Antunes’ technical service representatives work firsthand with each and every one of the manufacturer’s products — handling service calls, conducting field tests, updating components and supporting the design and development of new product releases. The greatest product insights, however, can come from the opportunity to inspect and diagnose customer equipment from the field.
Here, Joe Carone and Dennis Wendt answer questions about Antunes’ in-house repair program and how customers — and Antunes’ internal team — can benefit from the expertise of the technical service department.
Who is eligible for in-house repairs?
Any customer is eligible for this program. To date, we have repaired units from operations in the U.S. and Canada, and many are local customers that bring equipment to our headquarters.
How does the in-house repair process work?
We offer two evaluations to the customer: one to just repair the unit and another to completely rebuild the unit.
Here is an example of the typical step-by-step process for one of our customers:
1. Customer calls Antunes’ technical service department (1-877-392-7854) when they have a piece of equipment in need of repair.
2. During the call, the customer contact provides the unit’s serial number, his or her contact information and payment information (if the unit is not in warranty). They also describe the issue with the unit. The customer will be charged an evaluation fee, plus a flat rate shipping fee.
3. The unit is received and evaluated by Antunes, using our data and product expertise to review the entire unit and not just the issue identified by the customer.
4. The customer is notified via email with a written evaluation of the unit. The evaluation will contain the following information:
- Condition of unit, and whether it is repairable or not
- Parts needed and cost
- Labor estimate
5. The customer will respond via email if they accept the evaluation and would like to have the unit repaired.
6. If accepted, the unit is repaired and sent back to the customer. Parts and labor are covered under warranty for 90 days.
Customers with multiple units of the same equipment tend to send one piece at a time, in order to keep up with demand and not impact productivity too significantly. If it is a single unit that is under warranty, we will send them a loaner piece during the evaluation period. Outside of warranty, we will work with the customer or the corporate office to meet their operational needs.
Who benefits from the in-house repair program?
Customers can save money, not only because of our cost-effective rates but also due to our extensive product expertise. This differentiator leads to the product getting repaired correctly the first time and greater insights into the unit’s overall operation — which can lead to better long-term performance.
The in-house repair program has also benefitted our internal team. Getting data from out-of-warranty units is very difficult, but this program allows us to see how our products are performing five or more years down the road. When working on a new model or updates to an existing unit, we can implement product changes or improvements discovered through this process.
How does the information gained through in-house repairs impact other departments at Antunes?
When we do multiple repairs on the same equipment with the same issue we can bring that issue to the attention of our product development team. We can also see what maintenance is not being done at store level, attempt to figure out why and what we can do to either ensure the customer preforms the maintenance and/or what we can do to make that maintenance more manageable.
Feedback from our service network and customers is always beneficial to this process, but being able to see the equipment firsthand and to use our expertise on these specific products, helps us to implement beneficial changes at the manufacturer level.
To learn more about how this in-house repair program could benefit your operation, contact the Antunes technical service department.
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