A diverter valve and a cold house
Tuesday: the engineer finds the diverter valve has failed. He rings the merchant, orders it, tells the customer someone will call. Thursday: the part arrives at the branch. Nobody collects it. Friday: the customer rings, with no hot water, asking what's happening. The office has no record of the order.
In winter, this happens several times a week.
Some parts end up fitted to the wrong job, some are returned unused weeks later, and a few are simply lost.
Why parts go missing between visits
The order is placed by the engineer, often by phone from the customer's kitchen, sometimes on his own account, sometimes on yours. The office finds out later, if at all. When the part arrives, it's at a branch, in the office, or on a van, and nobody is sure which customer it's for.
| Step | What goes wrong |
|---|---|
| Part identified | Recorded only in engineer's notes |
| Ordered | Phone order, no reference kept |
| Arrives | At branch or office, not linked to job |
| Customer rebooked | When they ring to chase |
| Wrong part | Found on the second visit |
Engineers often order from the customer's house, by phone, from memory. The merchant's counter staff take the details, and whether the part is right depends on the model being read correctly from a badge in a dark cupboard. If a reference is given, it is often the engineer's own shorthand, which means nothing to the office.
What waiting costs
Customers without heating or hot water are unhappy, and some call another engineer. The office spends time answering chasing calls. Parts sit uncollected or get fitted to the wrong job. And the second visit gets squeezed into an already full day.
Winter makes it worse. The same week that breakdowns peak is the week merchants run short of common parts, so waits are longer and customers more anxious. Every chasing call takes office time that is already stretched.
The parts-awaited list we build
- Part record: when the engineer diagnoses a part, they record it on their phone against the job: part, GC number of the appliance, supplier, and a photo of the old part's label.
- Order: the order is placed through your merchant's online route where possible, or logged with the reference if phoned.
- Tracking: the list shows every job waiting for a part, how long it has waited, and the expected delivery.
- Arrival: when the part is delivered or collected, it's marked in, and the office is alerted.
- Rebooking: the customer gets a message offering return slots and books one.
- Customer updates: customers waiting on a part get an update when it's ordered and when it arrives, so they don't need to ring.
Parts collected from a branch or delivered to the office can be scanned or photographed on arrival, so the list updates without anyone typing.
Repairs that don't get stuck
Every part has an owner and a customer. The office can answer 'where's my part' instantly, and often before the customer asks. Second visits are booked as soon as the part lands. And the list shows which merchants and parts regularly cause delays.
Vulnerable customers can be flagged on the list, so the office knows to call them rather than rely on a text, and to consider temporary heating where your business offers it.
Merchants also see the benefit. Orders placed with the right GC number and part reference are less likely to be wrong, which means fewer returns and fewer wasted trips to the counter.
Does this happen to you?
- Parts are ordered by phone with no record in the office.
- Customers ring to chase repairs waiting for parts.
- Parts sit at the merchant or in the office unlinked to jobs.
- Second visits are booked late.
- Wrong parts are only found on the return visit.