| Independent Shops By Kenneth Calhoun, Vice President, Customer Relations, Truck Centers of Arkansas; Service Provider Director at Large, TMC Board of Directors; Immediate Past Chairman, TMC S.16 Service Provider Study Group Guide to establishing a successful quality control program The critical components Th e S.16 Service Provider Study Group of the Technology & Maintenance Council (TMC) develops recommended guidelines for service provider business practices. One such recommended practice (RP) has been developed to provide a formal, structured and repeatable framework for establishing a quality assurance program within a service provider repair facility: RP 1609, Quality Control Guidelines. Quality control reassures the customer that their vehicle is taken care of – from the minute it enters the shop to the second it leaves the yard. To implement a quality assurance program, TMC recommends using RP 1609 along with its Vehicle Maintenance Reporting Standards (VMRS). In addition to being the industry standard building block for equipment and maintenance reporting, VMRS is the industry recognized tool to leverage the power of warranty versus non-warranty work for ease of fl eet/service provider communication. Poor repair quality and repair “comebacks” cost both the vehicle owner and the repairing facility time and money. Processes should be in place to reduce or eliminate issues created by human factors. Program Components Th ere are eight critical components to a quality control program: 1. Point of interface visual assurance. Th e service provider should clearly communicate its commitment to providing quality service. A process map can help ensure the repeatability of the quality control event. Graphic courtesy of TMC 2.Process. Th is is the “who, what, when, where and how” of the actual inspection. A process map is typically used to help ensure the repeatability of the quality control event. 3. Metrics tracking. Capturing and analyzing the data associated with uncovered problems help service providers identify the root causes of recurring problems. Poor quality incidents should be analyzed to recognize trends. For example: • Are comebacks more prevalent in certain types of repairs (e.g., clutch work)? • Are comebacks more prevalent on one shift verses others? • Are comebacks more prevalent with certain technicians? • What are the total costs of rework, both tangible and intangible? 4.Calculation of rework costs. Rework has both hard and soft costs. Hard costs are found on service providers fi nancial statements (e.g., warranty expense, chargeback expense, insurance settlements). Soft costs are losses from fi rst-time customers, employee productivity and comeback work. 5. Business case/ROI considerations. Calculations of all of the costs noted in No. 4 are critical to forming a business case for implementation of a repair quality control program. 6. Inspection form. Th is should be customized to suit the needs of the repairing facility and capture the information that is pertinent to the organization’s metrics tracking requirements. 7.Checklist relative to specifi c repairs. An additional inspection form specifi c to category of repair adds a repeatable quality control process. 8.Checklist relative to general quality. Other quality issues exist that can be mitigated with a more generalized quality control inspection. POOR REPAIR QUALITY costs downtime, money and business relationships. Technician repairs vehicle Log defect Log defect Technician notifies that repair is complete Assigned QA Inspector reviews RO for initial complaint QA Inspector verifies resolution of complaint QA Inspector completes visual of affected area Online Exclusive A template for a comprehensive quality control check sheet, developed by the Technology & Maintenance Council’s S.16 Service Provider Study Group, can be found at: VehicleServicePros.com/12201435 QA Inspector completes visual of operator compartment Customer later reports defect not solved QA Inspector completes and signs form and card Yes Vehicle is returned to customer Does area pass visual? Does area pass visual? Is complaint resolved? Yes Yes An example of a metrics tracking tool. Graphic courtesy of TMC 30 FLEET MAINTENANCE ❚ JUNE 2016 ❚ VehicleServicePros.com
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