3 Types Of Ride Alongs

Ride alongs, or skill observations, allow managers or trainers to go into the field with their employees to make sure that the company standards are being met. This tool can be extremely beneficial to you as a manager or owner to control the quality of service your team is providing. There are 3 different types of ride alongs you can use, and we’re going to discuss all three types and their applications below.

Full observation

In this situation, you and your tech will meet up in the morning and spend a period of time riding together in the same truck – usually for the entire day. You want to use this tactic when you need a comprehensive view of your technician’s service. Every moment of your technician’s service is available to you – the technician arrives at the customer’s home, gives the initial greetings, settles the anxieties, does the diagnostic, presents the solutions and wraps up by closing out the call. 

Depending on the skill level of your technician, you may see 1 to 4 of these processes in the entire day you ride with them. This technique is extremely valuable – especially when it comes to newer team members or team members who are being trained on a specific process. You also get the added benefit of having the chance to get to know your technician better and make a deeper connection with them.

The only negative aspect about this kind of ride along is the time required. Some owners may not have the entire day to spend with their technician, or you may only need to see one service call, but you’re stuck for the rest of the day with your technician. That’s where the next kind of ride along comes into play.

Specific observation

Also referred to as the ‘in your own truck’ ride along or the ‘pop up’ ride along, specific observations are great to use when you need to observe the customer relations but not the technical work. For technicians who complete flawless technical service, but are still working on communicating with the customer, a specific observation allows you to see where you can help them improve. Once the technician gets to the point of install or repair, you can excuse yourself and speak to the technician later about the notes you have taken.

Using this technique will allow you to observe more demonstrations of service from multiple technicians throughout the day. You will always be limited to the number of calls you can observe per day, but even one ride along is beneficial to you and your team.

Recorded observation

Also known as the ‘desk observation’, observing your technicians after the fact can be beneficial as well. Using the customer’s questionnaire, the technician’s diagnostic and option sheets and what services were approved by the homeowner, you can evaluate how well the technician did. 

The great thing about this kind of ride along is you can potentially complete dozens of observations in a single day. Specifically, if you know your technicians well, you can make notes and educated guesses on where they need to improve just based on the recorded evidence of their previous service calls. It can be very powerful to have notes and advice ready for each technician before they even set out on their first call for the day.

You Have to IGNITE THE POWER in your technicians

These ride alongs are essential ways for you as an owner or manager to evaluate and control the quality of service you are providing your customers. It’s also one of the most impactful ways to help your technicians grow – personally and professionally. Our coaches at Service Excellence have seen these techniques work time and again, so start using them! If you’re interested in more training tips, visit our website or contact us!