This article focuses a spotlight on Field Service Desk Manager, Natalie Hart who organises a team of service engineers. Natalie is the General Manager of Catercall Ltd who are commercial kitchen appliance maintenance and repair specialists. Her aim is to be honest and approachable with her team and to expect the same things in return. So, people who know her say – “What you see is what you get.”

How to coordinate a team as a Field Service Desk Manager

Background

What interested you as a child?

To be honest I had often thought about being involved with a trade but didn’t know about the ‘getting dirty’ side. However, I liked money, so I also wanted to work in a bank ha-ha. In fact, I did work in banking for eleven years until I moved into the gas industry working for a domestic heating company.

What were your favourite subjects at school?

I thought Maths but the results said otherwise.

Drama of course A*: ask anybody in the industry for the reason why. One of the names for our team is- “the party has arrived.”

Has there been a particular person who inspired you?

Nobody in particular – just any successful independent women.

Maintenance and repair

How did you make the transition into gas central heating maintenance and repair?

The reason I moved was that there had been a lot of redundancies at HSBC so that morale was low. The role I saw was local and I liked the sound of it as being involved with a trade at last was very attractive.

What exactly did your role as Team Lead involve?

It’s probably easier to ask what isn’t involved. In short, my role covered:

delegation,
coaching the team,
admin,
advice and guidance, and
organisation.

The team consisted of about twenty engineers. We covered the local area and serviced lots of housing associations, both private and council.

During your time doing this what soft skills did you find were key?

Compassion and being able to listen were key. So, my service people were more than just staff. I believe that honesty goes a long way.

How important was it to you to be doing something which involved helping people? – and why?

Very important and so I have always been this way inside and outside of work. It’s nice to be nice whether doing something small or large as we all need help.

Transitioning into Field Service Coordination and Field Service Desk Manager

How many service engineers did you manage and what areas did they cover?

The next move was to Catercall Ltd. and I managed ten engineers and the area they covered was pretty much nationwide. I also managed the subcontractors.

What are your techniques for making someone new feeling part of the team quickly?

It starts from the moment we meet as you will automatically get a feel for that person. Again, being honest is a big thing for me starting off on the right foot and knowing where you stand. My team are like family and are welcomed with open arms.
For example, we had offered a job to one young woman, and she had accepted. A few days later she phoned me to say that she had found out that she was in the early stages of pregnancy. She wanted to be honest with us and said that she would completely understand if we wanted to retract the offer. We didn’t and she has now had her maternity leave and is back with reduced hours. We liked her enthusiasm and commitment and appreciated her honesty.

Women in service engineering

The service engineering industry is changing but remains predominantly male. What do you think will change over the next ten years?

I would like to think that it will change in many ways. When I worked in domestic gas, we had two female engineers and the feedback we received from clients was five stars for them. They felt comfortable, and in this day and age, that’s a big thing.

How can more women be encouraged into these types of roles?

I think schools, workshops, and work experience can all play a part.

What is your advice to any woman thinking about working in a technical role?

Give it a go as it’s a great industry to be a part of.

In your experience, do you think teams of service engineers work better when they are more diverse?

Yes, because when we have different skills/background/expertise being brought together, it is easier to solve problems.

Typical week as a Field Service Desk Manager

What is your typical week like managing a field service desk?

I have set jobs that I have to complete daily/weekly. However, in between these times it is filled with a variety of tasks:
booking annual leave,
engineer rotas,
dealing with customer enquiries,
staff training,
report writing,
dealing with van breakdowns,
etc.

I am still heavily involved in the Service Desk. I don’t mind jumping on to cover annual leave or if we just have a high level of work, I don’t mind picking up the phone. It’s about being a team player and I love being in touch with customers.
I have recently started going to site with the engineers. On site visits, I have been taking some photos to update social media but have also been learning things on site from them. I’m really enjoying this part. On one recent visit, we only needed one engineer rather than two, as I helped with the equipment moving.
I like to roll my sleeves up.

Time management

How much of your time is reactive? How do you make time to be proactive?

I would like to think I am organised and have a 50/50 split. I start my day with this mindset but in this industry, things can change at the drop of a hat. Its about being flexible and understanding how to manage workloads.

Luckily, I’m a bit of a grafter and therefore I don’t like to leave jobs unfinished.

How do you make a relationship with each individual member of the service team?

I do this by being honest and approachable so then I expect the same back.

How do you keep things fair within a service team?

Being flexible is a big thing and is appreciated.

How often do you get out of the office and why?

Two or three times a month on average for site visits and as well to see the team at the Reigate office.

Software used to manage a field service desk

What sort of software do you use to track your installations and repairs?

At the moment we are using SIMPRO.

How much does a good software system help your job?

We upgraded our system to SIMPRO eighteen months ago and I didn’t really like the change, but who does? It’s a live tracking system so everything is up to date. Now we all feel that the system is great and it’s a real benefit to us individually and as a company.

What else would you like your software system to be able to do?

Scheduling jobs automatically would be amazing and so would help the whole team.

Conclusion

I would like to thank Nadine Timmins and Jenny Diplock for being there for me and the team. These women are an asset to the company.

Further reading about the commercial catering equipment industry

My 3 Reasons I’m a Catering Equipment Service Engineer Now

Spotlight on being a Field Service Leader, Foodservice Equipment

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