Spend more on break/fix first time

Not sending an engineer first to a call can be a false economy, says Stuart Pooley

Break/fix has been taking some knocks. We're told margins are too low, the technology is too simple, and times are tough for engineers. We're told that the market is broken.

Look at it from the customers' point of view. They are under pressure too, and down-time is frustrating for staff as well as causing missed deadlines and ultimately-lost business. They want a quick solution, but a sustainable one too, delivered by someone who knows what they are doing.

Anyone who believes that there is not enough profit in break/fix is taking a narrow view. Skilled engineers are more likely to fix a problem first try, meaning fewer visits per call.

We win business because we are able to demonstrate our ability to fix things first time. Our customers tell us this is what they want - and we certainly couldn't achieve it without a knowledgeable team. If you fulfil your SLAs, you contribute to customer success.

Often engineers may find themselves loading software and rebuilding systems. If they can do this straight away without having to send someone else or come in again, it saves time for both the provider and customer.

We find that around 60 per cent of our calls involve parts; if these can be fixed rather than replaced, it can cut costs down for everyone.

Making a profit comes down to having a multi-skilled team in the right locations, efficient resource scheduling systems including engineer allocation by skill set, vehicle tracking, and an ability to get schedules quickly to field staff.

When a business makes scheduling as streamlined and efficient as possible, it doesn't cost that much more to send an engineer. And there is far more return on investment.

We've never lost a break/fix contract on like-for-like cost.

Break/fix can't be assessed in isolation. It will always complement a managed services programme; the two are not mutually exclusive. Often break-fix can serve as an introduction to further services opportunities.

An engineer on a site visit might discover the company is about to move to larger premises -- an opening to offer IT services and support for the move. It may also provide an opportunity to offer more permanent on-site resources.

What better way to get your foot in the door and assess the opportunity? In future, more parts will be easily replaced as commoditisation expands, but I believe that businesses will always be willing to pay more for a quality service that gets it right first time more often.

Stuart Pooley is head of service delivery at Calyx