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173 lines
7.2 KiB
Plaintext
173 lines
7.2 KiB
Plaintext
SERVICE CALLS AND THE MMR FORM
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The Machine Maintenance Record Form 2 (MMR) is the backbone of the
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service department. It provides a means of capturing information
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about service calls in machine-readable form, at the actual times when
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the customer requests service and when the Technical Representative
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(TR) has completed servicing.
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Every trip by a TR to a machine installation, for any reason
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will generate an MMR. There are nine different reasons an MMR may be
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generated (e.g. unscheduled maintenance, installation, good will,
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preventative maintenance). The following is a description of the
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information flow for an unscheduled maintenance call; the steps are
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numbered, and corresponding numbers appear in the flow charts.
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1. A service call is initiated when a customer calls the service
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department with a request for his machine to be fixed. The phone call
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is received by a dispatcher who first tries to resolve the problem
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immediately (by asking whether the machine is plugged in, for
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example).
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2. The customer's name, phone number and the machine serial number
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are recorded by the dispatcher on the MMR. A simple description of
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the problem is written on the back (this step is a leftover from the
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days of the MMR's predecessor).
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3. Using the serial number as a key, the dispatcher looks up the TR
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radio call number on a microfiche directory, and records it on the
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MMR. Note that the directory is provided with an index, but the
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dispatcher is sufficiently familiar with the directory never to use
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the index.
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4. If the serial number does not appear on the microfiche directory,
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the dispatcher takes the customer's address (the microfiche directory
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is updated about twice a month).
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5. The dispatcher puts the MMR on a carousel (a freely rotating
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document holder). It is picked up by the radio dispatcher, who sits
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between the carousels. There are from two to four dispatchers
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receiving calls from customers.
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6. Using the radio call number on the MMR, the radio dispatcher calls
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the TR and gives him the machine type, serial number and problem code.
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The radio communication is one-way, i.e. the TR cannot answer or
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acknowledge he received the call. If the TR is unable to record the
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information when the call comes, he phones dispatch to get the missed
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call.
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7. The dispatcher tallies each TR's service calls for each day and
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puts the MMR in a special slot for this TR on one of the carousels.
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The Technical Representative and the MMR Worksheet
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8. The TR records the information on an MMR worksheet. This is a
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small sheet of paper laid out like an MMR but with certain fields
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missing.
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9. The TR finds the customer name, address and key operator from the
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directory of his territory.
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10. Upon reaching the machine, the TR must fill in the following
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fields on all servcie calls; serial number, equipment location
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geographical location, service code, TR employee ID, date arrival
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time, and depart time. Depending on the service
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call, the TR may fill out other fields.
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11. If the TR determines that the service call should be billed to
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the customer, the TR must check the RSB (Request for Service Billing)
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box on the worksheet and get the customer to place an authorizing
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signature at the bottom.
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12. Each day the TR calls a tape recorder in dispatch and reads off
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the data from his completed MMR worksheets.
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13. Each week the TR gives to his Field Service Manager (FSM) the MMR
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worksheets which have customer signatures.
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14. The FSM gives the signed MMR worksheets to the dispatch
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coordinator.
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15. MMR worksheets that do not require billing are destroyed by the
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TR.
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Handling of completed calls by Dispatch
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16. The dispatchers listen to the calls recorded by the TR's on the
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tape recorder, retrieve the corresponding MMR's from the temporary
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file on the carousel, and complete the MMR's. Note that if the TR
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call does not involve unscheduled maintenance, there will be no MMR in
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the carousel, and instead the dispatcher creates a new one.
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17. If the RSB box has been checked, the dispatcher makes a Xerox
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copy of the MMR and puts it into a temporary file, awaiting the
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arrival of the matching, signed MMR worksheet from the TR's manager.
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18. At the end of each day, dispatch sends several batches of
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completed MMR's to Headquarters (see below), with a
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BCS (Batch Control Sheet) covering each one.
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19. Each Friday a log of the batches sent during the week is sent to
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Headquarters, using an MBCS (Master Batch Control Sheet).
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20. The dispatch coordinator maintains the file of Xerox copies of
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MMR's for billable service calls. When the batch of signed MMR
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worksheets arrives from the TR, the dispatch coordinator attaches them
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to their corresponding MMR's.
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21. The MMR's and MMR worksheets are sent to Branch Billing, to be
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kept there in case there is any question on the billing for that
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service call.
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Processing of MMR's after they leave headquarters
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Headquarters operates a computer-based system called FACTOR.
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The purpose of FACTOR operations is not well understood by the service
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department, but in any case FACTOR affects the Branch processing of
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MMR's only by generating reports listing MMR's that the computer could
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not process.
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Every day the Region receives an RSB Report, together with the
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corresponding MMR's. This report lists those MMR's which contained
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data that could not be understood by the computer (e.g. part name
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instead of part number used) or that contain trivial errors (e.g. time
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of service call outside normal working hours, but the overtime box was
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not checked). Some of the errors on the report are taken care of by
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the Region; then the report is sent on to the Branch for the
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remaining errors to be handled.
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In the Branch, the Branch FACTOR Billing Specialist (BFBS) is
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responsible for correcting the remaining erros on the RSB Report. The
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BFBS corrects the more obvious errors on the RSB report, if necessary
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calling the TR for assistance. The corrections are written directly
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on the RSB report.
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22. Region resolves some of these MMR's and crosses them off the RSB
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report it is not known if Region keeps the corresponding MMR's,
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returns them to headquarters, or sends them on to the Branch). The
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RSB Report and MMR's are sent to the Branch.
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23. The BFBS inspects the MMR and the entry in the report, and
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corrects the MMR.
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24. In resolving the error the BFBS must decide whether the customer
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should or should not be billed for the service call.
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25. MMR's that are not billed must be signed by the BFBS (the Branch
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Manager must formally give the BFBS this authority).
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26. Approximately once a week the BFBS batches the corrected MMR's
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for shipment to Region. The billable MMR's are given a batch number
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of the form Mxxx (where xxx is the branch number), and the
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non-billable MMR's are given an N xxx batch number. The batch number
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is suffixed by a letter, each consecutive batch receiving the next
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letter (A following Z).
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27. The cover sheet for billable MMR's includes a field in which is
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entered the total amount being billed in that batch.
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28. Each batch is also logged with batch number, number of MMR's and
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date.
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29. The batches are mailed back to Region.
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30. The RSB report is filed in a binder.
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