August 19, 2024

Success With First Time Fix

Graphic designers use the term "first time right" when it comes to designing advertising for clients. They want to have zero mistakes and avoid rounds of corrections that take up time and delay the artist from other projects. Maintenance departments also want success with first time fix.

Let's delve into this deeper. First Time Fix (FTF) - A metric to measure a technician’s ability to resolve an issue in the initial attempt. Typically expressed as a percentage, this holds significance in various aspects of business performance.

If you achieve first time fix, you garner better customer satisfaction. Customers appreciate quick and effective solutions, and a high FTF percentage contributes positively to their experience.

Recall previous issues you've had with repairs of computers and other home equipment. How many times did the service person have to visit? How long did the repair last?

Fix or Repair

One of the issues maintenance technicians and mechanics deal with concerns language and the perception of words. The terms "fix" and "repair" for instance. Too many people have the mindset that fix means permanent. People want something fixed, so it doesn’t fail again.

However, with machinery (engines, motors, etc.) mechanics do fix problems, but many times, they complete a repair job. They've solved the problem today. However, in the future the customer may still have problems. Of course, this depends on several factors.

Quality of the job. Quality of the repair materials. Customer usage. Age and deterioration of asset. And of course, you have the ever lurking unexpected issues like weather and accidents.

Let's look at the benefit of productivity. Recall the analogy of the graphic designer and the many rounds of ad corrections. With a higher percentage FTF, the designer can move on to other projects.

With maintenance technicians, a lower FTF percentage also hampers productivity and delays other projects. This transition also affects costs. Parts, labor, and overall operations. If the assets needs further work or a complete redo, then you use more parts and labor hours.

How to Improve First Time Fix

Some circumstances necessitate further work or delayed repairs. Remember those unexpected issues I mentioned. However, the following tips seek to minimize the instance where you have to return to the job.

Let's look at several ways to have success with first time fix.

• Labor Resources. Who do you assign to jobs? Look beyond simply sending the closest technician to each job. To achieve a higher First Time Fix percentage, opt for an engineer with the most relevant skills and experience for a particular project.
• Of course, another technician can train with the skilled worker to learn. In those instances, you invest in the future of your team. The trainee learns efficiency and develops his or her own skills. For a further discussion on labor, read the article from Penn Foster.
• Inventory Resources. Do you have the right parts and tools to resolve issues? Delays come from out-of-date parts, out-of-stock parts, and from emergency purchases. All contribute to lower productivity, increased costs, and lower FTF percentages.
• Inventory management, in part, means using experience and job history to help determine the optimal quantity of stock. You've organized your parts room. You understand what moves and what you won't use for a while.
• Reports. Can you access historical data to inform you of past issues? Understanding previous repairs enables organizations to identify recurring issues and avoid repeating the same mistakes. This proactive approach contributes to a higher First Time Fix rate.
• CMMS. This system streamlines maintenance processes by centralizing data. It helps organizations optimize their maintenance strategies, leading to improved FTF percentages.

Further CMMS Benefits

CMMS software helps to organize an existing maintenance program. It provides easy access to assets, inventory, preventive maintenance (PM), and work orders. It standardizes work order processing. You have a better oversight for scheduling jobs, upping the productivity level. You'll conduct quality checks to also up that FTF percentage.

In addition, the CMMS provides numerous reports on assets with key performance indicators (KPIs). These help shape your PM program. All these contribute to better asset management. Using labor stat reports, you improve efficiency and balance work-load. You run attainment reports. You look at on-time completion rates.

While some of these may not seem to relate to FTF, you have to look at all these elements as part of the big picture. Many factors play a role in each maintenance activity. You have so many connections that impact a variety of measurements and metrics.

For instance, a technician finishes a job in half the estimated time. While that means he can move to another project, you might check to see how well that first job was done. Was it complete? Was it effective? Coming back later for further work means a lower FTF percentage.

Out of stock parts means the first inspection of the job ends there. You have to come back a second time when you have the available parts.

Unclear work orders? That may mean a job done in two rounds while you receive better instructions. With a CMMS, you have assistance from automation and clearer visual aspects of your maintenance operations than you would with other methods such as a spreadsheet.

Calculating FTF

You can determine the percentage with a simple formula.

FTF Rate = (Number of Service Calls Resolved on First Visit / Total Number of Service Calls) * 100

As an example: An HVAC company receives 100 service calls in a month. Out of these 100 calls, technicians are able to resolve the issue on the first visit for 80 customers.

FTF Rate = (80 / 100) * 100 = 80%

This means the HVAC company has an 80% First Time Fix Rate, indicating that they successfully resolved 80% of service issues on the initial visit.

Use this same formula for work orders in your manufacturing plant, ethanol plant, hospital, etc. How many jobs required delay or numerous rounds of technician work? You want that number reduced.

Conclusion

You can achieve success with first time fix. This basic calculation affects aspects of your business that may slip your mind. However, so many factors affect FTF. Minimizing those influences means the technician has a better chance of completing the job on the first round. And completing the job correctly.

You will find that experience and consistency will up that percentage. Even when you gain a higher percentage, don't ease back. Continue to improve and adjust your methods.

As mentioned, using a CMMS gains you so many benefits. For the system that helps so many industries, look to MAPCON. 800-922-4336. Schedule a free demonstration today.