Laser Printer Technicians Tips To Improve First Call Response Repair Ratio
Today's business customers expect you to follow the same basic rule: “fix it the first time.” The Following tips will help you achieve successful service-level agreement (SLA) goals.
If you follow these tips, not only do you have the potential to make each and every service call more profitable for you and your company, but you just might make the return trip obsolete.
Tip # 1 - Stock Up on Common HP Printer parts.
The first and most important tip a service technician must heed is that a well-stocked service vehicle prevents a return trip. As anyone who has ever gone out on a service call knows, you will see some fairly interesting situations.
Expect the worst. For example, a printer technician got a call for a HP P4015 with for a 50 service error. The tech looked at the service ticket, grabbed one of the company’s HP P4015 fusers from his stock and threw it on the truck.
The HP laser printer tech got to the site and found the printer in a machine shop that was quite dirty. The printer display read “50 service” so he set out to replace the fuser. In doing so, he noticed that the back of the printer and the exhaust slots for the fan were covered with dirt and dust.
He removed the top cover and found the fan almost completely blocked, yet still able to spin, if only barely. This would have been the perfect time to show the customer the condition of his fan and offer a replacement while we were there.
Popular HP Laser Printer Fans
Spare printer fans are relatively inexpensive to stock and very easy to carry on a service truck. We cleaned up the fan as best we could with what was available (because the tech didn’t have a toner vacuum on his service truck).
After installing the printer fuser, the printer was up and running. Sure, we met the customer service expectations at a very basic level, but we could have exceeded expectations if all of the tools and a few extra parts were on the truck. So stock your truck well in order to be 100% ready for the next call.
Tip #2 – Always Look Inside the Box.
We hear the old complaint, “The part was broken when I took it out of the box and I’m now an hour away from my shop.” We won’t suggest you stock two of every thing on your truck; that is not profitable in the long run. But it is a wise decision to open the box and check the product prior to driving short or long distances out to a service call, especially if its been in the trunk for months.
In some cases, the box itself appears to be in perfect condition on the outside meanwhile the product on the inside of the box is damaged. A simple check of the product before throwing it on the truck can save a lot of frustration down the road.
Tip # 3 – Handle The Printer Parts With Care.
Keep the printer parts in the box they were shipped to you in. Some techs remove the box and protective mold packaging as a way to save room in their trunks. Removing them from the box can void the warranty and can damage or allow shape objects finding there way inside there fuser.
Product packaging innovations have come a long way. But they are not fail-safe. So don’t put your boxes through any torture tests just yet.
Tip #4 – The Comprehensive Set of Printer Technician Tools.
As a laser printer service tech you have the opportunity to impress your customers on every call. When you show up with your tool bag and printer replacement parts you are viewed as the pro on the scene who can fix anything, and hopefully on the first visit. So there are a few “must haves” that should accompany you on every trip.
First, you wouldn’t think of going out on a call without a Phillips screwdriver would you? So why wouldn’t you carry service manuals with you?
A multi-meter is another item that seems to be missing from a lot of printer technician tool bags. The days of circuit board measurements may be over, but these meters can be used to check everything from a lamp circuit in a fuser to the line voltage supplied to a printer. Have you ever tried to work on a dead printer only to find out that it is plugged into the same outlet as a 1500 watt portable heater (insert fan or A/C for those service techs from the South) that blew a breaker in an office?
Rubber bands are also a service techs best friend. Don’t underestimate the potential uses for these. They come in handy for holding down latches and flags so you can run tests with covers removed.
Super glue is another item that can be used to get you out of a sticky situation. Use it to temporarily repair the small plastic items for which you did not bring replacements.
A magnet is always handy to keep on hand to magnetize your screwdriver for easy screw retrieval from a dark crevice inside the printer. Which reminds me, you should also have a good flash light with you at all times.
Some fine grit sand paper can come in handy to rough up a pick up roller to get you by in a jam or even buff out a small scratch in a cover or tray.
A small, padded quilt can also comes in handy if you need to set up shop in a fancy boardroom or executive office. You can lay your parts out and set the printer down on a nice table without fear of scratching the surface.
OEM printer screws and fasteners
bags of screws a long time ago, and luckily, we still have these on hand. These bags contain hundreds of all different types of screws, the ones that you typically find in printers. Avoid the hands and knees search.
You’re covered when you accidentally lose a screw in the shag carpeting because you will have spares.
HP Printer Power Cords
Power cords, which work on just about everything, are always good to bring along. Having a couple extra on hand makes moving a printer to another location more convenient – especially if that printer happens to be plugged in under a cubical or any other hard to-get-to spot. The standard $1.50 printer power cord is not worth 15 minutes of your time.
Long story short, it’s easy to see how a few simple tips can prevent the return trip and make your customers happy by getting their equipment back in service. I am sure you have your own stories about tools and tricks that you carry in your bags, ranging from wire ties to jumper clips, and everything else in between.
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Metrofuser is a leading global innovator, manufacturer of printer parts, equipment, diagnostics, repair information and systems solutions for professional users performing critical tasks. Products and services include hp printer parts, printers and printer repair training. Parts include hp printer parts such as printer fusers, printer maintenance kits and other hp printer replacement parts. The company's, customers include office equipment dealerships, online retailers, repair centers and MPS service providers nationwide. Metrofuser has been named to Inc. Magazine’s fastest growing companies five consecutive years.