By Destinie Holiday
The FIX-IT Customer Service Center is FIX-IT’s frontline. This seven-member team receives and dispatches every Facilities Services work request that is submitted. In 2016, there were over 84,000 work orders processed and this team processed every single item.
The Fix-It Call Center is staffed 24-hours a day, seven days a week to ensure campus requests are received and input into the work order system. The Call Center also processes work orders for projects that take place on campus such as new buildings, construction, and moves and events.
Supervisor Carla Tisby-Riggs advises her crew with these words from legendary college football coach Lou Holtz: "Do right. Do your best. Treat others as you want to be treated."
Each worker handles an average of 50 requests in an eight-hour shift by receiving them through any of the 4 Ways to FIX-IT. These four ways include phone, text, email or logging in through AccessUH and selecting the FIX-IT icon. Walk-in requests happen occasionally. The two most popular methods to submit service requests are through AccessUH and over the phone.
After receiving the service requests, the Fix-It dispatchers verify the given information and move the request to a “workbench” or a task manager software system. UH Facilities uses FAMIS, which is a computerized maintenance management software system.
Requests are input into the system within 24 hours and will receive a response as soon as possible. Part of the process is labeling the service request as a “Push Through” or a “Non-Push Through.” Push Through requests are taken care of immediately and include such things as broken elevators, temperature control or spills. Non-Push Through service requests include closet doors coming off the hinges or painting.
The dispatchers are trained to know the difference between these two types of requests. They are also schooled on the different Facilities Services crews and which one handles which type of work order. This is essential in knowing how to handle the response.
An important tip for customers wishing to place a work order request is having all information prepared and the most accurate location disclosed. Providing these five components speeds up the process:
The Call Center crew is team-oriented and strives to be in sync with each other when handling service requests and work orders. At any given time, a service request can come in for the same issue and they must all know what has already been addressed. Customer service is the number one priority for the workers. Each worker strives to know about resources on campus in order to be prepared to direct people to the proper place. Multiple times a day, calls come in that are not facilities-related but leaving a customer without a next step is not an option. “We try to help as much as possible. If there’s something we don’t know we will go above and beyond to give the right information. We just want the customer happy,” said Christina Gilbert, one of the FIX-IT Customer Service Center team members.