Many moons ago, when I first started at LockNet, the majority of the people I know would give me the obligatory congratulations on my new job and then follow that up with, “So what does LockNet do?”
The answer was easy: We’re a national service provider for door and lock hardware.
After the fifteenth time I was met with a blank stare I realized most people don’t understand what that sentence means.
If I tried to explain it further, I was always asked, “Well, why can’t a company just call a locksmith themselves?”
And that’s when I would lay down on the ground in defeat.
Except then I would get back up and explain.
Technically, they could, but there’s quite a bit that goes into managing the scheduling of a technician. It isn’t just a phone call and the problem is solved.
A National Service Provider and Managing Service Calls
Understanding the Problem and Vetting the Technician
The first step in finding the right technician for a facility’s problem is to make sure the problem is thoroughly explained and understood. If it’s something we can help out with, LockNet will try and troubleshoot the problem to try and save the customer money.
Without a national service provider to vet the technician, the facility manager is responsible for finding a tech who is highly rated, affordable, licensed, and insured. They also run the risk of a tech charging them for an issue that could be easily fixed by the manager. They cut down on the amount of prep work that needs to be done beforehand.
Hardware Parts
Often parts are needed to make the repair at a facility. An national service provider will not only send the correct parts to the customer, they’ll send the hardware that was requested in the spec. This will ensure consistency is maintained throughout the facility.
Without a company on your side like this there’s a chance the facility manager won’t know exactly what’s in the specs and “like for like” could be ordered. For functionality purposes, that might be ok, but if your brand consistency is a concern, you’ll want the exact same parts throughout all of your facilities.
Not to Exceed Times
When an issue or concern arises, the customer usually has a “Not to Exceed” time (frequently called an NTE.) A national service provider will let the customer know if their NTE is in jeopardy and will work with the customer to come up with a timeframe that will work to solve the problem and keep prices within the approved budget.
Follow-Up
An NSP will follow-up after the work has been completed to make sure the job was completed to the customer’s satisfaction. If there are any issues remaining, an national service provider will take care of the issue by either sending out another tech or working through the problem with a facility manager.
There is a lot going on behind the scenes. Hopefully, the one you work with makes it seem as easy as just calling a technician to fix the problem! If you’re interested or have more questions, feel free to give us a shout. We’ll be more than happy to help!