How Many Calls Does it Take to Change a Light Bulb? The phone was ringing. Again. The tenal buzz was insistent and, at 5.15 ra, was not likely to be good newa. Abel Wallingtiont the dieceder of engineering for a 1,000-room downtown hotel, hit the swe hotkey en the neport he was prevaring for his general manager. Mals Bounacas, the general manager, had asked him to detail the ternfits the property. had best experiesting since instatling the new compaterized maintertance manaprement system. A sister property was considering installing the same system and Abel wanted to help them make the most of it. He piclied up the phone and had barely gotten cat bis grevting when the strided voice of Daphre Remorestra, the feont cifise namaget interrupted him. Is anyone woeking down there? Abel, what is gaing on in your departitient? This is the fourth time this week that we're sitting on forty-eight ouf-of-order rooms righn before the height of my dheck-in time. Fve got a convention coming in and they're all going to be sitting in the lobby waitiog for rooens, Our coat-check room is full ef luggrge and out beil attendants can barely move in it." Abel dicked onlo the work order system, gratefal that the sysem put the satus of all work onders at the tipes of his fingers. If couldin't have done this wis. monthe age, "he thought to himselt. "Of eourse, six months ago, we weterit luv. ing these problems." He quidily wotwd the work orders and saw that thirfy-nine of the forty ericht oat-of-orster soons were due to bumed-out light bulbs and that his only electridan was currently working on them. "We should be getting then in pretty gaidly, Daphine," he said. "Hut you know Maia has a refo-talerance policy on burned-out light bulter and won thet ia release a room until they're changed. -What I know is that Fve got to coemp drinks for a lotby-full of weary travelerst" Daphrie said as she slammed the phone down. Abel sighed and wet aside his report to go help his skeletal evening staff replace light bullos and get the rocems back into erder more quickly. Nirety minutes later, he was walking back to his office with his swing shift enginert, vemon. "Tdunne, boss," Vernon said as be shrugged into his jacket and punched his passoode inte the system to dock eat. Days like today ane becoming awful com. mon. It's slow for hours and then we get slammed with more work orders than we can tam before check-in time. Sure mould be nice if we coald get the orders a lietle earlier in the day. "That it would," Abel agreed. "Hive a good night and It see you tomorrow." He went into his office and polled up his report again. The maintenance soltware allowed room atsendants to calt in reyuests disectly to the work order systern. The automased response walked them throdgh the reporting process in the language of their chucke The hotel had installed modules for English, Spanish, Chinese, French, and German. The system then generabrd a work order, priveritized it, and sent it to the alphansanseric pager that each engineering departmient employee earried. They knew they'd get a lot of great bencits with a compelerized wurk orser systrm, but this went far teyond their epedations Abel quickly reviewed the pyemem in other features - le creases a history of dosed work cedens - Ir alluws assignmmtit of work erder priority. - It traks " who, what, where, and where" for each work erdet ingluding who Istentified the problem, whether a guest initisted the reguest, who corweded it tieme reported, time dosed, where the order was initiased fromi, and where the definiency with. - Ir allows for all employees to call in work orders with simple codes from any it houne phoses. - If wors deta by room flowe and building bencits with a compuleried work order system, toit this went far beywed their expectationa Abel quicily reviewed the syitemis other festuret: - A crostes a histury of dosed werk conleri. - It allows assignntent ed woek eeder priority. - It trarks "wha what, retere, and when" for rach work onder, including who identitied the problem, whether a guest initiated the requese, who corrected it, time reportid, time doued, where the order was initiated trum and where the definency was. - It allows for all employess to call in work orders with simple codes from any in hosse phone. - It sorts data by room. floot, and building - It recoeds labor and materials conts on each work onser. - It can view eper oventue, and en hold work oeders for any asset. - It creates data tables for employwe records. - It ereates a varicty of reporis bused on useningeot sorts Heif already detailed the berefite for the finst two features in his 167/472, had just startad cen the thind one when he'd bevn internipted. He resead trejou= proph he'd just finished: Trading diea hes allowed us to do thing wer never town able to do anered that the bathroom criling in thoem 455 had been repaintrd tix formod the woek and no ote rodized that this was a repest problem. Thas dafs rilised a red fleg for as. We irvostigated and found that the seal tims, we fised the teat peoblent insead of applying a land-Aat Akel convulted has outlire. In his neport he wansed to addiness four additional issues of how the system had helped to charige the woy the departiment wotkod. His plan was to write about how the sysem helped them box - Evaluase a proposed incertive program for the evegireveing and housekecping departments. - Benchmack their performance against other properties of their siae within the ctain. - Identify tasks that could be cost-efiectively ontsouroed. - Propare a budget for property operations and maintenance costs and a statiing guider As Alei began a new paragraph. Verwovis parting wonds suddenly seruck him ind he again peilided up the work oeder syshem. He quickly revirwed the data for the pust wetk, surting woek etten by the time of day. Things were starting to 72 Chapter 2 become much slearer. Ile shot an e-mall off to the exrcutive hosisekevert Amber Limpieza, asking for fifteen minates of her time the riest moening. He then derided to call it a night. At 8.30 the next morning. Abel sat down in Amber's office. "Tim hoping you can help ene solve a problem we've been having. Lately we' we had a lot od rooms That are still urtavailable at check-in time. This creabes a back-top at the tronk desk as well as greater-than-evpected mumber in the lounge as they are serving onmped guests." He took out a spreadsheet and set it in front of her. "Take a look at this. Amber, lth all the work order reyuests called in by hoersekerping, Notice that \&s pereent of the calls are coming in at either 1130A.M. er at 3.30. M. This means my statf has little to do for hwairs and then they get hit right before their lanch and right as most of their shitts end." "Well, of course," she said. Ahel waited bo her to eqplain furthee. Amber sighed and rolled her eyes. That's when the room attendants go on beak of end their shift." "I stiil don't get it," Abel said. "Why would we get more calls when they're an beak then when they' we working " "Because that's when the roam attendants give their floor supervisors the list of all the out-of-oeder items," Amber replied, as if stating the obvious. Abet was dumbloinded. He sputtered for a momerit and then asked, "Why are they doing that? Wly don't they just pick up the guestruom phone and call if chain. Identify tasks that could be costeffectiviny outsouroed. Thepure a budget for property operations and maintertance cosb asd a stati- As Abel began a new puragraph, Vernoevs parting woeds saddetily struck him atd he again pralled up the work veder system. He puinlly wviewed the data for the pas week, soeting work orders by the time of day. Things were stanting to 68/472 72 Cluptir 2. become moch clearer. He shot an e-mail off to the esccutive bousekeper Amser timplera, anking for fifeeen mimutes of her time the next moerving. He then decidest to call if a nitght. At sa30 the enext moering. Alvet sat down in Amber's velice. 'Tim hoping you can help me solve a problem we've been having. Lately we' we had a lot of rooms that are stilf unavailable at dinck-in time. This cecases a back-up at the feont denks mo well as greater-than-expected numbers in the losinge as they are serving comped guests. "He took out a sppodateet and set if in front of her. "Take a look at this. Amber, Itw all the work onder cequeste called in by horsekeeping. Notioe that is peront of the calls are coming in at either 11-30 A.w. of at 3.30 had. This means my statf has little to do for hours and thee they get hit right before their larketh and right as most of their shilsend." "Well, of course," she said. Abel wasted for her to evplain further. Anvber, sighed and rolkel her eyes. "Thatis when the mom atterodants go an break of erid their shiet." "I still doe't get it," Abel said. "Why would we get more calls when they'te on foeak then when they te working?" "Because that's when the room attendants give their flooe supervisars the list of all the out-of-order items," Amber replied, as if stating the obwious. Abel was dumbeounded. He sputtered for a monvert and then asked, Thy are they doing that? Why deent they just pick up the goestruem phone and call it inte the system themachest "Come on, Alel," she answered. "Most of my statt has been working bere fitevn years or more. Do you really think they're going to change the way they do things? Besides, most axy they dont understand how to use the system. Discussion Questions 1. How does the issue ed having all the work oeders hit the system at conce afiect both internal and external custemens? 2. What is the root cause of the problem and what other factors contribute to in? 3. What are sone of the ways the prothem can be solved? 4. How can a computeriad work order system provide information to aldres the four issues Abel mentions in his report: - Evaluate a proposed incentive peogram for the engincering and housekecpirb department. - Benchunark their performanoe against other ptoperties of their size within the chain. - Bentify tasks that coald be cost-etfectively outsonarced. - Prepare a budget for property operations and maintenance costs and a staffing guide