On the way home from enjoying Christmas with family, I had an experience which I would rather not repeat.  It did get me thinking about customer service and preventative maintenance.

As a little background, for many years I have taken all of my vehicles in to the dealer for service.  I also have routine maintenance performed before it is required.  All of my vehicles are immaculate inside and out and I take very good care of them.

Saturday night we were on our way home.  It was about 6:00 pm and we were on Interstate 90, when I was attempting to pass a vehicle.  Instead of increasing speed, I began to lose speed, so I pulled over to the side of the road.  So here we were stuck on the New York State Thruway, miles from our home.  My wife and I ran through our options and solutions and proceeded to put them into play.  We arranged to meet some family members at the nearest GM dealership to which we were being towed.

At the dealership I filled out the paperwork and put it along with my key in the drop box the same time our family arrived.  We transferred our luggage and gifts and headed home.

On Monday I called the dealer to inquire what was wrong with the vehicle.  I was told they would look at it mid-morning and give me a call.  Monday afternoon I received a call stating I was all set, and when I inquired I was told the issue was a clogged mass air flow sensor.

Since we have used two dealerships in the Clifton Park area, I expected at least one of them to suggest any additional services which they thought would be beneficial.  Obviously I was incorrect.

Monday after work my wife and I headed out to pick up her vehicle. When I paid for the service I explained to the gentleman that if they had called prior to performing the service as they said they would, I would have had them change the synthetic oil and install a new rear wiper blade.  The business could have made additional profit without spending a dime on any marketing, just by offering good customer service.  And I would have appreciated saving a trip to a repair shop.

This incident has me reviewing all the services we provide to our clients and customers, to make sure we are doing everything possible to help them avoid situations which could have negative consequences.  While we are all responsible for our own safety and security, the world we live in requires dependence on others.

Is the person or company you trust your IT system to truly doing everything possible to help prevent issues from happening in the first place?  Are you giving them the ability to do preventive maintenance, or waiting until the inevitable happens and then deal with all the repercussions?

Having experienced what could have been an extremely bad situation, I am dramatically increasing how I handle preventative maintenance; for myself and those who put their trust in me.