Arkansas HVACR NewsMagazine September 2022

HVACR NewsMagazine 2022

Tech News

to prevent it in the future to the extent it is preventable. It always cracks me up when something breaks, and the customer acts totally stunned and says something like, “That shouldn't happen! This system is only _____ years old!” as if someone must account for this horrible injustice. Yes, and war and sickness, crime and decay ALSO shouldn't happen, but they do every day. Technicians realize this and embrace it as part of their calling to set things right rather than wallowing in blame and excuses.

you want to talk to another tech when you are both on the way home to catch up on the events of the day, then that's OK (we used to do this all the time in the days of radio dispatch), but technical questions are for specific technical answers, not for chit chat.

My Epiphany

Technicians Don't Ask Social Questions

I realized that I am not going to stop preferring technicians. So, rather than trying to change that about myself, I'm going to work to fill my business with people who have a technician's mindset, even if their job title isn't one of a technician. The best dispatchers, receptionists, permit techs, parts counter staff, warehouse managers, and installers I have known still have th is “technician” mindset, even though they may never work on a piece of HVAC equipment. From now on, I'm looking for dispatch technicians, sales technicians, and warehouse sweeper technicians (you get the point). Sure, a successful workplace takes all types of personalities and skill sets, and if you

If a technician is really stuck and needs some expert advice, then they MAY call another technician, but only after they have read everything they can on the problem they are facing and have taken a solid shot at Google or any other online resources they have. They don't call other technicians just because it's “easier to call” or they “just wanted to talk.” If