Training a third-party robot field technician: what robot makers should hand over
Short answer: A third-party field technician can only fix your robot as well as the kit you hand over. Before outsourcing field service in North America, a robot maker should give the partner an English service manual written per field-replaceable unit, a fault-code table and fault trees, a spare-parts BOM that says which parts can be swapped on site, a tool list, named diagnostic-software accounts with access levels, a firmware procedure, a standard repair-time schedule, a field service report template and a training unit. Then certify each technician on each model with a hands-on test, give the certificate an expiry date, and review three numbers every month: time to site, first-time fix rate and mean time to restore (MTTR).
This guide is for service, support and training managers at robot companies, especially makers based in China or Europe, setting up service through a local partner in Canada or the US. It is also useful for service companies taking on a new robot brand. KeepRobots is a robot field service company in Vancouver. The other makers' practices and the regulations cited were checked against public sources on 2026-10-30 and are listed at the end. The tables, access levels, training hours and KPI definitions are our templates and planning estimates, not any maker's program and not measured data.
If you are still deciding whether to outsource at all, start with hire a field technician or outsource?. For program design across partners (authorization levels, parts access, warranty labour, co-branding), see how robot OEMs set up an authorized service partner network. This page goes one level down: what the individual technician needs.
What robot makers publish about training partners
- Gausium (service guide, August 2026): about 70% of faults are resolved during remote troubleshooting, with a 24/7 remote maintenance center; its 300-plus field technicians across 40+ service locations are trained and certified by the manufacturer, and "the certification standard does not change with country or partner."
- Deep Robotics: its Americas sales director told Shanghai Securities News (September 2025) that the staff of its US repair center all belong to the local distributor's team and are first trained in China before returning to work in the US.
- Avidbots and Burroughs (November 2023): more than 650 US and Canadian Burroughs technicians trained by Avidbots; Avidbots customer service escalates issues to Burroughs for field service when appropriate.
- Boston Dynamics lists certified repair centers in the US, Germany and Korea, trains and certifies through Boston Dynamics University, and runs partner-specific training and certification paths, including for service and support partners.
- Universal Robots announced Authorized Training Centers in North America in 2019, with modules taught by certified trainers, including a Service & Troubleshooting module for technicians.
Read together: the remote team handles most faults; the rest need hands, parts and judgment on site, and that is exactly the work the partner's technician must be trained for.
Step 1: Decide what stays remote and what happens on site
| Task | Factory remote support (L2/L3) | Local technician (L1/L2 partner) |
|---|---|---|
| Take the call, set priority | During factory hours | First contact in North American hours; decides on a visit using your triage table |
| Read fault codes and logs | Main analysis | Exports the log bundle, runs the first pass of the fault tree |
| Remote parameter changes, re-sending maps and tasks | Does it | Confirms the site is clear and safe |
| Cleaning sensors, consumables and wear parts (brushes, filters, tires, batteries) | — | Does it, per the manual, with photos |
| Module swaps (drive unit, lidar, main board as a unit) | Decides which module | Does it (L2-certified), then runs the function test |
| Released firmware, calibration | Supplies package and instruction | Does it under the SOP, records versions |
| Hard-to-reproduce faults, root cause | Does it | Captures evidence: video, logs, measurements, site conditions |
| Board-level repair, refurbishment | Factory or depot | Removes, packs and ships (damaged lithium batteries are dangerous goods) |
The rule behind the table: anything you want fixed in one visit must be in the manual, unlocked in the software and stocked in the country. Otherwise the visit becomes information gathering. How L1 and L2 hand over across a 15-hour time difference is covered in the after-sales SLA guide.
Step 2: The training kit checklist
| # | Item | What "done" looks like | If it's missing |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Service manual | Written per field-replaceable unit: photos, torque values, cable routing, checks before and after | Technicians improvise; a ground strap goes back missing |
| 2 | Fault-code table | Every code: meaning, likely causes, on-site checks, when to escalate | Screenshots get sent to the factory and wait overnight |
| 3 | Fault trees | Start from the symptom (won't move, lost localization, won't charge, noise, e-stop) with numbered steps | Three technicians, three different repairs |
| 4 | Spare-parts BOM | Part number, English name, model and hardware revision, field-replaceable or not, which level may swap it, return required or not | Wrong part on the van, second visit |
| 5 | Tool list | Standard and special tools, jigs, calibration targets, cables, dongles, and who supplies each | Visit ends because one socket is missing |
| 6 | Diagnostic software | Installer, English UI if possible, named accounts by level (next section), tested on a North American network | Login needs a factory engineer's laptop or a Chinese phone number |
| 7 | Firmware procedure | Released versions, compatibility matrix, flashing and rollback steps, who approves | A bricked controller, or nobody dares to flash |
| 8 | Safety procedures | Model-specific lockout, stored energy (batteries, springs, raised loads), damaged-battery handling and shipping | Injury, or a battery that can't be shipped back |
| 9 | Preventive maintenance checklist | Checks and limits by run-hours or month, replacement intervals, printable sign-off | "PM" means wiping the sensors |
| 10 | Standard repair times | Hours per job type, used to pay warranty labour | Every warranty claim becomes a negotiation |
| 11 | Field service report template | Fields in Step 5 | Reports that say "fixed" |
| 12 | Training unit and practice parts | One unit (or the modules that fail most) at the partner, owned by the maker | The first customer robot becomes the practice robot |
| 13 | Escalation contacts | Names, roles and online hours in both time zones; how to wake someone for a P1 | Nobody to call at night |
Items 1–3 take the most work. A practical start: pick the ten faults you see most in other markets, write those fault trees and procedures in full, and mark everything else "escalate to L2". Every visit that needed live factory help should end with a manual update.
Step 3: Diagnostic software access levels
| Function | L1 field | L2 certified | L3 maker |
|---|---|---|---|
| View status, read fault codes, export logs | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Run self-tests and function tests | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Change operating parameters (speed, volume, schedules) | If the customer approves | Yes | Yes |
| Map, edit maps, virtual walls | No | Yes | Yes |
| Flash released firmware, pair modules, calibrate sensors | No | Yes, under SOP, versions logged | Yes |
| Change safety-related settings (e-stop logic, safety zones, speed limits) | No | No | Yes |
| Test firmware, raw data and map export | No | No | Yes |
| Remote session into the customer network | No | With customer IT approval | With customer IT approval |
Four rules: one account per person, no shared passwords; accounts expire with the technician's certificate; the partner must tell you when a certified technician leaves and the account is closed within 24 hours; every write action is logged. Customer security teams will ask who can reach the robot remotely; this table is the answer (see robot IT security requirements).
Step 4: Certify people, per model, with a practical test
The partner company is authorized; the technician is certified. When the certified technician leaves, the partner's authorization drops until someone else passes.
| Level | Scope | Training (estimate) | Test | Validity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| L1 field | Inspection, cleaning, consumables and wear parts, reboots, logs, preventive maintenance | 4–6 hours online + 1 day hands-on | Written (fault codes, safety) + find a seeded fault with the fault tree and swap a wear part | 12 months; top-up for new models or major software |
| L2 module repair | Module swaps, released firmware, calibration, new-site deployment | L1 + 2–3 days hands-on + 2 supervised live jobs | Timed module swap passing the function test; one complete, acceptable field report | 12 months; re-coach after 6 months without that model or 2 repeat failures in 30 days |
| L3 board level | Board repair, refurbishment, root cause | Usually stays at the maker's depot | — | — |
Use seeded faults: the trainer unplugs a connector, fits a bad module or sets a wrong parameter on the training unit, and the technician has to find and fix it with the fault tree while the trainer records time and report quality. A written-only certificate does not predict field performance.
Safety and dangerous-goods training the kit must support
The partner, as employer, owns its technicians' safety training; the robot maker has to supply the model-specific content. The rules that apply most often:
- Lockout/tagout, US: OSHA 29 CFR 1910.147(c)(7) requires each authorized employee to be trained in recognizing hazardous energy sources, the type and magnitude of the energy, and the methods of isolation and control; retraining when equipment, processes or procedures change; and a certification with each employee's name and dates of training.
- Lockout, British Columbia: Part 10 of the WorkSafeBC OHS Regulation requires lockout under written procedures made available to every worker who works on the equipment (s.10.4); the Workers Compensation Act s.21(2)(e) requires employers to provide the information, instruction, training and supervision workers need, and OHS Regulation s.3.25 requires training records.
- Shipping a damaged battery back, US: 49 CFR 172.704 requires hazmat employees to be trained within 90 days of starting or changing job function (working only under direct supervision until then), retrained at least every three years, with records kept.
- Shipping a damaged battery back, Canada: Part 6 of the Transportation of Dangerous Goods Regulations requires a person to be trained and hold a training certificate, or work under the direct supervision of someone who does; certificates expire after 24 months for air and 36 months for road, rail or water. A US hazmat training record is accepted in Canada only for US-licensed drivers and train crew, not for shippers.
So the manual needs an energy-source diagram per model (main and backup batteries, motor brakes, springs, raised loads), de-energize-and-verify steps, and criteria and packaging instructions for damaged lithium batteries.
Who trains whom: fly trainers in, or send technicians to the factory?
Both happen. Deep Robotics sends its distributor's staff to China. The other route is a factory trainer travelling with a training unit. For that route, check the visitor rules first:
- United States: the State Department's 9 FAM 402.2-5(E)(1) allows B-1 visitors to install, service or repair commercial or industrial equipment purchased from a company outside the US, "or to train U.S. workers to perform such services", where the contract of sale specifically requires the seller to provide the services or training, the visitor has unique knowledge and receives no remuneration from a US source. Building or construction work is excluded.
- Canada: IRCC's business visitor page lists "giving after-sales service as part of a warranty or sales agreement" and "being trained by a Canadian company that has sold you equipment or services". It does not list visiting to train a third-party service company, and the training named in IRPR s.187 is limited to a parent or subsidiary of the visitor's employer. Ask a Canadian immigration lawyer before planning a training-only trip.
A practical mix: recorded theory modules with subtitles, hands-on coaching during the first North American deployment, then remote refreshers, self-practice on the training unit and spot-check tests. This section is not immigration advice.
Step 5: Field service report fields
The report the technician files before leaving site is the raw data for warranty claims and KPIs. Minimum fields: ticket number, site, model, serial number and hardware revision; arrival, start, finish and departure times with time zone (travel, work and waiting kept separate); run-hours or odometer; the customer's own words and the fault codes; steps done, by fault-tree step number; a root-cause code from a fixed list (wear, environment, operation, software, incoming quality, not found); parts removed and fitted with part and serial numbers and RMA number; firmware version before and after; function-test results; photos (before, after, nameplate, damage); fixed or not, and why not (no part, waiting on factory, customer); customer sign-off. Ask for it in your system within 24 hours, not in a monthly spreadsheet.
Step 6: KPIs both sides define the same way
| KPI | Suggested definition | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Time to site | Ticket accepted to technician on site, reported by zone (core, outer, travel) | Count in the customer's local business hours; exclude customer-requested reschedules |
| First-time fix rate (FTFR) | On-site tickets restored on the first visit with no repeat of the same fault within 30 days ÷ all tickets needing a visit | Track "not fixed: part not available" separately. That is a parts problem, not a technician problem |
| Mean time to restore (MTTR) | Average time from ticket accepted to customer confirming the robot is back in service | Report return-to-factory and parts-from-overseas tickets separately, or one six-week wait hides everything else |
| 30-day repeat rate | Same robot, same fault, reported again within 30 days | High means root cause missed or a manual step missing |
| Report quality | Reports within 24 hours with all required fields ÷ all reports | Only accept warranty claims with a complete report |
There is no standards-body definition of first-time fix rate, and companies count it differently, so write your definitions into the service agreement. Record a baseline for the first three months without targets or penalties; with a small fleet one ticket swings the ratio. Then set targets by model and zone. A 30-minute monthly review should answer three questions: which tickets were not fixed first time and why, which visits needed live factory help (the manual needs work), and which parts are wearing faster than planned.
When is the handover done?
- At least one, preferably two, L2-certified technicians per model under warranty, with names and expiry dates in your system;
- English fault trees and procedures for your ten most common faults, rehearsed on the training unit;
- Diagnostic software works on the partner's laptops on a North American network, with personal accounts;
- The BOM matches the consignment stock part numbers, with reorder points set;
- Two supervised live visits done (one preventive maintenance, one fault), with acceptable reports;
- Repair-time schedule, report template, KPI definitions and escalation contacts signed as appendices to the service agreement.
Only then should your website and sales deck say "local field service in North America".
Common mistakes
- Software that only works from the factory: logins tied to one engineer's laptop, SMS codes to Chinese phone numbers, servers that are slow or blocked from customer networks. Test from North America before go-live.
- Firmware locked to a dongle or a file share in China: either license L2 technicians to flash released firmware, or state in the SOP that flashing is remote-only, so nobody promises an on-site fix that can't happen.
- Live training at factory hours: that is the middle of the night in Vancouver. Recorded modules plus one live Q&A at the overlap hour work better.
- Machine-translated fault codes: have someone who knows the robot review the English. For products sold in Quebec, documents accompanying the product, such as user manuals and warranty certificates, must be available in French according to the OQLF.
- Training one person: they go on holiday and a whole region has no certified technician.
- No standard repair times: every warranty claim is a negotiation.
What KeepRobots can do
KeepRobots is a robot field service company based in Vancouver, serving Greater Vancouver first, with on-site visits across Canada and the US. We can be your L1 or L2 field service partner: take your training and certification tests, keep a training unit and consignment parts in Vancouver, work to your fault trees and report template with reports back within 24 hours, and turn each visit that needed factory help into an English manual update. Our engineers read Chinese technical documentation and work with factory teams in China time, so we can also draft English versions of Chinese manuals and fault-code tables for your engineers to approve. We are not an exclusive agent for any brand and do not describe ourselves as anyone's authorized service provider without a signed agreement.
Current rates, before tax: diagnostic CAD 200 in Canada or USD 200 in the US, per robot, per visit (credited if the repair is approved); Greater Vancouver core-zone call-out CAD 100 per visit; on-site labour CAD 150/hour in Canada or USD 150/hour in the US; travel outside the core zone and US projects quoted per project. See our robot maker program, North America field service for robot makers and robot after-sales service in Canada, or write to partners@keeprobots.com.
FAQ
What should a robot OEM give a third-party field technician before outsourcing service?
An English service manual per field-replaceable unit, a fault-code table and fault trees, a spare-parts BOM marking which parts can be swapped on site, a tool list, named diagnostic-software accounts by access level, a firmware procedure with rollback, model-specific safety procedures, a preventive maintenance checklist, standard repair times, a field service report template, a training unit and an escalation contact list.
How long does robot field technician training take?
As a planning estimate: about 4–6 hours online plus one day hands-on for L1 field work, and two to three more days plus two supervised live jobs for L2 module repair. Complex robots such as humanoids need more. Certify each technician per model, with a practical test on seeded faults.
How should first-time fix rate be measured for outsourced robot service?
There is no standard definition, so write one into the agreement. A workable one: on-site tickets restored on the first visit with no repeat of the same fault within 30 days, divided by all tickets that needed a visit. Count "part not available" failures separately, because they measure your parts plan rather than the technician.
Should robot makers give partners access to firmware and diagnostic software?
Give access by level. Field (L1) technicians read codes, export logs and run tests; certified L2 technicians also flash released firmware, map and calibrate under a written procedure; safety-related settings and test firmware stay with the maker. Use named accounts that expire with the certificate and are closed within 24 hours when someone leaves.
Can engineers from the factory travel to train technicians in North America?
Often, but check the rules first. In the US, 9 FAM 402.2-5(E)(1) lets B-1 visitors service equipment bought from a company outside the US or train US workers to do so, when the sales contract requires it and they are paid from outside the US. In Canada, IRCC lists after-sales service under a warranty or sales agreement as a business visitor activity, but not training a third-party service company, so ask an immigration lawyer. Sending technicians to the factory, as Deep Robotics does, avoids the question.
What does KeepRobots charge as a robot field service partner?
Current rates, before tax: diagnostic CAD 200 in Canada or USD 200 in the US, per robot, per visit, credited if the repair is approved; Greater Vancouver core-zone call-out CAD 100; on-site labour CAD 150/hour in Canada or USD 150/hour in the US. Travel outside the core zone and US projects are quoted per project.
Sources (checked 2026-10-30)
- Gausium, Commercial Cleaning Robot Service & Support Guide (2026-08-10): gausium.com
- Shanghai Securities News via 10jqka, Deep Robotics Americas sales director on its US repair center (2025-09-26, Chinese): 10jqka.com.cn
- Avidbots partners with Burroughs service network (2023-11-08): avidbots.com
- Boston Dynamics, Customer Success: bostondynamics.com
- Boston Dynamics, Partners: bostondynamics.com
- Universal Robots, Authorized Training Centers in North America (2019-08-01): universal-robots.com
- OSHA 29 CFR 1910.147, control of hazardous energy: ecfr.gov
- WorkSafeBC OHS Regulation Part 10, de-energization and lockout: worksafebc.com
- BC Workers Compensation Act, s.21: bclaws.gov.bc.ca
- 49 CFR 172.704, hazmat employee training: ecfr.gov
- Transportation of Dangerous Goods Regulations, s.6.5: laws-lois.justice.gc.ca
- 9 FAM 402.2-5(E), B-1 commercial or industrial workers: fam.state.gov
- IRCC, who can visit Canada as a business visitor: canada.ca
- IRPR s.187, business visitors: laws-lois.justice.gc.ca
- OQLF, French on products and accompanying documents: oqlf.gouv.qc.ca
Chinese version: 怎么把机器人售后能力交给北美本地服务商？培训包、授权等级、考核和文档
This page summarises public sources for orientation only, as of 2026-10-30. It is not legal or immigration advice. Training hours, access levels and KPI definitions are KeepRobots' templates and planning estimates, not statistics or any maker's program. Rates are KeepRobots' current published rates, before tax, and may change.