Technical Tactics

While the following list is by no means all-encompassing, it provides a few basic tips on how to get your money's worth from your service tech.

1. Keep it professional: While there's nothing wrong with a quick check on the status of your tech's personal life (wife, kids, car, etc.), remember that the tech is there for a purpose. Some techs can talk while they work, some cannot. You ask an innocent "How's the family?" and the tech spends the next 10 minutes (screwdriver in hand) looking at you instead of the machine. Suddenly, you're aggravated, but don't quite know how to tell the tech to get back to work. If you're paying by the hour, it's an expensive conversation. Even if you're not paying for the time, you want to keep technicians focused on the job. Wait until the job is complete, and you have a time-stamped work order in your hand before being sociable.