At Service Next West 2027, Dave Sarazen, Vice President of Customer Service at MULTIVAC, presented “Turning Every Repair into a Revenue Opportunity.” The case study explored how a service organization can move beyond reactive break-fix work by identifying additional equipment needs during each visit. For industry leaders, the session offered a practical model for connecting customer outcomes, technician expertise, and aftermarket growth without turning field service technicians into traditional salespeople.

Key Takeaways

1. Treat technicians as trusted advisors

MULTIVAC avoids asking field service technicians to become sales representatives. Instead, it positions them as trusted advisors who use their technical judgment and time at the customer site to identify problems that may otherwise remain hidden. This approach respects technicians’ expertise, makes conversations more credible, and creates a more natural path to recommending repairs, upgrades, parts, or preventive maintenance.

2. Expand the purpose of every break-fix visit

Once the immediate problem is resolved, technicians walk the machine and observe its operating condition for additional issues. They document potential repairs, required parts, and labor in the service report. This value-added inspection turns an otherwise reactive visit into an opportunity to prevent future downtime, improve planning, and deliver more complete support to the customer.

3. Build a clear workflow from discovery to quotation

The process depends on strong coordination between field technicians, back-office teams, and customer service representatives. Staff extract findings from reports, prepare tailored quotations, and follow up while the customer still remembers the technician’s recommendations. Larger opportunities receive direct attention from customer service representatives, while smaller items can be handled by the parts team through a streamlined quotation workflow.

4. Prioritize proactive repairs over emergency failures

MULTIVAC presents findings using a red, yellow, and green urgency framework. This helps customers distinguish immediate risks from work that can be planned around budgets and production schedules. Proactive repairs can reduce the likelihood of unplanned downtime and replace disruptive emergency visits with planned service work that is easier for both the customer and provider to schedule.

5. Measure opportunity quality, not just revenue value

The program does not reward technicians simply for identifying the most expensive work. Recognition focuses on the number of technical support quotations submitted, the percentage of reports containing opportunities, and how many recommendations ultimately become sold work. This balanced incentive model encourages thorough inspections without creating pressure to exaggerate equipment problems or prioritize high-value quotes over legitimate customer needs.

6. Make customer value the foundation of growth

Approximately half of MULTIVAC’s break-fix jobs present an opportunity for additional work, and the company has generated significant field service and spare-parts revenue through the program. However, the commercial result is presented as a consequence of doing the right thing for customers. By identifying genuine equipment needs and returning the same technician when possible, the model supports both customer trust and sustainable aftermarket growth.

Why It Matters

Service organizations are under pressure to improve customer outcomes while contributing more directly to business growth. MULTIVAC’s approach shows that these goals do not have to conflict. The strongest opportunities often come from better use of information already gathered during routine visits, rather than from aggressive selling. A structured process allows technicians to focus on technical work while specialized teams manage follow-up and commercial activity. For leaders managing complex equipment, varied operating environments, and customers that run assets to failure, proactive recommendations can create more predictable service demand and reduce avoidable downtime.

Actionable Insights

• Define the technician’s role clearly: Position field teams as technical advisors who identify customer needs rather than traditional salespeople.
• Standardize post-repair inspections: Add a practical equipment walk-through and dedicated opportunity fields to every applicable service report.
• Accelerate follow-up: Route findings quickly to the right back-office or customer service team while the issue remains fresh for the customer.
• Reward useful behavior: Recognize thorough reporting, quality opportunities, and successful customer outcomes instead of focusing only on quote size.