Last year, when an MCI customer's coach suffered major damage that extended from behind the front wheels all the way to the rear, the company representative thought the coach would be out of commission — and revenue service — for an entire year. That's before he called John Hollis, MCI's product support technician, heavy repair.

Hollis, who specializes in easing customers' parts worries when heavy repairs are needed, could have ordered several hundred small parts for the customer to fit together. Instead, he worked with MCI's factory to arrange the assembly of whole parcel racks, a center tunnel and the rear lower frame in such a way that the customer was able to slide  the assemblies into place. Time saved? Six months.

"The customer estimated we saved him several hundred man hours," says Hollis, who has decades of parts experience, about ten of them with MCI. "Not only did he save possibly $25,000 or so in labor costs, but he gained back the revenue of his coach."

Hard to find? Hardly!

Though it isn't generally his task to look up every part number, he is adept at guiding customers through the process and finding the best solutions, such as suggesting that customers order whole frame assemblies rather than the component parts. Says Hollis, "There are different ways to effect the repair."

Rebuilt to spec

Sometimes Hollis has things built or assembled, as in the example customer's case, and sometimes he turns to his trusted personal network for parts sourcing. He also coordinates jobs with MCI's own heavy repair facility in Loudonville, Ohio, as well as other MCI Service Centers that are equipped to do heavy repair work. The goal is always to return the coach to original factory specifications — and as fast as possible.

It's a complex task. At any time, Hollis might have 30 to 60 open jobs, and some of those orders can involve up to 500 line items in parts. With four incoming telephone lines, he spends a lot of time talking to customers, some of whom have interesting stories.

"My customers are among my best assets," says Hollis. "We usually have a good working relationship. I want them to be happy when they close the file."

While MCI technical support staff routinely route calls to the heavy repair desk when that kind of work is called for, Hollis suggests that customers needing his services contact him directly at 800-637-5662.

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