Pulse of the PROs: How Do You Maintain Quality Control in the Field?

You built your business by providing excellent services to your customers, and clients depend on your reliability, professionalism, and well-maintained equipment. However, as your company grows and you delegate more duties, you need a way to maintain quality control in the field. How do you know if your crew and equipment meet your standards?

We’ve heard from PROs who spot-check portable restrooms after weekly servicing and others who rely on checklists for preventative maintenance. We want to learn about your quality control processes, including your tips, best practices, and problem areas. Read through the following questions and send your responses to info@johntalk.com or message JohnTalk on Facebook, LinkedIn, or Twitter. Or, leave your reply at the bottom of this page.

How Do You Monitor Equipment Conditions?

Tracking dozens or hundreds of assets is critical yet time-consuming. A filthy or damaged unit at a customer site will likely result in a call to your company, an unhappy client, and more work for your team. Likewise, a portable restroom that fails to meet expectations at a special event can reflect poorly on your business. PROs should use quality control processes to ensure equipment meets standards, and when it doesn’t, take action quickly. These systems typically include equipment maintenance checklists and procedures for reporting damaged units.

How do your service technicians report problems in the field? Do they wait until they get back to the office or inform the shop via a phone call or text? Once the equipment arrives at your facility, how do you prioritize repairs and track activities and costs? What guidelines do you use to select units for different customers and events? Also, what triggers switching a portable restroom from special event use to construction?

What Type of Records Do You Use for Quality Control?

PROs use maintenance and repair records to ensure equipment meets criteria and determine when a unit or vehicle has outlived its purpose. They document employee training, write-ups, and performance reviews to make sure their crew’s work upholds standards. These records also play a role legally, especially when it comes to high-rise equipment safety and maintenance.

What documents relating to performance and equipment conditions do you keep? Do you rely on written reports, checklists, and a paper filing system? Or, do you use software programs for human resources and inventory?

How Do You Ensure Employee Work Meets Your Standards?

Although you don’t always have eyes on your team in the field, there are several ways to check staff performance. PROs often monitor the quality of service technicians by riding along with techs, reviewing customer surveys, and performing spot checks. A combination of methods helps you stay proactive and catch problems before affecting customers or your reputation. Moreover, your quality control procedures for proper storage, security, and handling protect your equipment investments.

How do you make sure your team’s work meets standards? Do you have processes to identify training opportunities and document educational activities? What methods do you use to deal with performance issues relating to quality? Lastly, do you assess your training program and update it regularly?

Let JohnTalk Know How You Maintain Quality Control in the Field

You give your team plenty of preventative maintenance tips and keep a close eye on your equipment. But once your employees and assets are offsite, it’s harder to guarantee everything goes according to plan. Quality control processes standardize basic maintenance and repair, reporting, and documentation procedures.

We want to know how you maintain quality control in the field. Please send us the answers to the above questions or share your best tips by connecting with JohnTalk. Email us at info@johntalk.com or connect with JohnTalk on Facebook, LinkedIn, or Twitter. You can also leave a reply below.

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