starts with the intake process. The more knowledge the mobile techs have the better. The model of the mower, or other piece of equipment, is just the start. What’ s the engine model, type and trim? What is the unit’ s maintenance and repair history? Ideally, for regular customers, the dealer would have this information as they likely sold the unit to the customer and have been performing service on it throughout its lifetime.

When a mobile technician arrives at a jobsite without complete specifications, they are already operating at a deficit.

Speedy access to information also means identifying the exact part needed when a surprise repair comes up out in the field or getting support on the best way to address it. That’ s where digital tools like Briggs & Stratton Assist can help, whether the technician is in the field or in the shop. In a day and age where there is a YouTube video for anything, it’ s critical to find information that comes from the right source.

The tool provides technicians with information related to Briggs & Stratton and Vanguard engines, including help identifying the right parts. It was developed using technical content such as operator’ s manuals, service bulletins and other original source documents. In one year, it has already answered more than 425,000 queries from technicians and consumers alike.

By eliminating the need to search across multiple portals or paper manuals, the tool aggregates critical data instantly into a single interface. Speed to information equals speed to finishing the job and getting on to the next. Where the promise of mobile maintenance falls apart, for both dealer and customer, is when that technician has to make multiple trips out because they didn’ t have the right part or weren’ t prepared for a surprise issue that came up once on site. The dealer’ s margin and profitability are impacted, but more importantly, so is the relationship with the customer who bought into the promise of convenience.

The flip side of that is, when a strong mobile maintenance program is working well for dealer and operator, it contributes to customer loyalty. Maybe that landscape contractor can find a slightly better price on a piece of equipment at another dealer but if there is a relationship that’ s been developed and the mobile maintenance program has served that landscaper well and made their lives a bit easier, they’ re going to think twice about taking their business elsewhere.

Mobile maintenance represents a powerful win-win for both dealers and equipment operators, provided it is executed well. When knowledgeable technicians are backed by accurate intake data and instant access to technical resources, service calls become swift, one-and-done operations that will help foster mutually beneficial relationships for years to come.

Joshua Brown has more than two decades of experience at Briggs & Stratton and currently serves as the VP, Commercial Operations— Service. He brings a strong foundation in engineering, product management and sales leadership to his role.