NSA Technology
Technological Tools
Repairing products in a timely manner requires access to specialized tools and resources that allow stringent performance standards to be met. NSA has created unique tools that enable technicians to have ready access to the pertinent information and data that facilitate a fast and consistently reliable repair process.
Repair Provider
Just repairing the product properly does not guarantee customer satisfaction. The customer’s repair experience is largely determined by the communication provided to them during the repair cycle. The NSA system provides all information into the status of the repair to all authorized stakeholders in the process. The call center for the manufacturer, the retail dealer, and the extended service contract company often have the need to understand the status of the repair.
Repair Status Visibility
NSA’s IRIS system provides all information into the status of the repair to all authorized stakeholders in the process. The call centers for the manufacturer, the retail dealer, and the extended contract company often have a need to understand the status of the repair.
Communication between these partners can be difficult and slow when legacy systems are used. NSA’s IRIS system gives all stakeholders immediate access to the repair status so they can relay important repair information directly to the customer without needing to make phone calls or accessing multiple systems.
Warranty Terms Database
NSA has created a database that will contain a record of the warranty period for every brand and model serviced at all NSA locations. The database also indicates the type of service, the name, address, and special service locations for each model.
This warranty period database simplifies the difficulty of determining the warranty eligibility of a repair by consolidating warranty data for all brands into a single easy-to-use database.
Parts Locating Tool
The NSA system is a tremendous benefit to service providers in finding parts that are on backorder with their suppliers. Our server creates a data file of all parts that are past their ETA dates or are on backorder with their suppliers. This data file is automatically forwarded to several parts suppliers. Each supplier then compares the part number in the data file to its own on-hand inventory levels. All suppliers then send us that same file with availability and pricing information for each item on the backorder.
We then create a special screen on the web that displays to the service provider all of the repair parts that they have on order along with the availability and pricing received back from each parts supplier. The screen allows the service provider to indicate if they want to order the parts from the vendors that have them in stock by clicking on a checkbox. The service provider can enter a purchase order number, account number, and preferred shipping method. The order is then emailed to the parts vendor of his choice. This automated parts location and ordering process can save service providers a significant amount of time and shave days off of average turnaround times.
Triage Tool
Repairs can be performed in a timely manner only if the correct parts can be ordered and available for the technician to take to the first service call. National Service Alliance created the industry’s first triage database that has a proven series of questions that the CSR can ask the customer to determine the proper parts to take on the initial service call.
The triage questions are written in such a way that a non-technical support person can realistically determine which parts are needed. The NSA system displays the logical flowchart of questions and prompts the support rep to ask the next appropriate question based on the customer’s response to the previous question. These questions will also enable support personnel to help many customers resolve operational problems themselves. These “soft” repairs contribute greatly to customer satisfaction, speed the problem resolution cycle, and reduce costs for everyone.
Repair History
NSA repair locations have access to look up and view all repairs in the extensive NSA repair database. The selection of repair records is made by a sophisticated search engine that enables technicians to request specific brands, models, and unique wording in the customer’s complaint description.
The database returns the appropriate records and suggests to the service provider which parts should be pre-ordered based on the selection criteria entered.
Open Call Management
Many repairs require the service provider to make contact with another entity that has a stake in the repair process for that customer. For example, repair parts occasionally are not available from the manufacturer or parts distributor for an extended period of time. In these situations, the service provider is compelled to make contact with the manufacturer using a manual process.
These manual interactions are very inefficient and often delay some repairs for several days. NSA has created an automated process that presents data regarding the individual repair delay to the appropriate stake holder for immediate visibility. NSA’s IRIS system also provides an automated process through which the stake holder can make an immediate decision regarding the resolution of the open service call. The NSA server then forwards the result of the decision to the service provider for immediate action.
This open call process eliminates the need for manual entry into a third-party system. The NSA process eliminates delays due to communication because the system monitors open calls on a continuous basis and raises the visibility of the delay to the appropriate parties.