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Expert answers: AOG service and unscheduled maintenance
About the expert
Alicia Donaldson is Textron Aviation’s support lead for 1CALL, a team tasked with finding quick solutions that get customers with AOG and unscheduled maintenance needs flying again. She began working in the aircraft industry 17 years ago, first helping to build jets and then as a customer service representative tasked with managing maintenance events at the Wichita service facility.
What is the most common question customers ask you about AOG service and unscheduled maintenance?
“Right now, customers want to know more about 1CALL—how it works and what it can do for them as they navigate an AOG or unscheduled maintenance event. What we tell them is we’ve brought all the people who need to be involved—the customer service specialist who assesses the situation, the product support expert who begins diagnosing the problem, the parts representative who quickly finds and schedules parts delivery and the scheduler who assembles and dispatches a team of technicians to perform the work—are now all in the same room. They’re listening in on the initial conversations and then tagging in when it’s appropriate. Customers aren’t telling their stories two and three times. When 1CALL representatives transfer calls to, for example, parts support the next desk over, they’re also passing along the information necessary to make the conversation a continuous one for customers.”
What should your customers know about AOG service and unscheduled maintenance that few do?
“As soon as you experience any kind of issue—no matter the time or day—call us. The times and days customers need the service group are as unscheduled as the maintenance events themselves, so the team is available around the clock. The product support, parts experts and technicians are happy to work nights and weekends if it means getting one of our airplanes back in the air a day or even an hour earlier.”
What are the hallmarks of an industry-leading AOG service or unscheduled maintenance experience?
“You should expect immediate and continued response until maintenance is complete and the aircraft is airworthy again. A superb team works quickly, often within minutes, to diagnose the issue and dispatch a team of technicians. Then that team works together to find solutions and consistently communicates those steps back to the customer until the aircraft is flying again.”