How do you reduce costs without reducing quality? In a word, efficiency. That is the common feature of Shepherd product development. More precisely, efficiency based on real-world customer experiences. The latest innovation follows this ethos.
Shepherd now allows a service provider that uses Shepherd as part of its processes to document commonly used parts in its service orders. This is not the same as necessary parts: those parts that are a prerequisite for a given service and already in the service plan and budgeted for accordingly.
Ready for the expected
Rather these are parts that experience with a given piece of hardware has shown are likely to be needed at a given service, even if not a compulsory replacement. This information is accessible in numerous places that the technician using the invaluable Shepherd Mobile App is using. One such place is the Equipment Detail page in a service order that they receive.
The mobile app showing not only the necessary parts for the technician but recommended ones to save wasted journeys and repeat visits
The goal here is to allow a technician to stock up on the stuff they will need, as well as the bits they may need. That way, a technician (and client) need not feel that special brand of frustration resulting from a service being carried out as a schedule required, yet still not being listed as complete because a common part needs replacing and it was not in the mandatory parts list.
Wasted journeys mean lost revenue for all
The result is a field visit cut short, another visit being necessary and time being lost. Shepherd’s latest trick makes this outcome that bit less likely. And the search functionality makes it that much easier.
Another way to look at this feature is to think of it as a parts-based troubleshooting resource. This recommended parts list resides in NetSuite and is therefore the remit of the maintenance manager. But a good manager will make use of the skills and knowledge of their team. As such, the manager can get the information about common parts from the people doing the work, and enter that information in NetSuite based on this in-house expertise.
Passing on lessons learned
Arguably, this feature could also be part of a training method, allowing new team members to learn which parts are weak links in a given equipment asset. Whatever the reason for referring to this feature, the reality remains that it can save a wasted trip, a supplementary trip and the time associated with either of those.
These advantages also mean that the next logical step in the development process is for this feature to be added to, not only assigned work orders, but also unassigned work orders so that any technician exercising diligence by taking on available work will not rue their decision because one part was not onboard yet needs replacing. It may even become the case that technicians will use this feature to select the unassigned service orders whose required and recommended parts are closest to what they have onboard in their service vehicle.
