the association for service professionals changes in field...
TRANSCRIPT
By Randy Carney, Executive Director—PSA
Over the past few years, the independent appliance service provider has seen the need to adapt to keep pace with a changing business environment. The use of the smart phone has changed the indus-try- you now take photos of service problems and send them in for analysis, along with scheduling calls and filing electronically as a part of your day. Of course, you want to keep the phone handy to bring issues up to technical support features like PSANet, which can help provide assistance and reduce the need to consult tech support lines.
On the product side, high tech systems are now the norm, not the exception. You need to be able to keep up with the many changes that make it possible to effectively diagnose the service problem that may exist, and continuing training is a must just to keep up with everything.
Welcome to today’s service world. But you know that.
There is another change taking place in the appliance field service industry, and it’s not quite as notable, though it has touched more and more service providers every day. That is the introduction of and quality of support provided by third party providers (TPA’s).
In years past, the service network was the sole tool of the manufacturers- they built the product, provided a warranty and developed and trained a network to support that product. Over the years, however, the landscape has changed. Manufac-turers still require a highly trained and effective service network, but as warranty coverage from the factory have been scaled back, an opportunity was extended for TPA’s to step in with their own extended warranty programs to help supplement those customers that preferred the additional coverage. This meant that in many cases, with original product warranties shrinking to a year in some cases, the TPA was attached to that product for a longer period of time than the manufacturer.
The TPA must keep their costs down, too. Repeat service calls and product exchanges impact them just like they do manu-facturers- even more. It became incumbent on the TPA to develop their own service network- in many cases, mirroring that of the manufacturer. Now, many TPA networks have grown to the point where they include several field support representatives that handle not only appliances, but electronics, lawn and garden and other product lines. Rates and metrics are developed around the service provider, just like they are in a standard warranty service environment. And the pressures are the same- the need to be trained, supported and have an effective communication pipeline with the TPA.Moving ahead, what will service networks look like? Will the networks built and supported by both manufacturers and TPA’s be supported with training and other support? Will the independent parts suppliers have a role in the TPA networks? In many
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The Association for Service Professionals
cases, TPA’s supply the parts to the service provider, taking the parts supplier out of their valuable role in supporting and nurturing the service provider. Can the industry work together to make this effort seamless in the sight of the customer, which should be the ultimate goal of all parties.
At NASC 2016 in Dallas, TX last fall, PSA welcomed a large number of both manufacturers and third party providers, and it may ultimately fall to associations like PSA to assist in the training and melding of the service networks. While manufactur-ers are largely charged with training on their current product lines, TPA’s will require support on many older models that are warranted through their extended warranties, and providing basic or product specific training opportunities to insure the capabilities of the network.
It remains to be seen how the TPA’s and manufacturers interact in support of their respective field networks. Both have a vested interest in working together, as TPA’s will need to closely monitor their performance metrics to make certain costs remain in line, and the manufacturers, of course, still have their name on the product. While many members of the service networks may support both TPA’s and manufacturers, there will be different providers in some markets that require the same support.
This change in the field service model is not necessarily a bad thing- it is good to see the TPA’s stepping up and providing the additional support needed to provide their customers with a quality service experience. We are sure that those of us that support the appliance service industry can get together and make it better for all parties.
Old Englewood Appliance RepairNorth Port, FL
A&E ElectronicsAmarillo, TX
Top Shelf Appliance ServiceFederal Way, WA
Chuck’s Appliance RepairAlamagordo, NM
Broward Factory Service—HoustonSouth Houston, TX
S.T.A.R. Appliance RepairAnaheim, CA
John HedgerSeminole, FL
Advantage Heating, Air & AppliancePleasant Hope, MO
Roberto FleitasTexas City, TX
Factory Warranty Services, Inc.Elkins, WV
All Pro Appliance ServicePiedmont, OK
Stones River Appliance Repair, Inc.Murfreesboro, TN
Porter & Chester InstituteEast Hampton, CT
Warrantech CorporationBedford, TX
Crosley CorporationConcord, NC
PSA Welcomes New Members January / February
By Adam Sichko- Nashville Business Journal
A giant manufacturer headquartered in South Korea plans to build a factory in Middle Tennessee where hundreds of employees will produce washing machines and other appliances.
LG Electronics Inc., which scouted sites under the code name Project Baseball, has chosen to open a factory in Clarks-ville, according to multiple sources with knowledge of the deal.
A February 28 news release confirms that LG is investing $250 million in the plant, which will employ 600 people. The plant itself will total 829,000 square feet, according to the news release. The Clarksville facility will be LG’s first washing machine plant in the United States.
LG is joining a Google Inc. data center and fellow South Korean company Hankook Tire as the latest corporate brands to land in Clarksville, which is roughly 50 miles northwest of downtown Nashville. The combined investment from Hankook and Google combined could hit $1.4 billion and create more than 1,000 jobs, mostly at the Hankook tire factory.
“We’re happy to welcome another large company from South Korea to Clarksville,” Mayor Kim McMillan said Tuesday. “Clarksville continues to prove itself as a great home for manufacturers that need a large and skilled workforce, shov-el-ready industrial sites and outstanding infrastructure. This level of investment and new jobs shows that Clarksville is living up to our commitment to be a great place to live, work and raise a family.”
Citing an unidentified source, Reuters reported earlier this month that LG was considering Tennessee “for a new home appliances and television plant.”
Starting in 2019, the plant will begin by making front- and top-loading washing machines. The 310-acre site could be expanded in the future to accommodate the production of other appliances.
”Over the past six years, LG studied eight states for the location of this facility. Tennessee is the clear choice for LG’s latest major investment in America, due to the state’s excellent business climate, quality workforce and central location for distribution to our U.S. customers,” Dan Song, president of the LG Home Appliance and Air Solutions Co., said in the news release.
Plant for LG Laundry Bringing Hundredsof Jobs
CoreCentric Solutions is looking to add another Technical Support Representative. One of the services we offer is technical help to our servicers. If they send in a control and it doesn’t fix their issue, we have a tech support staff that can help them determine if it was the control or maybe something else. This service is like the PSA Chat, but the tech can call our support while they are still in the home and maybe save another trip. We are looking for a skilled technician that lives in the West Chicago suburbs. This would be a great position for someone that might want to get out of the truck, but still wants to share his or her appliance service skills. Feel free to give me a call.
Stephen Thompto- Director of Depot Repair
191 E. North Avenue | Carol Stream, IL 60188 Office: 630-216-5045 [email protected]
Major Appliance Biz Begins 2017 Witha BangBy Alan Wolf- TWICE Magazine
The major appliance industry got off to a solid start in the new year.
According to the latest monthly vendor data compiled by the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers (AHAM), factory shipments of white-goods were up 6.4 percent in January, to approximately 5.4 million units.
What’s more, the numbers were up for every major product category year over year, as retailers stocked up for Presi-dent’s Day sales and built up room air inventory for summer.
Leading the charge was home laundry, ahead by 10.2 percent in units, as washer shipments rose nearly 15 percent and gas dryers also showed a 10.2-percent gain.
Second-place honors went to cooking, as a 10.5 percent spike in microwave ovens and an 8.2 percent increase in elec-tric range shipments helped offset flat wall-oven demand, and drove total category performance up 8.4 percent.
Home comfort placed third, up 7.3 percent, as a 22 percent surge in ACs offset a 41 percent drop in dehumidifier ship-ments.
In contrast, refrigerators cooled, with shipments of full-size fridges up a more modest 3.3 percent in January.Also tak-ing it on the chin was the kitchen clean up category, which posted a mere 1.5 percent gain as a 3.3 percent decline in disposers, and this year’s exclusion of trash compactors from the AHAM reports, offset a 7.3 percent hike in dishwasher shipments last month.
Still, the AHAM 6 – an amalgam of the core washer, dryer, dishwasher, refrigerator, freezer, range and oven categories — told the essential story, with shipments up 7.1 percent despite two less days in the tracking cycle (Jan. 1-28, 2017 vs. Jan. 1-30, 2016).
PSA Training is continuing to sweep the country in 2017!
The BAT program focuses on basic principles and repair functions related to electricity, gas and refrigeration, the core basis of a successful appliance service technician. The BAT training provides a solid foundation for new technicians, along with a strong refresher course for more experienced techs that will make the product specific training offered by manufacturers more understandable and also help to make your technicians more efficient and effective.
In addition, new training classes for more seasoned technicians are being introduced, including our new refrigeration class-es- look to this space for sessions that will be held in your area!
There will be more training classes for 2017 that will be announced soon, so please keep your eye on PSA News and our web site www.psaworld.com, for the complete PSA training schedule. You can contact us at 888-777-8851 for additional information.
March 2017 Portland, OR—Reliable Parts March 29-29 (Refrigeration)
Miami, FL—Appliance Parts Depot March 28-29 (Refrigeration)
April 2017 Nashville, TN —Tribles Appliance Parts April 25-27 (BAT)
Tucson, AZ—Appliance Parts Depot April 4-5 (Refrigeration)
Chicago, IL—Sundberg America April 26-27 (Refrigeration)
Sacramento, CA—Reliable Parts (TBD) (Refrigeration)
May 2017 New Orleans, LA—Appliance Parts Depot May 9-10 (Refrigeration)
Southern California (TBD)—Reliable Parts May 9-10 (Refrigeration)
PSA’s Training All Over the Country!
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ServiceBench announced today it is partnering with 1st Source Servall, one of North America’s leading distributors of service and repair parts, to help appliance repair service providers save time and improve efficiency in the repair pro-cess through 1st Source Servall’s parts distribution system.
1st Source Servall is now using ServiceBench’s business management software systems to allow appliance repair ser-vice providers to quickly check parts availability, place orders and manage returns seamlessly from each repair service order. This minimizes the time that repair service providers spend shopping various web sites or making telephone calls to track down appliance parts.
The new software system will enhance how 1st Source Servall’s service provider customers can access real-time job status involving parts required for repairs right from the ServiceBench cloud–based systems.
“This new feature is a great step in an overall approach to help our clients and their service providers deliver premier customer service by improving their first-time call fix rate, making their onsite service call schedules more efficient and helping to track down hard-to-find and critical parts needed for product repairs,” said Louis Rose, vice president of ServiceBench.”
Servall is very excited to participate in the Service Bench integrated supply chain platform,” said Mike Mangan, executive vice president of 1st Source Servall. “This new connectivity enables us to automate and integrate our order and fulfillment processes into the software, enhancing our ability to better support the independent service network. Delivering so many benefits in one fully integrated service and parts platform is an industry first and a big step forward in improving the experience of our mutual customers.”
ServiceBench and 1st Source Servall Announce Strategic Supply Chain Partnership
You may have seen this before, but every now and then, it’s good to remind ourselves exactly what we do and what we mean to our business, our customers, and our industry. Jim Campbell recently passed this along on PSA Net, and it seemed like a good time for all of us to reflect...
Appliance Service Technician’s Code of Ethics
1. I will strive to produce nothing but first-class workmanship.2. I will take advantage of every opportunity to increase my knowledge and skills concerning the work I am doing. I will dedicate myself to lifelong learning to be at my best.3. I will use only those materials that are proven to be safe and recommended by the manufacturer.4. I will recommend to a customer only that work on the particular appliance which I believe to be necessary.5. I will treat a customer’s appliance as I would my own.6. I will attempt to correct any honest mistake made by another technician, without damaging the reputation of that person or their business.7. I will conduct myself so as to maintain and increase the public respect for all PSA Certified Technicians and independent servicers alike.8. I will practice Service Integrity, which means that to the best of my ability I will always work for the best interest of the customer, my employer and myself.
The Service Professional’s Pledge
TODAY’S REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS
2 FULL DAYS(including lunch both days)
REGISTER TODAY!
www.psaworld.com
or call 1-888-777-8851
Date: March 28-29, 2017
Time: 8:00 am - 4:30 pm
Location: APD 3425 NW 167th Street Miami Gardens, FL 33056
Sponsored by:
COURSE OUTLINE
Review of Electricity
Review of Refrigeration
Single Evaporator Systems
Multiple Evaporator Systems
Refrigerant Control Valves
Ice Makers and Ice Maker Systems
Troubleshooting:
• Mechanical system issues Frozen drains, no water
• Refrigeration system issues Restrictions, poor cooling
• Electrical problems Thermistors, compressors
Professional Technology Training
Technology Instructors
Jim Campbell Linda Knudsen Brian Dawson
Carmine D’Alessandro Phil Whitehead
$395
TODAY’S REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS
2 FULL DAYS(including lunch both days)
REGISTER TODAY!
www.psaworld.com
or call 1-888-777-8851
Date: March 28-29, 2017
Time: 8:00 am - 4:30 pm
Location: Monarch Hotel & Conference Center 12566 SE 93rd Ave. Clackamas, OR 97015 503-652-1515
Sponsored by:
COURSE OUTLINE
Review of Electricity
Review of Refrigeration
Single Evaporator Systems
Multiple Evaporator Systems
Refrigerant Control Valves
Ice Makers and Ice Maker Systems
Troubleshooting:
• Mechanical system issues Frozen drains, no water
• Refrigeration system issues Restrictions, poor cooling
• Electrical problems Thermistors, compressors
Professional Technology Training
Technology Instructors
Jim Campbell Linda Knudsen Brian Dawson
Carmine D’Alessandro Phil Whitehead
$395
Sponsored by:
Including lunch each day
BASIC APPLIANCE TRAININGPSA Certified B.A.T. Training Program
3 Full Days Only $425
Day 1–Basic: ElectricityElectrical SafetyTheory, Voltage, Amperage, Wattage, ResistanceOhm’s Law and application of Ohm’s LawAlternating and Direct CurrentCircuit Fundamentals, series, parallel, combination circuitsElectrical component operation and testingUse of Test InstrumentsRecognizing electrical symbolsReading electrical schematics and diagramsDiagnostic routines and troubleshooting
Day 2–Basic: GasGas Basics, Safety, CharacteristicsFuel Gas Code requirements for Gas appliancesGas testing devicesGas Ranges, operate and test components
Day 3–Basic: RefrigerationThe Refrigeration systemRefrigeration system componentsRefrigeration system components operationFundamentals and application of refrigeration systemsRefrigerantsTroubleshooting refrigeration systemsEPA Requirements and Refrigerant Recovery
Carmine D’AlessandroOfficial PSA Technology Instructor
Date: April 25, 26, 27, 2017 Tues, Wed, Thurs Time: 8 am - 4:30 pmWhere: Trible’s Appliance Parts 2603 Cruzen Street Nashville, TN 37211
REGISTER TODAY FOR A PREMIUM TRAINING
EXPERIENCE!Go to www.psaworld.com and click on
Basic Appliance Training RegistrationOr call PSA directly at
1-888-777-8851Payment due at registration
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• Send your New Tech• Send your Tech Who Needs Help in These Areas• Send the Guy Who Just Needs a Refresher!
Professional Service Association71 Columbia Street • Cohoes, NY 120471-888-777-8851 www.psaworld.com
The B.A.T. program will be coming to your area in the near future, so keep in touch with your parts distributors!
Refrigeration system componentsRefrigeration system components operationFundamentals and application of refrigeration systemsRefrigerantsTroubleshooting refrigeration systemsEPA Requirements and Refrigerant Recovery
TODAY’S REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS
2 FULL DAYS(including lunch both days)
REGISTER TODAY!
www.psaworld.com
or call 1-888-777-8851
Date: April 4-5, 2017
Time: 8:00 am - 4:30 pm
Location: Reliable/APD 5335 E 29th St Tucson, AZ 85711
Sponsored by:
COURSE OUTLINE
Review of Electricity
Review of Refrigeration
Single Evaporator Systems
Multiple Evaporator Systems
Refrigerant Control Valves
Ice Makers and Ice Maker Systems
Troubleshooting:
• Mechanical system issues Frozen drains, no water
• Refrigeration system issues Restrictions, poor cooling
• Electrical problems Thermistors, compressors
Professional Technology Training
Technology Instructors
Jim Campbell Linda Knudsen Brian Dawson
Carmine D’Alessandro Phil Whitehead
$395
TODAY’S REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS
2 FULL DAYS(including lunch both days)
REGISTER TODAY!
www.psaworld.com
or call 1-888-777-8851
Date: May 9-10, 2017
Time: 8:00 am - 4:30 pm
Location: The Jefferson-Orleans-South 2536 Edenborn Ave. Metairie, LA 70002
Sponsored by:
COURSE OUTLINE
Review of Electricity
Review of Refrigeration
Single Evaporator Systems
Multiple Evaporator Systems
Refrigerant Control Valves
Ice Makers and Ice Maker Systems
Troubleshooting:
• Mechanical system issues Frozen drains, no water
• Refrigeration system issues Restrictions, poor cooling
• Electrical problems Thermistors, compressors
Professional Technology Training
Technology Instructors
Jim Campbell Linda Knudsen Brian Dawson
Carmine D’Alessandro Phil Whitehead
$395
TODAY’S REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS
2 FULL DAYS(including lunch both days)
REGISTER TODAY!
www.psaworld.com
or call 1-888-777-8851
Date: April 26-27, 2017
Time: 8:00 am - 4:30 pm
Location: Sundberg America 5852 W 51st St. Chicago, IL 60638
Sponsored by:
COURSE OUTLINE
Review of Electricity
Review of Refrigeration
Single Evaporator Systems
Multiple Evaporator Systems
Refrigerant Control Valves
Ice Makers and Ice Maker Systems
Troubleshooting:
• Mechanical system issues Frozen drains, no water
• Refrigeration system issues Restrictions, poor cooling
• Electrical problems Thermistors, compressors
Professional Technology Training
Technology Instructors
Jim Campbell Linda Knudsen Brian Dawson
Carmine D’Alessandro Phil Whitehead
$395