If technology is the body and people are the heart, then the technician is the blood that keeps the business working perfectly.
The salesman sold the first copier; the technician sold the rest – this old saying underscores the value of the technician in an organisation. The product may be brilliant and the salesperson proficient, but if the technician isn’t efficient, then the story will end there.
“The technician supports the product, and ensures that it is delivered, installed and integrated seemlessly with the client’s infrastructure. If the service and support after product purchase aren’t any good, then it is unlikely that the client will want to stay with the product,” says Paul Wendlandt, CSSD manager at Kyocera Document Solutions South Africa.
There has been a shift from products that deliver a single service within a confined arena to comprehensive solutions that take the entire business into consideration; and if the technican is unfamiliar with this, the relationship with the customer can crumble. Everything is interconnected and can be accessed and used seamlessly, and this is what modern business wants.
“Technicians are critical to the pre-sales and post-sales support and are more involved than ever before. I believe that their role is going to become even more crucial in the future and technical teams need to get involved in sales as well.” adds Wendlandt.
The technician offers true in-depth insights into how a product and solution works and how its implementation can impact the business. They understand their company’s products inside out, what they offer and how they can benefit the customer at their specific pain points.
Technicians are a scarce commodity, and normally have to be hunted from different dealerships because of their knowledge. “I believe there has been a huge loss in the industry as many technicians have left and gone into other industries where they are more appreciated. We are now sitting at a situation where we need to replace these technicians with fresh faces, who don’t always have the ability to understand why things have gone wrong at the foundation level.” comments Wendlandt.
The growing dependency on technology in every industry has resulted in a dependency on speedy services, this leads to most new technicians preferring to replace items instead of repairing them because it is quicker and more convenient, which can lead to cost impacts for businesses. The goal of a technician is to provide insight and expertise into every product available in the company’s range – this is why Kyocera invests heavily in their technicians with rigorous training programmes and equally rigorous rewards.
“Training plays a vital role and it is often overlooked,” says Wendlandt. “However, the people within your business determine the level of success that it will have; providing them with the training, skills and tools that they need as the key differentiator in the longhaul, and will help them launch their careers.”
For Wendlandt, the technicians that work on Kyocera products must have the right training and certification; that way the solutions that the company implements are always managed and supported by people who understand them and can ensure they deliver on the original sales promise. It is also through offering such in-depth levels of training that they believe they are attracting fresh talent. If a person feels invested in and trusted, and if they are given the tools to build their own abilities, then they are more likely to keep that talent in the business and remain loyal.
Once a year, Kyocera Document Solutions South Africa hosts their Service Awards, as part of a global initiative,where Kyocera service engineers across the country write an online exam and the top ten come through to compete in a national final where they are given practical and theoretical tests. The winner travels to Europe to compete against other global Kyocera winners to win another final prize – a trip to Osaka Japan to visit the Kyocera Document Solutions Head Office. “One of our top technicians has managed to win this prize three times. He has has visited Europe twice and Japan once; what separates him from the rest is that he understands his resources and knows how to get things done.”
Kyocera takes the training of their engineers very seriously because they agree that it is one of the most important factors in the success of their business. The pass rate is 70% and training is mandatory to ensure that both the company and their client always deliver on the product’s promise.
To bolster the skills base, Kyocera Document Solutions South Africa partners with Potter’s House Christian Fellowship in order to provide the Alexandra community with the tools and knowledge needed to build a career in technical expertise.
Kyocera Document Solutions South Africa recently held a graduation ceremony for 26 young Potter’s House students who have completed their year-long training program in Basic Xerography. This 8 year old Kyocera-Potter’s House partnership has seen an increase in office automation internship and job placement within the OA industry.