for good service levels and flexibility and cost to the end user the answer has to be local is best.national agreements are fine but good service in one area has poor service in another,and just a national number to comunicate with.apart from the initial cost of setting up the contract,everything else seems more expensive and slower.local outfits usually tend to have more experience on a wider selection of equipment.
i think that the demand for service has not gone up,it has gone down in the current climate with a lot of end users ignoring the safety aspect of the job.end users are not even having the annual thorough inspections

A dotor is nothing like a tech - just look at the wages lol.

I have noticed a large uptick in service sales of some items I haven't sold much of, like seats and forks. these were customers that previously would have said "don't bother, we will be getting a new unit in 9 months" but now have been told they are going to keep the unit longer.
I don't think there is any advantage to "stockpiling parts". LOTS of reasons.
I also think there have been times in my life when I was happy to be going to be seen by the huge clinic, and was glad the doctor had lots of experience with whatever my problem was, not so much that he would hold my hand, as that he would fix the problem.

johnr_j said; "A doctor and service tech have a lot in common in my view - they do diagnostics, make a recommend proposal for correction and perform the work to get both "up and running" as fast and efficient as possible"

Now I -know- this is the serious side, but dang it I can not help myself with a lead in like that;
You do know the difference between a doctor and a forklift service tech?




The tech washes his hands BEFORE he goes to the bathroom, the doctor only washes them after.

I'm not sure size matters as long as the customer focus is there. Will a local shop be more focused? Likely, since their business is more dependent on customer retention. But there are plenty of corporate examples where large companies get service right (and unfortunately plenty where they get it wrong).

I think the original question asked about the impact of the economic downturn on service. I would think larger groups can leverage more resources, stockpile more parts, than smaller groups. The general expectation is that demand for service goes up as everyone tries to get more out of existing assets. However, asset utilization is down so that may offset service demands. I'm curious if anyone has noticed any recent changes in service demand or capabilities.

it is always good to get a second opion wether it be from a docotor or a liftruck service company. A doctor and service tech have a lot in common in my view - they do diagnostics, make a recommened propsoal for correction and perform the work to get both "up and running" as fast and efficent as possible

the refersence to getting to know your customer was not meant to have social conversations but the better either party (doctor, tech and support organizations) knows their customers the more efficent they become and communications can become and a stronger realtionship will develop. Kinda like married you might say - during the dating period all is "sunshine & roses" but once you live together issues start to show up, it is how fast the issues are put to bed. In my opion fast direct adn accurate communication is important.

to be honest i'm quite happy with the 2nd option. i allways get to see a doctor even if he's on holliday or sick. if your not happy with there opinion then you can get a second opinion. i don't believe the example you have given is really in the same league. but i see where your coming from.

but if i want my forklift repairing i want it up and running erning money end of! i don't want a friendly conversation. buisness is buisness.

but like i said, there will allways be a need for both. the proof is there

uplift,
one could argue what is better
a. a neigborhood doctor - who know your name, wifes name and childrens name and dogs name and birthdays
or
b. a large clinic where you are patient #1234 and you are advised upon visiting today you will see doctor x y or z. And if you want to talk to the person in charge take a number and they will get in touch with you when they return from some where on some day.

Personally choice "a" seems to be a better choice

Remember, big is not always better - someone (the customer) always pays for all the "infrastructure"

It isn't that black and white. depends on the customer. some customers demand iso. small local companys couldn't cope with some of the contracts the big boys do.

whats better the corner shop or tesco's?

every thing has it's place in life.