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If your beverages and business are important to you, your technician will work hard to provide you the type of quality service that will keep your coffee brewing consistently. By creating a cooperative relationship with your technician, you will enable them to provide you superior service and that will often come with a few extra perks. Premium commercial espresso service companies rarely want to work with businesses that do not regularly maintain their equipment because it drives the cost of non-billable services up. This type of equipment owner will randomly request repair services often when their machine has broken down or is in a complicated state of disrepair. This causes technicians to provide reactive service which will often include rescheduling customers, rerouting vehicles and overnighting parts. To get the most perks for your business it is better to create a mutual partnership with your service provider that will benefit you both. Here are a few to look for:

Complimentary Preventative Maintenance

If you purchase your equipment direct, your service provider will often throw in a complimentary preventative maintenance (PM) in with your purchase. A comprehensive PM is offered to you for a couple of important reasons. Most manufacturer’s equipment warranties will last about a year. Before your warranty expires, your technician will use your preventative maintenance as an opportunity to identify any internal warranty issues that may have gone undetected. The benefit of a PM is your equipment will be returned to brand new working order. Your technician hopes that after this free service, you’ll recognize that maintaining your equipment is worth your commitment and investment.

Priority Service
Whether your equipment is under a service and warranty contract or is being maintained through a preventative maintenance agreement, you have a vested interest in your service company which means they will have a vested interest in the success of your business. Your partnership will offer you priority service. If something unexpected happens and your equipment stops producing a quality, consistent beverage, your technician will push you to the front of the line and give you preferential treatment over your competitors or other customers who can comfortably wait for service. 

After-Hours Preventative Maintenance Service
A technician will perform your scheduled preventative maintenance service during after-hours and at no additional cost so your business is not disrupted during your normal operating hours. This keeps you from turning away customers and losing sales. 

Designated Parts Inventory
Your service provider will order and set aside key parts soley for your business. Regardless of the problems with the U.S. supply chain, it is important that you do not rely on chance that your service technician will just so happen to have the part you need when you need it. 

Pricing Discounts 
Enjoy labor and travel discounted rates. 

Part Discounts
Enjoy parts discounts of up to fifteen (15) percent and more for preventative maintenance items like group gaskets and screens during your equipment warranty period and for parts and components with a yearly preventative maintenance agreement. 

No charge Shipping and Handling  
Your service provider will cover the cost of shipping for warranty part claims. As your machine ages, chances increase that longer lasting components may begin to fail. Most service companies will not have replacement inventory for parts that seldom break such as touch screens or electronics. In those cases, your service provider will cover costs including expedited shipping if necessary. This can be a nice money saving bonus under almost any circumstance. 

There are a couple of ways to collaborate with your service provider. The most natural way is to shop and purchase your equipment direct from them. Your service company will understand that they will be the ones responsible for providing you warranty and maintenance services and will then know to order parts specific to your make and model of machinery and proactively prepare to service your equipment. If you purchased your equipment from another retailer that does not have their own service technicians available to you in your area, they can purchase a service and warranty agreement on your behalf. 

A service and warranty agreement designates a specific service company to provide you installation, warranty repair and any other services that were included with your equipment purchase. Commercial espresso repair is often viewed as an on-demand industry but the reality is, your service provider does a lot behind the scenes to prepare to support your business. If you have purchased your equipment somewhere else other than your service provider, you are considered someone else's customer. If your retailer cannot provide you services, they should designate a local service company to your business making them responsible for pre-ordering, training and stocking parts on your behalf. Without an agreement, your service technician has no way of knowing if you will be calling them or another company. With an agreement, your service technician can support your growing coffee business better and more efficiently. 

Lastly, the other way to create a partnership and bolster the quality of your service is to purchase a service agreement in which your technician will provide you with scheduled preventative maintenance services. With a maintenance agreement in place, your service company will not only stock parts but hold them solely for you as a matter of preparation in providing you your services.  Once again, the real benefit to partnering with your service company is it reduces the cost of business for your service provider because they are preparing for and providing your equipment maintenances in a proactive manner. In turn, service technicians  will often sweeten their agreement with you by adding in some additional money saving bonuses. 

Take Away
Growing and being successful in the espresso beverage business requires a bit of strategic planning. Do not leave your business to chance. Speak to your local service provider about  the incentives they offer to help save you money and improve the quality of your service.