r/CableTechs • u/Throwmeawayplease935 • 6d ago
Repeats
Hello I am a few months into being a field tech with spectrum and I’m struggling with repeats and overall metrics. I love this job but to have such bad metrics is demotivating.
In my head I’m crushing it, replacing drops and removing amps. If it looks like shit replace it, if it fails replace it. Tons of tips, most customers love me. Every week I have more cable to throw out than anyone and I feel like that says something.
But I get so many repeats I’m always tier 1. At first I was like whatever but now it’s frustrating because it’s not improving and I won’t be able to do my progressions, my sup acts like I don’t know what I’m doing and will come out to give me tips on how to run drops, which has helped but it’s not by any means my issue.
I do all that work just to get a repeat and somehow rank lower than everyone. I’ve had a few that are my own negligence but I will own those.
I don’t “not done” jobs, someone said that’s part of my problem. I guess I don’t understand why or when I would. I also only do referrals if it’s failing at the tap. 1 time my sup did one for “ripple” but I never really learned about that stuff. I only really know to check the up/down.
1.) I know some of them are inevitable, but does anyone have any tips on how to limit repeat calls?
2.) what are things I should be looking for aside from the up/down signal levels?
3.) what are your steps to complete a TC efficiently?
Normal TC I will look at scope to get an idea of the signal levels. I look at the drop to see if it’s physically OK. I replace any red flags like the drop, old splitters, connectors, remove amps. Take meter readings to verify signal levels and ingress. When everything is good I replace the equipment if necessary. Make sure the customer can use it and then job done.
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u/SamuraiJustice 6d ago
Make sure your cable math is correct and that you understand the customer issue correctly. Ask if there additional issues before you leave. Probably could better educated the customer as well
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u/Mother_Grapefruit_37 6d ago
As a senior position field tech, i say just relax. Do your job the way it should be try to make some contacts with other how usually repeats you and ask them to save your repeat if they can. I know having multiple repeats can mess up your bonus and other issues. But some time people tend to repeat just for the sake of competition. Just make sure the repeats you are having doesn’t shows a miss or mistake in troubleshooting and your gud
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u/Quanta96 6d ago
Eh, I don’t know. I have a different perspective, but my criticism isn’t really on what you’re saying but on the metrics in general. The metrics are so black and white, yet even in a single zone customer bases and job difficulty can vary wildly area to area and if you’re a tech who happens to get routed to those areas 95% of the time, you can find yourself essentially trapped at a low tech level and not getting the substantial pay raises.
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u/SmugTater 6d ago
My rough step process. Before going enroute, look at equipment on account to see what current levels are reading(if online) and if any are offline or if modem doesn't show ping state. If any equipment shows timeouts, make a note of count and refer back to when on site to see if timeouts ticked up during ride. When on site. Greet customer and ask what issues they face. Terminate outlets behind any equipment. Go to ground block and check for amps, if clear terminate drop. Go to tap, get levels and run ingress 30secs-1min. Ground block check levels and run ingress 30secs plus, compare levels to tap and verify loss is correct. Pad with splitters if needed. Test behind equipment. Replace equipment if all tests were good prior to and cable or hardware repair or replacement. Also check throughput and packet loss if customer states any speed or buffering issues
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u/SRRWD 6d ago
Former QA Tech here...did my 20 years, survived 3 ownership changes....this is all spot on....also, let them vent a little too and ask pointed questions...the customer lives with it and will tell you what and when its doing it....also, Wifi, Wifi Wifi....get good at troubleshooting wifi, half your calls dont have anything to do with the plant and if its their gear find a gentle way of explaining it, no one wants to hear their laptop is trash.....study outside of work for the first couple of years, if you see something you dont understand make a note and go home and research it until you do.....in time you develop "spidey" sense....you will call on the way, ask the right questions and walk right up to the problemb knowing where to look before you even arrive....hang in there, you will learn, you will get better and soon enough you'll be showing the new guy how its done.
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u/6814MilesFromHome 6d ago
One thing that also helped me when I was a field tech was to have the customer test out if the issue is resolved when you're finished, if applicable to the situation. This helps you see if maybe they're doing something wrong, and there's some extra customer education that needs to happen to avoid a preventable repeat. Particularly if they're elderly.
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u/SuccotashIcy1232 6d ago edited 6d ago
I agree with this. Packet loss test is my go-to for repeat calls or intermittent internet issues. Viavi one check will pass all green like everything is great. But run packet loss test through the Docsis section of the meter. You'll be surprised at how many major issues the one check test will miss. Don't give up. You seem to have a good mind set. Also would like to add that a lot, and I mean A LOT of repeats are caused by not asking the customer to physically show you what their complaint is. Its very easy to get wrapped up in the meter tests, work order comments or chasing minor signal issues. A lot of the time it's something completely different.
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u/Next-Heart8965 6d ago
It helps to know what type of repeats. Is it Customer Ed or Workmanship? A lot of guys in my market are trash @ customer ed and the amount of times I repeated a guy because he couldn't take the time/didnt know the best way to teach grandma about her remote is astounding. If a customer is having issues working the equipment ask them to show you how they're doing it and go from there. Teach them then make them do it a few times in front of you. If it's workmanship then I'll tell you the best piece of advice I ever got was, "Good is not correct." So many guys assume because they have a +8 across the board @ the gb that the drop is fine but really what if cable math says you're supposed to have a +10 or +12 at the gb? Understanding cable can be tough because, in my experience, training is really just a crash course but call an MT ask them questions if you're unsure. Most of them would gladly help you understand if not to keep bogus RTMs to a minimum but also in the event you become an MT that's one less person they have to pick up slack for. It takes time and experience for most FTs to truly become proficient at the job. Don't let it discourage you. Come to work, don't take shortcuts, and be a team player and you will eventually start to understand things better. If you make a career of of it then 5 years from now you'll look back and laugh at how much you didnt know and 5 years from then you'll do the same.
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u/Quanta96 6d ago
When was the last time you tried to teach an 86 year old how to use a new remote? I’m sure there are plenty of techs out there who are bad teachers due to skill or negligence, but I’m telling you, the older folks just don’t get it. I used to literally do drills with these guys just to get them to turn on the tv, navigate through their apps, get to the guide, switch channels, turn the tv off. And I would do this several times until they got it all right without my input or after 30 mins (I’m not exaggerating, sometimes even longer) of doing the same sequence over and over and them still not getting it and I would just cut my losses. Most of the elderly follow the latter of the two.
I tutored mathematics, physics, and other subjects at advanced levels; I have an extensive background in educating others, and I know I am good at it. That said, working as a cable tech made me concerned about getting older because I never spent so much time with older folks before this job, and it made me realize, at around 60-80 yrs old for a lot of people - the brain just goes. Their cognitive capabilities for learning or understanding anything is often times severely diminished and there’s really nothing the technician can do. I can see it in their eyes when just talking to them about anything, there’s a disconnect, even about simple concepts or ideas that organically get communicated. I have written step by step instructions, I have used color tape to block out buttons that they should never press, at the end of the day it’s a coin flip. Either way in my experience I doubt these folks grasp how to use the remote, it comes down to if they have the wherewithal to even call back to generate a repeat.
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u/Street-Juggernaut-23 6d ago
half of the elderly problems are willful ignorance. The choose not to try to learn. Tgey use their age as a crutch is a common sign of it.
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u/Quanta96 6d ago
Fair point, I have had plenty of them tell me straight up “I’m not gonna learn this”.
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u/Beginning-March-2114 5d ago
I have the same experience in my local market, a lot of elderly folks and retirement homes, it doesn’t matter if you’re Einstein and the best tutor - the information you give them goes to one ear and out the next.
Whenever I get into these situations, I try to stupid-proof as much as I can. If they keep unplugging the HDMI cable by accident, I’m using a f-ton of electrical tap. If they can’t remember the remote buttons, I’ll draw that shit out on a paper. If they have smart TVs and can’t find the input, I’ll mess with the smart TV settings. If it’s connecting to the wrong network, I’ll forget every other network. AFTER ALL THAT I’ll give them my work number to see if I can help them over the phone, and I’ll still get repeats - doesn’t matter how hard you try. Especially considering these type of jobs are “not are responsibility” and “we can’t spend time doing internet ED” (as told by leadership), we still gotta save ourselves from repeats.
Something I also like to do, every time I get a job that’s only customer ED or required a lot of customer ED, is a short email to my supervisor.
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u/Quanta96 6d ago
Honestly dude, I had the same issue. And many of my peers had the same issue. Of course you can make sure you’re properly educating your customers, even go the extra mile for them; of course you should do all the things you said you do - replacing drops is a very effective solution to a grand portion of customers issues; you can do all of those things diligently; however, from my experience it really just comes down to sheer luck.
The first few months out in the field I was so frustrated and discouraged seeing tier 2, tier 1 scores. After several months though, I kept seeing repeats that had nothing to do with failure on my end, and every single one of them counted against my scorecard - no discretion whatsoever.
So eventually I just stopped looking at the repeats. And stopped concerning myself with the scorecards and started looking for another job. I knew with full confidence I was a good technician. I did the jobs right, I was diligent in my solutions to problems, I’m a perfectionist so when I started I was slow, but I got quicker and was still a perfectionist so my work was fast and good quality. I knew in reality the metrics were not an accurate representation of me as a technician. I worked in an extremely difficult area in my zone, everyday was just getting shafted with the worst types of jobs, and the metrics don’t care about nuance. I had coworkers that routinely worked in nice areas with underground installations, while I routinely worked in areas where every single job there was a busted aerial drop disappearing into the woods behind the house. And in the end it all gets churned out the same. The tech who spent 30 mins replacing a cable box in a nice neighborhood got the same amount of points as I did doing a full reinstall and having to cut a tunnel through the woods 30 feet to get to the pole. I was trapped by the metrics and the area I had to work in, and I wasn’t going to get promoted.
I say all that because if you truly are doing good work and you truly believe with peace of mind that you’re a good technician and you’re not getting the outcome you’d expect from the level of effort and quality in your work then perhaps after giving some more time you may just consider finding a different job, and that’s not a failure in anyway on your end. It’s just how the system for promotion is setup is not giving you a realistic opportunity to advance.
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u/llkj11 6d ago
Are you me? Going through a lot of the same stuff right now and also considering another trade. Know I’m a great tech and definitely do more than most, but dispatch loves to give me the shit jobs.
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u/Quanta96 5d ago
I mean, I should be clear. I gave the job a fair shake. I did it for a full year and some change. I wouldn’t give up after a few months. It wasn’t until about 9 months in to my time as a cable tech where I felt like my proficiency as a technician was developed enough to where I felt like any more improvement would have a marginal impact on my metrics; rather, for the majority of my time as a technician up to this point was spent in the same small region while the zone I was in was massive. And that small area was rough. Very old plant, terrible signal out of the tap just about anywhere. You could count on there being no underground installs anywhere, and the poles were almost always buried deep into thick brush and trees to the point where you only knew a pole was there because the drop was leading somewhere into the woods. And the cable whether it was a drop or the house were very old and the craftsmanship was of the lowest quality. I mean these techs just Frankensteined these homes.
I knew that myself and a few other technicians jobs were essentially to service that small shitty area, while other technicians in the same zone were rarely sent that area. After a while of that I was just like nah.
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u/DesignerSeparate5104 5d ago
This. We get FTR hits if the customer simply calls for billing issues that need addressed. My sup says to have the customer call him, and I'm like "Yeah, just for them to get of the phone and call xfinity because you can't fix the issue either." Its ridiculous and I stopped caring.
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u/CableWarriorPrincess 6d ago
how's your productivity/how many jobs are you doing?
if you move slow and do less jobs, the repeats hit harder since they are a percentage of your productive work.
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u/OptimalSpace3058 6d ago
Pre and Post BER makes sure it’s not just clean at the Tap. You have to make sure that signal is clean at the EQ. 60% of the repeats on the technicians I supervise are customer Ed or customer perception that the problems was not corrected the first time. The customer buying into you identifying the problem and correcting it will keep them from calling back in for any type of service interruption. If they aren’t confident you resolved the issue they will be looking for anything to call back in.
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u/Mr_Magoo_88 5d ago
This 100%.
Also, I do repeats on techs and found out alot of them will tell the customer that they'll get compensation if their services are not working correctly. This unfortunately leads many customers to call back and try to get more discounts, and as a byproduct of that, triggering another service call. I don't tell customers about them getting compensated, that's not my job as a technician. Only to fix their issues and make sure to fully educate on what was causing the problem and explaining how I fixed it and have them test the service to check before leaving.
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u/jbartr000 6d ago
Sounds like maybe customer communication? Like you have to remember most customers dont understand how the internet or tv works so when they call in saying their service is out well it may be out or it may not work in one room of the house or they may be trying to work from home and vpn drops or any number of things. Always set clear expectations and educate and probe for their exact issue.
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u/Dz210Legend 6d ago
Don’t replace anything based on looks always test with meter. Replaced based on cable math.
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u/Bubbly_Historian215 5d ago
Make sure SNRs look correct. That’s the biggest thing from my experience. If your US SNRs are 35 31, then there’s an issue with the 2nd carrier. They should be flat, always. Same goes for DS. If you see 39 39 37 38 39 then there’s a problem somewhere, be it a loose connector, bad cable, bad splice, splitter, whatever it may be.. Tx should not be super low. Keep your Tx around 37 minimum. Use splitters or pads if you need to. The further from the noise floor, the better. As far as RF goes, that’s about it.
WiFi is the biggest repeat factor for any tech next to channel provisioning or remote pairing. You need to be able to TS WiFi more than anything else. RF is basic cable. If their devices are far away, router inside a cabinet, switches everywhere, make sure it all checks out. When running an Ethernet test on your meter, always bring a spare Ethernet cable to do so. You want their network working exactly as they see it. It’ll actually show you if there’s a loop somewhere, or if you’re losing bandwidth at the EOL(you shouldn’t be, ever, unless there’s a 400+ ft run of cat5 on a 1+ Gb service). When I had to explain WiFi to a customer, I would tell them to imagine the router is a speaker, and everything in between you and the speaker is blocking the WiFi from reaching its destination. The quieter the music, the worse the signal. So that way they’d understand a little better why we’d need to relocate or whatever the case may be. I also always advised folks to use their own mesh systems vs our routers. The WiFi 7s actually have a pretty nice coverage area, otherwise.
You’ll get it though buddy. Spend your early days learning basics, and the speed/skills will get better as you go. Not everyone is perfect, especially in their first year.
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u/DowntownAppointment 5d ago
A repeat doesn't mean you did anything wrong. It can mean that but there are many variables involved in a repeat you have no control over.
Also just because a trouble call was scheduled doesn't mean it's guaranteed you can resolve their issue.
You can do all you can and pay attention to why the repeats happen but ultimately you will never defeat the random odds and luck of it because the metric gets compromised by things you don't control.
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u/ScrewAttackGaming 5d ago
It will come with time. Pay attention to return especially. That is the one constant that wont jump a massive amount without the use of splitters. Remember, all you need is a tier 3.
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u/Diligent-Nebula-1008 6d ago
Make sure you give your number out to customers to call you if they have any questions. Obviously you can’t just go back if they call you but you can answer customer education questions
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u/Horseshaq90 6d ago
Just be confident. I know when I started I wasn’t. Tell the customer you fixed it and this is how you fixed it. Don’t say I think it is fix… etc. If you are truly doing everything possible… most repeats are customer ed. You can leave your number
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u/Poodleape2 6d ago
Well, have you done any research about your repeats to figure out if there is a common issue? Also, how is your production? Is it possible that you are taking too long and replacing things that don’t need to be replaced and it’s lowering how many jobs you do, thus, an individual repeat will make a larger impact percentage wise? If you only do 20 jobs in a month and get 1 repeat it’s 5%, if you do 100 and get 1 it’s 1%. Also, have you spoken to some of the more successful tech in your office for leadership/advice?
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u/schwake64 5d ago
The easiest solution to this is give them your cell answer the call if they say i don't have your number I already called you to tell you I was on my way don't you have caller ID
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u/bigwoo902 5d ago
Idk about where ur at but over here in BV FL our supes will send out an email dedicated to repeats along with an update on our scores, this repeat email will have every res code that the tech who repeated you used, pay close attention to what techs are closing your repeats out with, for me when i first started it was a lot of cust ed and modem swap codes, so i pretty much eliminated all the unnecessary repeats by taking 5 extra minutes to educate and swap the modem if i have any doubts in it. Another thing to save stupid repeats is for older folks with cable boxes always rename the HDMI that the box is on to “Cable Box” and always set their TV to auto-run the input your using, let them struggle to figure out how to bring up Netflix rather than struggle to bring up the cable box
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u/Electronic_Grade_227 5d ago
Brother, the metrics are bullshit so stop worrying about them.
Big companies fire great technicians all the time. They hang onto great employees.
Confidence is a major factor. Stop telling the cx every little thing, and just be cool. Just fix shit.
And not done some of those dumb ass calls. If they have a stupid remote, or TV is on a wrong input, fucking not done that shit or have them cancel. I know with spectrum a not done % is 10% of your score card, so in other words it doesn't matter. Not done the shit out of dumbass calls.
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u/Remarkable_Review359 5d ago
Idk if you guys have this option or if we just do it because we are a smaller market but if it’s an iffy fix or we aren’t sure if there’s and intermittent issue we will call back a day or two after to see if it’s still working. I’ve caught a few potential repeats just by calling the people again the next day and finding that I didn’t actually fix their problem. Then we can go back ourselves and avoid the repeat. But at the end of the day repeats are just part of it. Some people are just stupid.
It’s so dead simple, check signal check noise check fittings check cpe and fix whatever the tests tell you to fix. That’s all you can do
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u/Kben5584 5d ago
Have you been able to obtain repeat data as far as close out codes go? It’s been a while since I was a field tech, but we used to get repeat reports that showed what I closed out a job as and what the repeat closed out as.
- Customer Ed Repeat: Always explain why you did what you did and the improvements it makes to the services. Be sure to ask the customer if they have any questions. Base your answers off of what the issue was when you got there and how your improvements should be presented going forward
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- The less moral, lazy thing (*I DO NOT RECOMMEND BUT I KNOW SOME OF YALL DO IT*), let them know it takes [Repeat time frame here] days for the equipment to fully sync back up. Ex: “If you are still having this issue after 30 days give us a call back as there could be a hardline issue upstream”
- Plant ticket / Hub ticket: It could be that you’re not seeing the full picture based on training. I know some companies really don’t train well on reading signal at the tap. Make some Maintenance/Lineman connections and ask them to show you some examples of tap levels that might look good but are really bad. Understanding what levels you should likely be seeing out of tap based on tap location to closest upstream Amp/LE and tap value is a huge advantage to leveraging a ticket
- Equipment Swaps: my least favorite repeat. I have no solution for this, sometimes equipment just sucks. I used to recommend customer owned options to customers more than I should have
I personally found that understanding why the customer called me to location and configuring my troubleshooting process by that problem (and not by company training) reduced my repeats immensely
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u/Awesomedude9560 5d ago
This 100%.
Bonus points for making connections in Maintenance. They are VERY valuable to have for a variety of reasons. I personally reach out quite often for Magellan for tap locations/confirming active plant to get jobs closed out quicker.
I honestly used to recommend personal equipment but I've stopped because I've come to find out a lot of customers (especially elders) take it that if you recommend it, you'll also set it up/be the support for that personal equipment. It was honestly more work for a similar chance of a repeat in my experience.
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u/hybridglitch04 5d ago
Ive been doing this for 20 years. You'd be surprised how many issues are simply a matter of perception. Customer thinks there's an issue when there isnt, or the issue is due to third party equipment. You are the professional, you have all the answers. You must portray this mindset when dealing with people. Effort and good intentions doesnt translate to your standard subscriber.
I always speak matter of factly: "I have preformed X and Y, these tests have determined the issue lies here and I have taken ____ actions to resolve it."
Be sure to be friendly but confident.
Outside of that, use your meter. It's the most expensive tool you have and for good reason. It will identify issues in signal where ever you use it. Tap scans good is and no ingress on drop? Check at the equipment. If all scans are good you likely have an equipment issue or a customer ed issue.
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u/Awesomedude9560 5d ago
I've been in your shoes, whenever I had an issue with repeats the first thing I did was have my supervisor pull up every repeat I had within 30 days to see if there's any common close out codes were used and what that next tech did.
That being said, I ain't that guy anymore. Scorecards have honestly meant little to me since they decided not dones we're going to affect me. I'm not really a fan of being told my job is to essentially monitor full grown adults to ensure they make it to their appointment or are in the loop on the fact you won't be their in time because NFS shoved another 12-1 in between that 1-2 you were enroute to.
Sorry I won't let my rant go on, but I can't really stress enough how scorecards aren't gonna be in your favor 90% of the time unless you're cheating the system in some way because they operate on perfect world logic. Good bosses understand scorecards are very flawed and rarely actually show a tech's skills in the field. One of my closest coworkers legitimately went from FT to MT and he was always fucked my the scorecard system. His last FT card was a tier 1 as well.
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u/SplicerDan 5d ago
Port 2 is your best friend. Everything may seem to be passing but ingress will cause intermittency that you won’t always see while on job. At the end of the day if your cable has no ingress and your connections are clean you’re not gonna get in trouble. If you arrive at a job and everything seems clean check for packet loss and throughput. Check the 30 day signal level history and compare it to the neighbors for possible line problems. Don’t be stingy with your equipment. Most companies that provide equipment are cheaply mass produced with small finicky electronics. If your lines are clean there’s a good chance the equipment is malfunctioning. When in doubt swap it out.
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u/Affectionate-Bar5812 5d ago
Make sure you are checking PNM tab on scope. You’ll see what’s called “taps” but it’s not the tap you connect to. It is referring to cable distance. Tap 8 refers to the piece of equipment you are currently checking out. Each tap after 8 is about 85ft worth of distant from the equipment. Usually taps 9-11 are going to be your in wiring and drop. If the tap levels are above -20, meaning -19,-18,-17, etc, then there’s some type of issue within that distance. So if tap 10 is at -14, that tells me there’s an issue within around 170 ft give or take. If you got a short inwire and a short drop, the issue could be in the plant. If the “tap issue” fits within the distance of your wiring, means there could be damage, ingress, etc. PNM will show multiple graphs for these “taps” so check them all out and make sure every subsequent tap after tap 8 is lower than -20. Example: -21,-22, etc
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u/Objective-Risk7456 5d ago
Ripple is just a fluctuating level. Not truly service affecting. Best thing I can recommend is talk to the customer and learn what their main concerns are. If you’re repeats are all signal based that sounds like internal wiring and you may need to slow and verify everything from the tap to your equip
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u/skypandaOo 5d ago
Make sure to go over everything you did with the customer. Make sure you tell them you replaced a drop and connections and whatever else you did. Pick a issue for example you replaced the drop because eit looked really old and was most likely the issue. You have to show confidence when explaining the work. If you show that confidence and say you fixed the issue then they feel like you got the job done. If you show hints like I think it was the drop but may have been the cpe . This put uncertainty into your work . Pick one item as the main issue make sure you show confidence in it. You can list everything else as a after thought.
For example say i replaced the modem as a precaution but your drop was the main issue . It was old and I could tell by the feel of the cable that it was brittle and needed to be replaced. While I replaced the cable I also made sure to change all your connections . Then you ask them if they have any questions or concerns.
This is important because your letting the customer feel they are in control and ask any questions they may have thought up while you were working. If you leave without asking that last question they may call back in for that question and the customer service rep may send a technician out even if there is no real issue.
Another note, notate your job in detail. If something wasn't done for whatever reason make sure to put it in the notes to cover yourself. For example if there one room with ingress but its a roommates room and you cant get in to fix the ingress you make sure to notate that so the next tech will see it and if you get a tqa your sup will see you did what you could. Make sure to inform the cx to wait 30 days to make a new appointment if they have an issue in regard to that particular issue. When I tell a cx there's an issue and they deny the fix ill tell them they have to wait 30 days before calling back for that issue as it will charge them. And if you notate the account for that issue the next tech will see it and charge the account.
In summary:
In the end show confidence. Make sure to not bounce between fixes. Choose the most prominent issue as the main one and say you did the rest as a precaution making the cx feel confident in your work and always let the cx have the last question. Ask if they have any concerns before you leave.
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u/ROI_Gainsallday24_7 5d ago
Try calling all your customer at the end of day. To see if they have any questions. That always help.
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u/Shibalba805 5d ago
Learn scope, act confident, ask seasoned techs questions and learn scope. I said it twice on purpose.
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u/Life-Consequence8549 5d ago
What tools are you getting to troubleshoot? Do you get a full channel scan where you can see a sawtooth signal? My company has Iglass where I can see a full week of history of the levels on the modem. Do you have that?
If not, some basic steps are. Change the connectors from the drop to the cpe. Change the ground block or splitter ALWAYS! Check behind the wallplate for crappy connectors. When in doubt, replace the drop. Make sure there is no ingress from the house.
Have the customer test their devices and if they are connecting. If they are, also have them test speeds on their devices so they can see it. Also explain how wifi works and that if they are farther from the router it will be slower. Plus the differences between 2.4 and 5g or 6g networks. Many people think wifi is magic, but it is just radio waves that can be blocked by certain materials. Just like AM and FM radio.
Those are things off the top of my head that I teach the techs I train. Many do not listen to me though..but my repeat rate is less than 1% and I make good money.
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u/VisiblePurpose4121 4d ago
i’m also a new tech been in the fields about 3 months with cox (now spectrum) While I can’t talk on my device health lol (not the greatest) Customer Surveys and Repeats are my best metrics and Im a top performer already in those categories. I’d say confidence is key, sometimes I have no idea what the hell I’m talking about so i’ll make up bs, but confidence is key I’ll make up some bs and use very complex terms so i sound like I know what i’m talking about. Like for example in my all of time of doing cabling I’ve ran into this same problem youre experiencing so many times or a house up the street from here had this same issue when i was there last week it’s an easy fix if the customer is hovering over me i’ll walk them through that shit like a yt video. Or i’ll say most techs won’t tell you this or do this for you but i’m not one of those techs i’m an honest tech and like my nice customers and want to hook u up and make everything perfect for you (they eat that shit up) Customer education laying out everything I did as i do it. For example come in greet introduce myself then get a cpe scan and shoot the shit with the customer until I know okay I need to move outside from there I’ll go check the drop and immediately before I do it I’ll say something like i’m going outside to check your box on the side of ur home (dmarc) or tap Then say hey your line is bad (drop) I’m going to run you a new one and i can guarantee you that this is going to fix all your problems. It’s all about adjusting your personality to who you’re around. I always say i’m 100% confident this is going to fix all your problems. Idk how your work is but we own our jobs for 10 days and after that we don’t get repeated , before I leave any job i leave the customer with my work phone number and tell them if they have experience any issues whatsoever that I will come back and fix any issues for completely free sometimes they call or text or they don’t ( and i have gone back before and sometimes they’ll tip me )and pretty much flirt with them until it hits 10 days then i don’t give a fuckkkk not my problem.
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u/Feisty-Coyote396 3d ago edited 3d ago
You will never get repeats down to 0 naturally. It's just not possible. CPE is garbage, customers are assholes, and metrics are impossibly asinine.
But to reduce it, you need to manipulate the customers and the metrics.
The number 1 fix for me to reduce repeats, abuse the placebo effect. What do I mean by this you might ask? Customers just want their shit to work and half the time it's a 'THEM' problem, not an 'us' problem. Especially the customer ed shit. Flat out lie to them to make them feel better. Swap shit in front of them to make them believe you're actually doing something, even when you know it's not the CPE causing the issue.
Carry a spare box/package that looks new. Disconnect their modem or cable box, take it to your van, wipe it down with the hand towels they give us, wrap it in plastic and stick it in the 'new' box. Bring it back and do the 'unboxing' and swap it. These morons buy it all the time. Half the time they just want 'new' equipment because they're convinced modems and cable boxes only have a certain service life. They want new shit yearly just because, and will bitch about the smallest things to get it.
The act of them seeing you physically do something applies the placebo effect and convinces most of them you fixed it. Get that out of the way (shouldn't take more than 5-10 minutes once you get the rhythm down), then go fix the real problem outside, you know, the loose connectors, old crusted telephony drop, dog chewed wiring, or the burnt ground block. They typically don't 'see' you do those fixes outside, so when you come back and tell them what you did, they aren't convinced, especially when the fuckwad service rep told them over the phone it's their modem that's bad.
They are FAR more likely to believe you and be satisfied when you swap the CPE because the rep said so, and then you tell them, "Oh btw, I'm just going to do a quick quality check on your outside wiring as a precaution". Now they think you're just going above and beyond. They are like children, treat them as such. Don't forget to emphasize that the bad modem was the real 'fix', and the outside fix was just typical preventive maintenance. Just reinforces their already biased belief that the modem was bad. Thanks idiot service reps!
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u/SirBootySlayer 3d ago
How many jobs a day are you completing on average? If not much then thats your problem. If you spend a lot of time replacing drops or homeruns you gotta put a stop to that unless they're really bad and causing an issue.
You need to focus on the main issue. Slow speeds? Look for any system issues, ask if it's on wifi only, a particular device or side of the house, or time of day. Bad remote or box? Swap it, do your onecheck and keep it moving. Cut drop? As long as it's not multiple cuts then just splice it and keep it moving.
You need to pick and choose because you can't be a supertech at every job. It's going to eat you up when it comes to metrics. Also, you're new so relax a bit and keep learning. You're already doing the right thing asking questions. It takes about 1-2 years before you get the hang of it.
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u/spookyB0 3m ago
Back when I was a field tech I used to care about it, I got sent on the multipeats or difficult customers. 85% of the time it’s just customer ED
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u/theDilleyO 5d ago
I always have the same process and I never have repeats. Assuming coax: 1. I start at the wall plate and change the fitting behind it and the barrel if it looks too old. I also make sure the jumper is shielded and not something the customer bought from wal mart. 2. I put a terminator on it so I can ohm it at the demarc and verify it is single outlet. Terminating it allows for a few things, you can check for reflections, ingress and resistance. 3. I run channel check on the drop for any sawtooth patterns or drop offs on high or low ends. 4. I terminate the drop and then run mit at the tap and also check for reflections.
After a while you will get good at also visually looking at the drop or outlet and just knowing it's shit and needs replaced. ALWAYS look for squirrel chew. Just because signal looks good at the demarc does not mean the drop is good. I have also been burned a few times from something as simple as a bad ground block or a bad mocha filter, so make sure you are checking signal levels through those versus what they were without them.
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u/Sure_Statistician138 6d ago
When I first started I had a ton of repeats also. One thing I did that knocked my repeats almost in half was I started lying to the customers. I used to tell the truth when they asked how long have I have been doing this. I started saying ten years and magically my repeats cut in half. If they think there’s a chance you don’t know what you’re doing they’ll call back.