{"id":11350,"date":"2023-06-29T10:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-06-29T14:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.plugpower.com\/?p=11350"},"modified":"2023-06-27T13:21:55","modified_gmt":"2023-06-27T17:21:55","slug":"greenh2work-employee-spotlight-a-day-in-the-life-of-a-field-technician","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.plugpower.com\/greenh2work-employee-spotlight-a-day-in-the-life-of-a-field-technician\/","title":{"rendered":"GreenH2@Work Employee Spotlight: A Day in the Life of a Field Technician"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

We recently asked employees through an online intranet poll, \u201cIf you could try a different role at Plug for a day, which of these options would you be most interested in?\u201d<\/em> Supporting our customers on-site as a Field Technician was the clear winner, beating out a chance to be CEO! As a follow-up, we interviewed several members of our global Field Service team to better understand their role and how important it is to Plug\u2019s success.<\/p>\n\n\n

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The Day May Start Typical\u2026<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While our Field Technicians aim to start each day the same way, it isn\u2019t long before the day\u2019s priorities are identified for them. Most technicians arrive on-site, meet with the customer, and conduct rounds and equipment inspections. \u201cMy shift begins at 5am, and I\u2019m there around 4:30 doing inspections,\u201d said Michael Mendoza, Master Field Service Tech, Lead supporting Amazon in Las Vegas, NV. \u201cThis is the end of Amazon\u2019s night shift, so I come in between shifts to service the trucks. I have about 2 hours to ensure all trucks are in service before the next shift begins,\u201d he commented.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mendoza has been with Plug since 2019, supporting the same Amazon facility since Day 1. He recalled his early days in the role where he\u2019d show up on-site with 30 trucks in need of repair, and not knowing where to start. \u201cYou learn from experience,\u201d Michael said, crediting both his previous 20 years as an auto mechanic and becoming more familiar with the customer and their needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s like spending the day at your family\u2019s house,\u201d Steve Lucas, Master Field Service Tech said, adding \u201cYou work side-by-side with the customer, solving problems. It\u2019s not just about punching in.\u201d Steve, shown on the right, services Walmart facilities in Harmony and Cornwall, Ontario (Canada) and said he feels like a superhero most days. During his six years with Plug, Steve has helped start up each of Plug\u2019s four Canadian sites, everything from supporting the construction process to installing the hydrogen tanks and fuel cells, and learning the equipment. He currently oversees three distribution centers at Walmart, all operating at different temperatures with Plug equipment working in different environments.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Logan Weiss, Sr. Field Service Tech, Lead in Ohio, who also supports Walmart, commented, \u201cWalmart sites with freezers and groceries have dry temperatures, and our GenDrives work a little harder than in warmer temperatures.\u201d Logan covers various customers across Ohio, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, and Indiana. We asked if it was confusing to jump from Amazon to Walmart to Kroger, and Logan said each customer has similar sites, but the issues and problems vary on any given day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

More than Solving Problems<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In most cases, our techs are diagnosing technical issues and finding solutions before the customer is ever aware. This can include broken parts, issues with infrastructure, or providing general maintenance. A critical component to problem solving is also teamwork, working with the broader Plug team to troubleshoot and provide solutions. \u201cProviding feedback to engineering helps improve the product,\u201d said Vincent Dore, Service Specialist in France, adding \u201cwe are the interface between the customer and the product.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Several of the techs we spoke with were currently training new technicians, and valued Plug\u2019s combination of in-person, online, and on-the-job training. Ramiro Soto, Sr. Field Service Tech, Lead in California said that while training can be time consuming, it is also one of the most rewarding parts of the role. \u201cI enjoy sharing my knowledge with others, so they have the same experiences.\u201d Ramiro has been with Plug since 2020, providing site start-up training for Walmart sites in Apple Valley, CA and Utah. Most technicians receive two to three weeks of training before they are deployed to a site. From the start, it is essential for field techs to build customer relationships at all levels, including forklift technicians, regional maintenance managers, operations supervisors, and reliability engineers. \u201cWe carry walkie talkie radios for instant communications,\u201d noted Steve, adding, \u201cIt is important to maintain 100% customer satisfaction at all times.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Defining Success<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Each Tech Lead we spoke with talked highly about the rewards of the role. \u201cThere\u2019s satisfaction in helping out,\u201d Logan stated, simply. Wesley added, \u201cIt\u2019s rewarding working with the customer. Seeing the product move at a site like Walmart, knowing Plug had a part in that. It\u2019s impressive.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another benefit of being a Field Tech is traveling. Ramiro mentioned he takes a photo at each of the site locations he visits, including the mountain ranges in Salt Lake City, Utah, as shown below. Vincent also travels weekly, from Paris to Barcelona to England.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\u201cIt\u2019s intense work, proving to the customer that everything is right,\u201d Vincent said, \u201cbut there\u2019s pleasure in the result.\u201d He continued \u201cIt\u2019s good for the whole organization; we are representing Plug, and it\u2019s a team between me, the customer, and Plug.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Special thanks to Steve Lucas, Wesley Garrison, Ramiro Soto, Logan Weiss, Vincent Dore, and Michael Mendoza for contributing to this article. <\/em>

<\/em>Plug is currently hiring Field Technicians globally; if you or someone you know is interested in exploring these opportunities, please visit our Careers website<\/a> or contact our team at careers@plugpower.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We recently asked employees through an online intranet poll, \u201cIf you could try a different role at Plug for a day, which of these options would you be most interested in?\u201d Supporting our customers on-site as a Field Technician was the clear winner, beating out a chance to be CEO! As a follow-up, we interviewed ...<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11350","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-blog"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.plugpower.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11350"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.plugpower.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.plugpower.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.plugpower.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/18"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.plugpower.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11350"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.plugpower.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11350\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.plugpower.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11350"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.plugpower.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11350"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.plugpower.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11350"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}