A Day in the Life of the Residential Service Coordinator: Finding the Right Part for a Customer
“Their shower doesn’t work”, was the first I heard of this one. “I’m trying to find a cartridge for them so they can use their shower”. Then, “Hold on… its T341783… ” When you think about the work that goes into the efforts to provide service to our customers, you’ll likely consider the technicians on-site making repairs, and maybe the trucks around town. But there’s a whole other, behind the scenes, sometimes interesting, sometimes frustrating and sometimes hilarious type of work that often goes unnoticed. This blog picks up after I overheard our Residential Service Coordinator – who deeply cares about whether or not these people get to shower this week – making calls.
He always makes calls, often making dozens of phone calls, navigating databases, and solving problems that seem more complex than they should be. But today I noticed because I overheard the person he was talking to take him through an entire account verification process before advising him that they didn’t have the part.
Confirming the Part with the Technician
It all started when he put in a call to the technician who was out on a job. A customer had a shower that wasn’t working, and the technician had identified the part that needed replacing. But was it just the part, or did the entire assembly need to be replaced?
The technician confirmed it was just the part—great! That was call one.
Call #2: The Supplier with the Account Number Request
With the part confirmed, the next step was contacting the supplier. This is where the account number and identification information was needed. After jumping through the hoops and providing all the necessary details, the response was not ideal though, they didn’t have the part.
Call #3: Another Supplier—More Information Required
On to the next supplier. This time, the first question asked the part number. Most parts don’t have part numbers stamped onto them. Just like with a car, you say the year, make and model, and then the part you need by name. In this case, it was a American Standard Shower faucet, not sure year, not sure model…. Often it’s quicker if the technician takes the broken piece to the supplier to match it up by brand, and product knowledge and an eyeball. In this case though, our resourceful desk jockey had some ideas.
Call #4: Online Search Begins
With limited luck from the suppliers, he pulled up the manufacturer’s website and began the painstaking task of looking through hundreds of fixtures to find something that looked like it. It took a surprisingly short period of time before he located the right faucet model. The part number was still elusive but digging deeper he was able to find an exploded diagram of the assembly—a step in the right direction.
Back to the Technician for Confirmation
Texting the exploded diagram to the service technician followed by a phone call identified which of the 5 parts in the assembly they actually needed.
Call #6: Tracking Down the Missing Part Number
The exploded diagram helped, but it wasn’t perfect. While the diagram identified the part, it didn’t list the part number—just the number for the entire assembly. This meant one more phone call, this time hoping they could just order the exact piece needed from the exploded diagram.
What I noticed through this whole process, other than some expressive facial expressions, was the continued efforts and perseverance of this individual. He had his teeth in it now, and dog lovers everywhere will know how tempting that is.
Call #7: Success! The Right Part Number
After a bit more back and forth, the part was identified, located, priced, and ordered. Good news! Right? Well.. the customer knows they have a shower that doesn’t work. They know they just paid to not have it fixed, so they’re not really thrilled already. Now the ‘good news’ is that the part is on order and will come in by the end of the week. That information along with the cost and a tentative booking will all need to be emailed, which was the next task.
A Last-Minute Change of Plans
A moment to breathe before writing an email to the customer, and a good thing too. Just when everything seemed set, the technician called back. “Actually, with the age of the assembly and the time to exchange it, the best thing would be to replace the assembly and not just the part.”
Our efficient residential service coordinator quickly updated the order with the supplier to include the full assembly, making sure to adjust the price and delivery time accordingly. Then, the email to the customer had to be rewritten, with the new information about the assembly and the revised timeline.
The Hidden Heroes of the Plumbing World
It took 45 minutes and 9 touches to do this part of his job.
While customers might never know the effort it takes to find that one small part, it’s the unsung heroes who make it all happen. Our residential service coordinator is the ones working behind the scenes, navigating suppliers, managing orders, and communicating with technicians and customers to ensure everything comes together. Rest assured, someone does care and is working hard to get what you need.
