Software strikes a chord with Steinway

A software application that schedules service calls has brought harmony to Steinway and Sons' piano-tuning operations.

By Staff -- Logistics Management, 1/1/2000

A software routing application is keeping technicians at Steinway and Sons better in tune with their customers' needs. Steinway, based in Long Island City, N.Y., installed the program last year to improve the scheduling of service calls. "It brought us into the 20th century by

replacing a paper system," reports Stephen Dove, Steinway's manager of retail service, "and it allowed us to exploit technology to increase our scheduling efficiency."

Without a doubt, musicians like their instruments to be perfectly calibrated. To keep its clients' pianos tuned to the proper pitch, Steinway dispatches a team of 12 technicians, who tune and polish Steinway and Boston pianos, to residences within a 50-mile radius of New York City. In the past, two dispatchers had to flip through piles of paper and chart courses on wall maps when they set up appointment schedules for the technicians, who make five calls a day on average. "It was pen-and-paper scheduling," explains Dove. "As the customer called, you would turn to the map and try to figure it out that way."

The Search for Software

Dove realized that software would do a better job of scheduling. But he couldn't find the right application for his needs. "Most of the scheduling software on the market was not workable for us," he says. "Most of it is set up on a first-come, first-served basis, and it's geared for fleet management."

Dove says he searched for a couple of years before he came upon the PC-based Visual Control Room software package, an application developed jointly by Intergis Corp. of Torrington, Conn., and MapInfo Corp. of Troy, N.Y. The program uses MapInfo's detailed electronic maps and Intergis's logistics optimization capabilities to produce a complex schedule and optimize routings in real time. The Windows-based program also offers a multi-user interface that enables dispatchers to schedule new jobs and modify existing jobs on the fly. Another feature is an automated voice response capability, which allows a user to notify and confirm pickup or delivery times with customers automatically using computerized telephone capabilities. Finally, the software has the ability to import and export data that already exist on the user's computer system as well as the ability to provide management reports.

Steinway runs the application on its Windows-based network. The program has allowed the company to coordinate its technicians' service calls better, reducing travel time between appointments.

The software has also resulted in some changes in the way Steinway handles customers' calls for appointments, Dove reports. In the past, when a piano owner called, the dispatcher would grab the scheduling board and fill out a ticket. Because the software menu isn't organized the same way, dispatchers have had to make adjustments. "You have to make sure you're on the right screen of the software program," he notes. "It has involved a learning curve for us." Ultimately, when the dispatchers adjust to the program, Dove hopes that the software will reduce the amount of time customers spend on the phone placing service orders from 10 to five minutes.

Notable Improvement

Despite these minor startup difficulties, Dove reports that the software's operational efficiencies have easily justified its price--less than $20,000. A reduction in the paperwork burden has been the primary benefit. "It sounds like a trifle," he says. "But when you spend 10 to 15 hours [a week] writing out tickets, it all adds up."