Field services, no matter your specialty, involve sending technicians out to local homes and businesses to perform maintenance and repairs. This means taking your workshop on the go. Anywhere can become your workspace. This means that keeping track of your hardware and keeping small tools on your person becomes essential. Every field services technician learns tricks of the trade over the years. Little hacks make a world of difference when it comes to streamlining your troubleshooting, repairs, and post-repair cleanup. Among the toolbelt packing tips and the spare parts to have on hand, technicians often learn the incredible use of a few good magnets.
Magnets can work wonders on the field service route if you know how to use them. Here are six clever ways to improve your field services workflow with the use of a magnet in the right place at the right time.
Pick Up Lost Screws With a Magnet on a Chain
Dropping a screw can be one of the most frustrating experiences in appliance and carpentry repairs. A lost screw can slow down your entire operation and you might have to take the cabinet apart to get it back – unless you have a strong magnet and long chain, cord, or twine.
A magnet on a string or chain can be lowered into a small space to help you pick up lost screws without bending over, reaching into a tight space, or opening up the entire appliance to get the screw back.
Extract Stuck Batteries With a Magnet
When batteries are stuck in a device, getting them out can be a pain. Few devices still have the removal ribbon and prying out batteries wearing work gloves is a no-go. A strong magnet will do the trick, however, Use a magnet on the positive end of your batteries – the side not embedded in a spring, to help pull stuck batteries out of any device. This is also a safer approach than directly handling a corroded battery.
Hold Onto Screws With a Magnetic Wristband
Just like a magnetic screwdriver can hold onto one screw for you, a magnetic wristband can hold onto several. In fact, a strong magnet in a wristband is the ideal accessory for any technician working with small, ferrous parts and tools. You can line up several screws to quickly install in sequence, place screws you’ve just removed onto your wristband for quick retrieval, and keep track of the nuts for your bolts. You can even dock small, lightweight fallen wrenches and tiny hand tools to the magnetic wristband to streamline your workflow.
Magnet Fasten Notebooks and Tablet Covers
Keep notebooks and tablet covers closed with a small magnet and metal panel hot-glued onto each side. Magnetic closures are a life-saver when it comes to keeping your paperwork from blowing away in the wind and neatly closing your tablet cover between uses. Magnetic closures prevent flapping, things getting hooked in bad layers inside your bag, and other common inconveniences.
Find Wall Studs With a Strong Magnet
A strong magnet can help you find wall studs before installing something in a home. Wall studs are either strong points for a heavy installation, or typically hard-to-impact points to avoid for lighter installations. A strong magnet will identify the nails in the wall stud for stud finding on the go.
Catch Plumbobs With Large Flat Magnets
Finally, a strong magnet can help you catch plumbobs when running lines and wires. Many elements of technician work require running something behind a wall or appliance panel, dropping it, and pulling it out again. Place a ferrous object at the end of your plumbob drop and catch it with a strong magnet placed on the floor or the bottom of your workspace. This can make dropping, threading, and wiring much easier.
Magnets are a marvel of efficiency in field services if you know how to use them. Equip your team or yourself with the right magnets to streamline your on-the-job workflow and make certain difficult tasks much easier. Contact us today for more equipment ideas, magnet wristbands, or holsters and tablet carriers for your field services team.