What is the most important service tech quality?

 Loading …

Some comments from y’all:

• “We always ‘joke’ at our office that it’s the salesman’s job to tell the customer what we can do and the service techs job is to prove it. I have been the top sales guy at our office for 5 years running, and as much as I would love to pat myself on the back, people do not buy from me, they buy because of our service. I will semi-routinely buy the service team lunch or I will always send a company-wide email when I hear good feedback from a client on how much they love the service guy. This not only builds great moral internally but also makes the tech look out for me as well with leads, problems, and going above and beyond for my customers.”
• “The best technicians possess both equal amounts of technical skill, along with great customer relation skills.  It’s rare to find both.”
• “Good customer service usually can’t be taught. If you give your customers your best they are more likely to work with you when there is a delay in getting their equipment repaired. I have been in the industry over 25 years and there have been times where either I wasn’t able to get to the call the same day or had to leave a machine down due to having to order a part. In these instances because I was already considered reliable and had established a rapport with the customer, they were willing to wait.”
• “Techs too focused on problem solving often don’t take the time to confirm that they are working on the correct problem. That is why we put a lot of emphasis on relating and communicating with our customers.”
• “If you can find one of the unicorn techs who encompasses an amicable and attractive demeanor, presents themselves well, has exceptional people, communication and troubleshooting skills while also being capable of thinking out of the box, you should be prepared to ask them what their salary needs to be and then PAY IT without regret or reconsideration. You also may want to provide an actual career pathway for those who show potential. Those 2005 wages aren’t cutting it anymore and it really shows in the rank-and-file who also happen to be the face of your companies.”
• “All of the above make a great tech.”
• “An electromechanical aptitude or background is the most important thing, but the specific kind of equipment one has worked is not as important. We have all had to learn new equipment every few years. I spent 13 years in the Air Force working on Communications systems (which helped me learn quickly when copiers became networked peripherals). I started in this business on analog copiers, transitioned to digital, then color, and now support industrial wide format inkjets. To troubleshoot something you have to understand how it works first. Being the fix it guy (or gal) isn’t something everyone is good at, even if they have related industry experience. I like to describe the job as about 1/3 electrical, 1/3 mechanical and 1/3 IT skills.”
• “I find that a technician best quality is the ability to communicate effectively with the customer.”
• “All the things mentioned are good to have, but if you can’t fix things, then you won’t last long. When I get a call, I am already thinking in advance of what the issue could be, even before I arrive on-site.”
• “I have led hundreds of technicians in my career, and the the ones that can fix a customer are the best.”
• “If a tech has trouble diagnosing the cause of the problem(s) and can’t fix them in a timely manner, then the customer may become frustrated and their confidence in the tech, the equipment and ultimately the company may suffer.”
• “Problem solving and providing clear solutions to complaints.”
• “If the techs don’t have good customer service, nothing else matters. Simply put, if you can’t ‘fix’ the customer, it won’t matter if you fix the copier or not.”
• “I think that ‘good customer service’ includes a ‘problem solving mentality’ and ‘good communication skills,’ all while not letting them see you sweat.”
• “I cast a vote for ‘problem solver,’ but I feel the next generation of technicians is lacking in their ability to be a ‘detective’ and track down the problem through investigative testing.  They are so willing to throw money (assemblies) at the machines.  Example: Changing a formatter instead of figuring out its just a HDD.”
• “I’d rather have a decent technician who had excellent customer service skills, rather than a super star technician who couldn’t fix a customer.”
• “I think the best service techs have all 4 qualities. One alone can’t make a dependable tech.”
• “The whole point of being a technician, is to fix the machine and have the knowledge to do so. If you can’t repair the equipment, none of the other skills will matter. Repair the equipment first, then be able to communicate and have the customer service skills. We have had techs that don’t have a great personality, but have been able to maintain the equipment and therefore maintain the customer.”

Missed our September poll? Participate in our current poll in the sidebar or our current newsletter!