What is it like to work in field engineering for humidity control?
Today we will be picking the brains of the field engineering team at Humidity Solutions, an award-winning humidity control company based in the leafy suburbs of Surrey. The company provides humidity control systems and services to businesses across the UK – from concept through to design, servicing, maintenance, and installations. There are many moving parts once a project is underway, and the humidity control field engineering team play an integral part in successfully completing small and large projects throughout the country.

Working life of a Humidity Control Engineering Team

The Humidity Control Team

Some team members are office based, while some spend their time on the road visiting sites and occasionally stopping by at the office. Here is an overview of the roles within the humidity control field engineering team at Humidity Solutions:

• Field Installation Engineer
• Field Service Engineer
• Project Manager
• Service Coordinator
• Service Manager
• Technical Support Engineer

What is it like to be on the engineering team at Humidity Solutions? This article features Annie Budds, David Hendon, John Bainbridge, and Ben James who give their answers.

Annie Budds, Service Coordinator, Humidity Control

What Does Your Typical Week Involve?
I’m usually very busy throughout the week juggling tasks and making sure that our engineers are equipped with all spare parts and materials before heading out on site visits. When I’m not allocating work and managing the diaries for all eight of our engineers, I’m checking sales orders, following up on quotes, generating reports, as well as equipment and health and safety training checks. My week is never the same, and there can be a few surprise call outs and customer queries that keep me on my toes!

How Do You Manage to Prioritise Scheduling for Service Engineers?
It really depends on the specifics of the job and understanding what our customers need.

I try to find a balance between agreed response times, location, duration of work, and parts that are needed for the job. I also need to make sure that I match an engineer with the right qualifications to carry out the work i.e. Gas Safe, F-Gas, PASMA, IPAF, etc.

What Qualities or Skills Are Essential for Being a Great Service Coordinator?
Organisational skills (and an extra pair of arms!) are crucial as I need to manage and keep on top of multiple tasks throughout the day.

I also ensure that deadlines are met while also maintaining service standards, so I would say that effective time management is a core skill in delivering a great service. Sometimes you’ve got to expect the unexpected in this job role, so being flexible and having problem solving skills can really help with that.

What Challenges Do You Face in Your Role, and How Do You Overcome Them?
Last-minute cancellations can be challenging as we need to find alternative work for the engineer that was scheduled to attend the site. Additional time requirements can also happen when engineers need more time than initially allocated for a job, which can disrupt a schedule. We usually manage situations like this by prioritising and rescheduling the work as efficiently as possible to minimise the impact on operations.

How Do You Handle Urgent or Emergency Service Requests?
I usually collaborate with my service manager when handling urgent situations as there can be multiple ways to resolve issues, so this ensures that the best course of action is taken.

How Do You Think Your Role Contributes to Customer Satisfaction and Overall Business Success?
As I am the primary point of contact with customers, direct interaction fosters trust and ensures that customers feel valued, encouraging them to return for future business. I also need to relay accurate and timely information when scheduling engineers’ work, otherwise they may not have enough time to prepare for upcoming tasks, which could lead to subpar service.

Would You Have Any Tips for Other Service Coordinators?
Keeping on top of the diary and parts that need to be sent out and having a good relationship with the engineers really help.

David Hendon, Service Engineer, Humidity Control

How Did You Find Out About This Role of Service Engineer for Humidity Solutions?
I had a lot of experience in water dispensers and boilers from my previous work. So, it was a natural progression for me when I came across the role of service engineer for Humidity Solutions via an online job agency.

After applying, the agency got in touch with me because of my semi transferable skills, which turned out to be a great match for the role.
 
Why did It attract you? Why did you think it was a good fit for you?
I had been searching for a role that would set new challenges for the remainder of my career, as I could not progress further in my existing job. Since joining the company, I have been able to enhance my skillset and broaden my knowledge – there’s so much variation in the day to day work that I do now.

What Does Your Typical Week Involve?
I can honestly say that there is no such thing as a typical week, however, it could involve servicing, fault finding, disinfections, installations, and assisting other engineers.

What Is the Most Difficult Job You Have Ever Been On?
I can’t pinpoint the most difficult job that I have completed, since there could be a different challenge thrown at you every week, but the old saying of “every day is a school day” is completely true in this role.

Which Is Your Favourite Piece of Equipment to Service and Why?
I really enjoy working on high pressure systems, I find them very interesting, and they put up more potential hygiene issues than hot steam systems.

Why Would You Recommend This Career?
I believe this career is very demanding with plenty of challenge, and the number of manufacturers and models will keep anyone new to the industry from ever getting bored. There is and will be always be something to learn, or at least to have a good go at educating yourself about.

John Bainbridge, Service Engineer, Humidity Control

How Long Have You Been a Field Service Engineer? Why Have You Stayed/What Do You Enjoy About the Role?
I’ve been a service engineer now for 22 years. I love the variety of the role. No two places are the same, and I’ve seen so many places all over the UK. I enjoy working on the different humidifier units, the faults they can develop, and the challenge of solving these issues. I get a lot of job satisfaction from happy customers after doing a great job.

What Was Your Typical Week Like When You Started?
When I first started, my typical week involved learning about the humidification role. I had to understand why customers need different humidity levels for so many different applications, and how to fault find on all the units available.

I also learnt how to service the humidifiers correctly, and to a level that a customer would be happy with as part of a planned maintenance contract. I recorded parts used during the service, and reordering parts for the next service visits. I also learnt install work, and got familiar with programming software updates, commissioning units, and recording the install information. This included writing and processing informative job reports that customers can understand and highlighting any issues that need rectifying.

What Is Your Typical Week Like Now?
My week now, is still one of daily learning; but with experience under my belt, I now enjoy parting with all the knowledge that I’ve gathered over the years with other engineers. This can help save them time on sites if they come across any issues that they have not experienced before. I also advise on customer technical calls, and when an issue can be fixed over the phone, I often give guidance to them.

How Much Has Technology Made Your Job Better?
Technology has improved the role a great deal when programming or interrogating a unit. If a unit goes into fault, the display usually tells you what has failed! This can save so much time when investigating. The failed part can usually be replaced, and the unit can be put back into service with much less down time.

What Is Worse Now Than When You Started?
What is worse now than when I started, is of course, the increase in traffic! Most days require a very early start, to avoid getting stuck in traffic or detours from unexpected accidents, otherwise you end up arriving on site much later. This pushes the job/visit back and can result in a very late in finish. Basically, your day revolves around trying to not get caught in rush hour but also getting the allotted hours on site to carry out the work to the customer’s satisfaction.

Why Would You Recommend a Career as a Field Service Engineer to Someone?
I would recommend this career to people who enjoy driving or being away from home and seeing other parts of the UK. If you like thinking on your feet, solving issues, challenging work, and helping customers, then this would be a great role to get into.

Ben James, Installations Engineer, Humidity Control

How Is Your Job Different From the Job of a Service Engineer?
I make sure that there is safe access for the service engineer to be able to carry out their work. My job involves installing systems/equipment and ensuring that it remains operationally safe so that when the time comes for servicing, the parts can be removed safely and maintained properly by our service engineers.

Other times, I install humidifiers onto existing equipment like air handling units. With this type of installation, I have to ensure that the installation doesn’t impact the existing equipment/infrastructure, which could make it unsafe to access or service.

I also assess and recommend possible solutions for installations and advise the customer on the pros and cons for each option.

Do You Need Different Skills (Soft or Hard) to Be an Installation Rather Than Service Engineer?
Yes, it’s a combination of both soft and hard skill sets. There’s a lot of analytical and problem-solving skills involved before the start of and during any installation. The job can change at any moment, and you need to be able to manage and overcome these types of situations. In terms of practical skills, having experience and a wide knowledge of different installation methods, systems, and infrastructure, is crucial.

Technology Is Always Changing, and New Products Are Added. How Quickly Do You Learn the New Products and Skills Needed?
We do lots of manufacturer and in-house training that help keep us up to date with the latest technology and equipment. We also have full team training days and meetings every 2-3 months and look at jobs each of us have carried out and compare notes, problems, and fixes.

What Are the Techniques You Use to Establish a Relationship With a New Customer?
Honesty is the most important. It also helps to have good interpersonal skills and strong communication with the client throughout the entire installation process, and to always treat the customer the way you’d want to be treated.

What Are Your Top Tips for an Engineer Who Is Working On Site in a Busy Environment? (With Lots of People Around)
Pay attention and never assume everybody has the same level of health and safety training, thought processes, and self-preservation as you.

What Is the Easiest Job You Have Ever Been Sent To? And the Most Difficult?
Usually, isolators that have been left off/closed are the easiest. Most jobs have difficulties, but being an installation engineer, these are in my opinion the best types of jobs. The most difficult is having to think on my feet to complete a complex task. However, on the other hand, it does keep me engaged and offers a bit of variety to my workday.

Further reading about Humidity Control and Environmental Control

Our feature about Humidity Solutions today is part of our celebration of “World Humidity Control Day” which commemorates the birth of John Frederick Daniell, born on March 12, 1790.  Daniell was an English Chemist and Physicist who, in 1820, invented a dew-point hygrometer (a device that indicates atmospheric humidity) , which then came into widespread use.

“World Humidity Control Day” was launched in 2024 by the UK HEVAC Humidity Control Group part of the Federation of Environmental Trade Associations

“Humidity and temperature are very closely linked with one affecting the other with potentially undesirable consequences. These include static, condensation, mould, tests going out of spec, production KPI’s missed and human discomfort to name a few”. Says Humidity Solutions Managing Director John Barker.

So, the importance of Humidity Solutions work cannot be understated.

Read further stories in our blog.