TECHNICAL SUPPORT
7. Don’t keep calling, texting or e-mailing. The tech rep will return your call as soon as he or she can but you must understand that he or she might be traveling to help another client. He or she could be on a plane or in the terminal, stuck in traffi c or on the fl ight line with a running aircraft, or could be in the dentist’s offi ce. Try to keep the calls during normal business hours. The tech rep has a life, too. Be patient.
8. When the tech rep calls you back, he or she still might not be able to help you right away. He or she may not have access to any manuals or might really be wrapped up in an issue with another customer. Please understand that you are not the only one needing help. If he or she can’t help you right away, he or she will always refer you to another tech rep who will help you. Sometimes the tech rep will just ask you to wait until he or she can get to the offi ce to access his or her manuals.
9. When the tech rep calls you back and is ready to talk to you about your problem, be completely honest. He or she is not going to judge you unless you start hiding things and lying. Don’t try to hide your inexperience and don’t get defensive. The tech rep will ask you if you have checked all of the easy, obvious things. He or she might ask you questions that you feel don’t have anything to do with your problem. Answer honestly. Often mechanics get tunnel vision troubleshooting and the tech rep is trained to think outside the box. He or she knows more about that aircraft than you do. Don’t let your ego get in the way of fi nding the answer to your problem.
10. When the tech rep starts giving you some recommendations for what to check, do what you’re told. Don’t second guess him or her and only do the easy checks. If you don’t know how to do a certain check, say so. He or she will walk you through a check or send you the instructions. The tech rep wants you to do the tests correctly because he or she isn’t there with you and has to rely on your answers to troubleshoot. The tech rep only knows what you tell him or her.
11. While the tech rep is an experienced mechanic and trained on your aircraft, even he or she hasn’t seen every problem possible. Don’t expect him or her to pull the answer out of a hat in just a phone conversation. The tech rep is not a computer.
12. If the tech rep gives you some advise and it turns out to be the solution to your problem, call him or her back and share what worked. Share that information with others. Most of the time, mechanics fi x their aircraft and never call the tech rep back until the next time they need help. Call the tech rep back, debrief him or her and say thank you for the help.
13. Sometimes a problem might be more complex and can’t be fi xed over the phone. The tech rep might recommend that he or she comes to your facility to look at a problem more closely. This will have to be approved by his or her boss fi rst and, most of the time, it is free to the customer. This will also be contingent upon the complexity of the problem. Obviously, if
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HelicopterMaintenanceMagazine.com April | May 2015
a customer wants to contract the OEM to send a representative to come and fi x their aircraft, fi nancial arrangements can be made.
14. If the tech rep gets approval to come to your facility, remember, you are still the mechanic and he or she is not there to do all of the work. He or she is there to help. Remember that the tech rep will not sign any of the work off . He or she can’t, so don’t ask.
15. The tech rep can’t make any airworthiness calls for you, either. He or she can only make recommendations for you. The tech rep is not the FAA but he or she will not sanction maintenance that is not in the book.
16. If the tech rep schedules a visit to your facility to help you, make sure you have all of the tools and parts you think you are going to need. The tech rep will not be able to hang around for a few days while you gather them. He or she will probably suggest a few things to have on hand upon arrival but it is up to you to be prepared. Make sure you are ready for the visit.
17. Once you know the cavalry is on the way, help the tech rep with arrangements like hotel recommendations, nearest airport information, etc. Meet the tech rep at his or her hotel or the airport and escort him or her to your facility if you can. The tech rep won’t have all of the codes or badges available. Sometimes the facilities that they have to fi nd are well hidden. You’d be surprised where helicopters are kept sometimes.
18. Once the tech rep is there, don’t start asking for OEM swag. Now is the time to fi x your aircraft. If he or she has any swag to give, it will come later.
19. Also, it shouldn’t be expected that it is the tech rep’s job to buy lunch or dinner on the manufacturer. He or she can enjoy a free meal, too.
20. During the tech rep’s visit, he or she is probably going to get some phone calls from other clients needing help. This is a tech rep’s life. Find a quiet place for him or her to do business. Give him or her space — someone else had to share the tech rep with you.
21. Make sure the aircraft is available and you have a pilot there that knows what the problem is. The tech rep will need to ask the pilot questions. You might also need a pilot to run or fl y the aircraft. Make sure everything needed is available to him or her.
22. The key to the success of your experience with the tech rep is cooperation. Don’t dump your frustrations on him or her and don’t use him or her as a scapegoat. Be a professional. He or she will help you work through this downtime and get your aircraft back in the air.
As I said, many tech reps are good friends of mine. Respect the tech rep and become a friend. You will fi nd that a tech rep can be a very good friend to have. Remember that respect goes a long way. I would like to thank all of the tech reps with whom I have
worked over the years. They have bailed me out of jams and made me look good to my bosses.
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