This is Part Two of the 3-part series sharing the insights we’ve gathered interviewing some of the Top Food Equipment Service executives in the industry.
In the first part, we tackled new emerging trends for attracting & recruiting Technicians. We discussed sign-up bonuses, company culture, marketing for technicians, upskilling, and more. This segment is all about dealing with the Supply Chain Crisis and ever-changing customer demands.
Before we dive in, I’d like to thank all the contributors for their willingness to open up and share their wisdom with us:
Alright, let’s dive in.
Since the rise of Covid 19 in mid 2020, supply chains across the world slowed down dramatically for many reasons, including but not limited to ports congestion, material scarcity, labor shortage, reduced demand to name a few.
It’s ripple effects has been felt across the entire industry and it doesn’t seem to be going away anytime soon, Dan Kaltenbaugh, Jr. from Welbilt explains:
Some executives like Mike Berman from Day & Night are not particularly optimistic about the timeline for resolution and are calling for company-wide optimization to cope with its effect:
These supply chain issues are not just affecting Foodservice Equipment manufacturers, as Bob Levine shared with us:
Obviously, something that affects manufacturers and service agents will affect customers even more. Everything is done so they can be in business at the end of the day.
With all the direct and side-effects of these global supply chain issues, cultivating deep relationships with clients and keeping open communication channels has never been more important:
Doubling down on improving client relationships and communication can mean the difference between being in business in the future or not.
In fact, Bob Levine goes on to say that we’re not in the equipment repair business, but in the customer experience business:
Dan Kalenbaugh concurs that open communication channels with clients is critical to business success:
These delays with parts, and even trucks, aggravate the recruitment issues. But this industry will never stop and executives will find a way to adapt to the circumstances.
So, what’s left to do is make the most of the technicians we do have:
The sudden slow down in the industry due to macroeconomic factors is forcing Service Agents to be more intentional about growth and optimization. Not just as something that happens because of the demand overflow but as part of a long-term strategy:
This is a great moment to refine processes and even redefine parts of the business, as the industry prepares to bounce back to inevitable growth. This is when those most efficient will come up on top:
I hope you found this article valuable as we get to hear from our peers and draw insights to drive the whole industry forward.
If you haven’t read the first article in this series, click on this link to catch up.
Keep an eye out for the next segment where we’ll be tackling other opportunities and challenges facing the industry in 2022 and beyond!
Sincerely, Yassin Shaar, Chief Growth Officer at Origo
For more information, visit the Origo website, or learn how Origo can help your operation by calling (832) 558-6661.
