Frisco AC Repair Service constantly works to improve service quality.
Frisco AC Repair Service owner Steve Lauten, President of Total Air and Heat Co. in Plano Texas speaks to his industry peers about quality control.
This is an article that Steve Lautan presented to an Industry Association. The article title is:
I Can See Clearly Now The Pain Is Gone
I don’t know about you, but it seems to me in my quest to stay on top of the quality improvement process I take 2 steps forward and 1 step backwards most of the time. Sometimes I do the opposite!
Regardless of how many steps I take to enhance quality, it seems like there is always pain associated with change. The pain is not always mine, it normally belongs to those who believe “we have always done it that way” why change now? I will be honest in telling you there are times I avoid change because I can see there will be pain. I take the attitude “that’s not the hill I am going to die on today” and postpone the change. However when I postpone change it effects my vision, and I can’t see clearly anymore.
Every company needs someone to “forward vision”, you know the person who can see where the company needs to be in 5 years. I am that person at my company and I would think most of you also hold the title as the “forward thinking person” who always wants to make changes even when something is not broken. What most of your team can’t see is the need to know far enough in advance that you can anticipate the need for change, and make the change before it becomes a problem.
While I have taken on that responsibility at work, my wife is our “vision maker” at home. Our entire family is amazed at her capability to see what needs to be done around the house when all we want to do is sit around and watch television or surf the internet. The good news is I know my role at work and at home. Speaking of roles to play, does your company have detailed job descriptions for each employee? Do all of your employees really know the tasks associated with their position? I thought I had done a pretty good job of this until last Saturday. It seems we had a job that called for duct revisions, and installing a new cooling coil. My Production Manager missed the coil on the proposal and the pull sheet and wrote up the install invoice for everything the job needed but that pesky cooling coil. The Install Manager looked at the invoice and made sure all the materials were there and they were, but he failed to read the proposal or the pull sheet. The job “lead man” also looked at the invoice but did not read the pull sheet or proposal. We got to the job and the customer asked where the cooling coil? Well of course the “duh I don’t know” came flowing right out of the “lead mans” mouth. Well, then he decided to read the proposal and the pull sheet. To shorten up this story we had everything we needed in stock and it got handled. But the story points out the opportunity for better communications, a review of who is responsible for what, and double checking the scope of work. Three people had an opportunity to avoid this mistake, yet it happened. Needless to say I whipped out my job progression form that clearly identifies who does what, and makes sure we double check ourselves. The “job progression form” has been in place since 2002, but it goes to show forms are only good if you are actually checking them!
As I write this months Presidents Message, I am looking forward to my trip to the ACCA National Convention next week. While it is difficult for me to be away from the office for the entire week, I do look forward to the networking opportunities. I hope each of you uses ACCA as a way of learning if your company is in tune with the needs of the marketplace. Another aspect of the ACCA National Convention I find to be worth my time is all of Break-Out Sessions with some of our Industries brightest stars sharing their secrets to success. Last but certainly not least it gives me the opportunity to learn what is happening at the National Level of ACCA. What can we expect on the political front, changes to tax laws, labor laws, and environmental laws. Boy, that sure is a lot to absorb in a few days, but I promise to share what I learn with you next month!
Frisco AC Repair Service Company Total Air and Heat, is owned by Steve Lauten, the second generation owner. Founded in 1957 by Steve’s dad, Fred Lauten, Total Air and Heat is proud to have received some of the highest awards for quality and service that are offered in the Industry. Among those awards are the Readers Choice Awards from the Collin County Newspaper, the Trane Pacesetter Award in 2002, and designation as a Trane Comfort Specialist.