How Manufacturers Set the Pace for Service Excellence
Manufacturers influence nearly every aspect of the service experience. This section defines expectations around part support, documentation, training, fair pay, and timely communication to raise the industry standard.
The North American Health & Fitness Trades Alliance (NAHFTA) is committed to raising the standard of professionalism, fairness, and efficiency across the fitness equipment service industry. Manufacturers play a foundational role in this system, and their actions directly impact the speed, quality, and reliability of service.
This resource exists to highlight industry practices that often create friction and inefficiency, and to outline expectations that foster smoother service outcomes, greater customer satisfaction, and better long-term results.
This is not about blame or targeting specific brands. It’s about recognizing common patterns, encouraging best practices, and lifting the entire service ecosystem together.
Manufacturers set the tone for the entire service experience. When you support providers with fair practices, clear communication, and the right tools, everyone benefits, especially your customers.
NAHFTA is here to help raise the bar across the industry, and we invite manufacturers to lead the way by setting standards that others will follow. If you’re ready to collaborate, improve outcomes, and strengthen the service ecosystem, reach out to NAHFTA. Let’s work together to build a stronger, smarter industry. Below, we list best practices we believe in that optimize the service process for all involved
The Expectation:
A clear responsibility that manufacturers should meet
Why It Matters:
How this affects the service process
NAHFTA’s Stance:
How we believe manufacturers should engage with service providers Prefer to view this as a PDF?
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The Expectation: Take responsibility for what’s within your control.Why It Matters: When one part of the chain drops the ball, others are forced to scramble to pick it up, costing time, money, and trust.NAHFTA’s Stance: Own your role. Don’t shift blame or expect others to compensate for avoidable oversights. A strong service ecosystem depends on everyone doing their part.The Expectation: Provide part numbers, service manuals, and repair instructions to providers.Why It Matters: Withholding this information delays service, increases guesswork, and compromises safety and efficiency.NAHFTA’s Stance: Service providers need access to accurate documentation to do the job right the first time.The Expectation: Provide part numbers, service manuals, and repair instructions to providers.Why It Matters: Withholding this information delays service, increases guesswork, and compromises safety and efficiency.NAHFTA’s Stance: Service providers need access to accurate documentation to do the job right the first time.The Expectation: Keep documentation requirements reasonable.Why It Matters: Over-documentation adds unnecessary work and delays service.NAHFTA’s Stance: Use documentation to verify, not to micromanage.The Expectation: Compensate fairly based on job complexity and time.Why It Matters: Under market rates discourage quality work and penalize providers who take the time to do it right.NAHFTA’s Stance: Pay should reflect the work, not just a fixed figure.The Expectation: Pay service providers for pre-authorized warranty dispatches, even if the issue is later ruled non-warranty.Why It Matters: When a manufacturer authorizes a warranty service call and the provider completes the visit in good faith, that work still has value. Refusing to pay after the fact shifts the burden unfairly and damages trust.NAHFTA’s Stance: If you authorized the call, you own the invoice. Don’t push the provider into a billing conflict with the customer for work they were sent to perform on your behalf.The Expectation: Don’t include sales tax in the service provider’s flat rate.Why It Matters: In states where sales tax applies to services, treating the full payment as “tax inclusive” means the provider ends up absorbing the tax cost, cutting into their actual earnings. That’s not sustainable or fair.NAHFTA’s Stance: Sales tax is a separate obligation. If it applies, it should be calculated on top of the service rate, not pulled from it. Providers should not be penalized for operating a legitimate business and complying with tax law.The Expectation: Pay for diagnostics even when repairs aren’t approved.Why It Matters: Diagnostics are skilled labor, not a free estimate.NAHFTA’s Stance: Diagnosis deserves compensation.The Expectation: Pay providers when visits are canceled at the last minute, especially after dispatch.Why It Matters: If a customer cancels when the tech is already en route or about to leave, it’s too late to reassign that time. The day is planned, and that slot is lost revenue.NAHFTA’s Stance: If a provider commits resources and follows the schedule, they deserve compensation, even if the job gets canceled at the last second.The Expectation: Pay providers promptly for completed work.Why It Matters: Late payments disrupt operations and cash flow.NAHFTA’s Stance: Techs aren’t banks, pay on time. If payment terms are missed, late fees must be honored. Service providers shouldn’t have to chase payment or absorb the financial hit when others don’t meet agreed timelines. Both parties must uphold their end of the agreement.The Expectation: Provide advance notice when changing pay structures.Why It Matters: Unannounced changes disrupt planning and damage trust.NAHFTA’s Stance: Providers deserve consistency and transparency.The Expectation: Cover costs when incorrect or defective parts are shipped.Why It Matters: Techs lose time and income when they can’t complete a job due to a supplier’s mistake.NAHFTA’s Stance: If the supplier causes the delay, they should pay for the disruption.The Expectation: Be transparent if used or refurbished parts are being shipped.Why It Matters: Hidden histories of parts can lead to early failures and misplaced blame.NAHFTA’s Stance: If it’s not new, disclose it.The Expectation: Ship parts to techs when requested, not customers.Why It Matters: Customer involvement leads to delays, confusion, and compromised outcomes.NAHFTA’s Stance: If parts are shipped to customers, manufacturers should recognize the added risk. Delays, misplaced parts, or installation issues are more likely, and providers should be compensated when these complications arise.The Expectation: Provide part shipment details, including order confirmations and tracking numbers.Why It Matters: When service providers don’t know if or when a part has shipped, they can’t schedule confidently, keep customers informed, or plan their workloads. This creates unnecessary delays and erodes customer trust.NAHFTA’s Stance: Transparency matters. Send order numbers and tracking info as soon as available so providers can coordinate repairs effectively and keep customers in the loop.The Expectation: Allow techs to make common-sense repairs without requiring pre-approval.Why It Matters: Delays in approval slow service and frustrate customers.NAHFTA’s Stance: Empower experienced techs to resolve basic issues in the field.The Expectation: Honor claims when procedures were followed, even if the part fails.Why It Matters: Techs shouldn’t be penalized for doing the right thing.NAHFTA’s Stance: If the tech followed protocol, the manufacturer should take responsibility.The Expectation: Avoid duplicate submission systems.Why It Matters: Redundant tasks waste time and delay payment.NAHFTA’s Stance: One task, one system.The Expectation: Don’t demand excessive photos for every job.Why It Matters: It slows techs down and undermines their professionalism.NAHFTA’s Stance: Verify, don’t micromanage.The Expectation: Offer relevant and affordable training.Why It Matters: Training that lacks practical application or is cost-prohibitive undermines its value and purpose.NAHFTA’s Stance: If training is required, it must be useful and accessible.The Expectation: Don’t expect full diagnoses over the phone without an in-person evaluation.Why It Matters: Asking providers to confirm the cause of a problem without seeing or testing the equipment is unrealistic and often leads to misdiagnosis, unnecessary parts shipments, and repeat visits.NAHFTA’s Stance: A phone call is not a diagnostic tool. Let the tech do their job on-site before asking for definitive answers.The Expectation: Notify providers promptly when jobs are reassigned or canceled.Why It Matters: Lack of notice wastes time and erodes trust.NAHFTA’s Stance: Communicate changes clearly and compensate fairly when time has already been invested.The Expectation: Maintain open communication, even during disputes.Why It Matters: Ghosting makes resolution impossible.NAHFTA’s Stance: Stay professional, even when it’s hard.The Expectation: Accept responsibility for flawed designs or recurring product issues.Why It Matters: Techs take the blame for problems they didn’t cause.NAHFTA’s Stance: Own the equipment’s performance.The Expectation: Maintain service provider continuity from diagnosis through repair.Why It Matters: Splitting a service case between providers disrupts efficiency, leads to miscommunication, and undermines accountability. The diagnosing technician is best positioned to complete the repair accurately and quickly.NAHFTA’s Stance: Exceptions exist, but continuity should be the norm. Assign follow-up work to the original diagnosing provider to ensure consistent, quality service.How Service Providers Outperform Across Every Aspect of Service
Service providers are the face of the industry. This section details expectations around communication, documentation, conduct, preparation, and commitment to quality that set providers apart as true professionals.
How Retailers Fuel High-Performance Service
Retailers play a pivotal role in the service process. This section highlights best practices such as relaying service requests accurately, clarifying financial responsibility, and educating customers on warranty expectations.
How Customers Maximize Peak Service Performance
This section outlines the simple but essential actions customers can take. Providing clear information, keeping equipment accessible, and responding promptly, all these things lead to smoother, faster repairs and better outcomes for everyone involved.
