[electricmalone]

I am hiring another service tech in the next week or two, business is booming. I have been trying to come to a salary range agreement with those in my company that decide these things. I feel a service tech should make more per hour than the construction guys. The people in charge think we should all make the same, with a few standouts making more. Two part questions ; Should service guy make more? If so, how much more % wise, no hard numbers needed. How much more % should I make as the foreman / coordinator? I feel 20% more than highest paid guy under my supervision is fair.

 

[union347sparky]

I am hiring another service tech in the next week or two, business is booming. I have been trying to come to a salary range agreement with those in my company that decide these things. I feel a service tech should make more per hour than the construction guys. The people in charge think we should all make the same, with a few standouts making more. Two part questions ; Should service guy make more? If so, how much more % wise, no hard numbers needed. How much more % should I make as the foreman / coordinator? I feel 20% more than highest paid guy under my supervision is fair.

I always felt that if you're on a service truck you get the van as incentive. I always enjoy being on the van. It's more freedom than construction guys have and it's more personal. It's nice to set up the van my way, have access to tools only I will be using, and dealing with the customers as if they were my own. If you let the guy take the van home, don't complain if he uses it personally once in a great while, and make sure you keep your gas card paid should been incentive enough.

 

[FrunkSlammer]

I'd say start with the same pay.. that seems fair when hiring, they get what everyone gets.

If they're a superstar service tech, then work on the brass to get bonuses or pay incentives or SOMETHING to keep that superstar around. If they're mediocre, then you'll be happy you didn't pay them that 20% bonus from the start.

 

[JHFWIC]

If you want to piss off the rest of the crew give the new guy higher pay!

 

[Bkessler]

Does the service tech also need to be a salesman?

 

[bml215]

They are going to call, diagnosing the problem, determining the proper solution, selling it to your client, then doing the work, and leaving your customers with a big ol' feel good on the inside.

Vs.

The guy showing up to a job, that was already sold, and laid out to do the work.

I think they deserve a little more, and maybe an up sell incentive/bonus. (I have always been a construction guy, never service btw)

 

[Bkessler]

I think they should get paid less but get a high commission.

 

[bml215]

I think they should get paid less but get a high commission.

That sounds better. Couple dollars short but a decent comp on each sale.

 

[LGLS]

I've said it before and I'll say it again. A company van is NOT part of a compensation package for a service tech or any electrician required to drive one. It's a tool. And on some sites, it's a tool crib and a material locker. And it would seem to me that a guy who is out diagnosing and repairing and problem solving is already getting higher pay than than a run of the mill conduit jockey.

 

[Southeast Power]

I am hiring another service tech in the next week or two, business is booming. I have been trying to come to a salary range agreement with those in my company that decide these things. I feel a service tech should make more per hour than the construction guys. The people in charge think we should all make the same, with a few standouts making more. Two part questions ; Should service guy make more? If so, how much more % wise, no hard numbers needed. How much more % should I make as the foreman / coordinator? I feel 20% more than highest paid guy under my supervision is fair.

I did service work for several years for a decent sized contractor.
I was actually paid less per hour than the construction guys but made more than the GFs just due to the fact that I was paid strictly on ticket time. I could easily bill out 10 or more hours per day working only 8 hours and always had a way to make some OT if I wanted it.
Also, we were on rotating on call, paid a stipend to be on call, plenty of calls on double time days.
Back them I only had my wife's car and insurance to pay for, my van was all I needed to get me around.

With that said, a young Journeyman, maybe mid to late 20s to late 30s, organized, clean cut and motivated were really good at maximizing jobs.

We had one guy, a bit older and smartest guy in the room, that thought he's was doing a good job knocking out 6 or 8 jobs a day. It takes x amount of dollars to bring in a call and manage it, no doubt knocking out calls like that was costing the shop lots of $$

 

[ponyboy]

I've said it before and I'll say it again. A company van is NOT part of a compensation package for a service tech or any electrician .

Yeah but wouldn't it be a perk not to have to spend 50$ a week on gas a week driving your own vehicle to the jobsite? When I was a company man I was putting like 5000 miles a year on my personal truck, it was awesome

 

[chicken steve]

I did service work for several years for a decent sized contractor.
I was actually paid less per hour than the construction guys but made more than the GFs just due to the fact that I was paid strictly on ticket time. I could easily bill out 10 or more hours per day working only 8 hours and always had a way to make some OT if I wanted it.
Also, we were on rotating on call, paid a stipend to be on call, plenty of calls on double time days.
Back them I only had my wife's car and insurance to pay for, my van was all I needed to get me around.

With that said, a young Journeyman, maybe mid to late 20s to late 30s, organized, clean cut and motivated were really good at maximizing jobs.

Agred, in fact i had the same gig when i was a hot shot Jman Jrannis :thumbsup:

But now i'm old and cranky & bark a lot :whistling2:

Maybe i'm just due for my rabies shot? :jester:

~CS~

 

[Southeast Power]

Agred, in fact i had the same gig when i was a hot shot Jman Jrannis :thumbsup:

But now i'm old and cranky & bark a lot :whistling2:

Maybe i'm just due for my rabies shot? :jester:

~CS~

I was very unappreciative of the experience I received at the time but gained quite a bit of confidence from those years to benefit me me now during my cranky years.

 

[Tiger]

I don't know what I'm talking about as someone recently brought to my attention, but I'll give an opinion anyway.

In residential service there is an opportunity to upsell. It may be as simple as instructing the tech to offer a whole-house surge suppressor on any call that does not have one. If sold the tech gets 10% of the sale. That way you can keep the base salary the same. Sales is normally part of a residential service techs responsibilities and skill set.

 

[chicken steve]

I don't know what I'm talking about as someone recently brought to my attention, but I'll give an opinion anyway.

well, you're in good company Tiger....:thumbsup:

In residential service there is an opportunity to upsell. It may be as simple as instructing the tech to offer a whole-house surge suppressor on any call that does not have one. If sold the tech gets 10% of the sale. That way you can keep the base salary the same. Sales is normally part of a residential service techs responsibilities and skill set.

Sure, resi has always and probably will always be the best upsell market

But smooth sales is such an aquired thing , best to ride along shotgun for a while an watch those of tenure make it work

~CS~

 

[rewire]

I've said it before and I'll say it again. A company van is NOT part of a compensation package for a service tech or any electrician required to drive one.

the IRS may hold a different opinion

 

[jza]

I've said it before and I'll say it again. A company van is NOT part of a compensation package for a service tech or any electrician required to drive one. It's a tool. And on some sites, it's a tool crib and a material locker. And it would seem to me that a guy who is out diagnosing and repairing and problem solving is already getting higher pay than than a run of the mill conduit jockey.

If he's allowed to drive it back home at the end of the day and use it occasionally on weekends it most certainly is.

 

[daveEM]

Agred, in fact i had the same gig when i was a hot shot Jman Jrannis :thumbsup:

Damn, small world, I too was a star at the shop.

My eight years there I probably controlled a company service van/truck for last five of them. Of course saved a ton on gas in those years.

Company was Union so wages were pretty much cast in stone. The year end Xmas Bonus was office controlled tho.

 

[svh19044]

10-20% is a pretty easy number to add.

A couple obvious roles were mentioned above, but what was not mentioned was the ability to actually coexist with the customer. A polite, clean, conscientious, skilled employee is a diamond in the rough. They are worth their weight in gold. Now add on all of the above mentioned like sales, diagnosis, outside the box thinking, and record keeping, it is tough to not justify the added VALUE of the employee.

The skilled construction worker is easy to find. Now find one that doesn't curse all the time, one that is clean, and one that is polite to customers. It is next to impossible and a very tough position to fill.

 

[electricmanscott]

What's the pay range we're talking about here?

I'd want a higher base salary than a construction guy. IMO, speaking with 20 years experience, resi service work is a specialty. Any electrician can do it, but not any electrician can do it well. The work itself is far more difficult than construction. Now add the customer service and selling aspects. You need a guy with years and years of experience, at least half a brain, and the ability to not only deal with the customers but represent the company in the customers home. That's a top guy and he should be compensated as such.