Q: You have a new role as Customer Experience Team (CET) Manager. Tell us a little about the work you do.
The CET group is the IT service desk. My team is the first level of support, but we like to think of it as level 1.5. By that I mean hire the same level of desktop support specialists as those who work for tier two support. By hiring the same titles, we can empower the people answering the phones—if they can, they do. Our goal is to get the problem solved on the first call or interaction.
My role officially started in July of 2019, but I have been with LSA IT almost 4 years. I oversee the Service Desk, which includes staffing and employee development. I also coordinate the responses to critical issues and widespread outages such as when printing goes down for LSA—I coordinate an effort of communication and an action plan for resolution. My role also manages “Service Now” for LSA Technology Services, which is the ticketing system for part of our organization. I am a big data and analytics guy—I love numbers, even though numbers can only tell part of the story.
Q: What gets you excited about coming to work?
I absolutely love coming to work. Every. Day. I really do enjoy my job very much. No one calls the IT Service Desk because things are working. Every call and every email is an opportunity to leave things a little better then how things started. While my new role allows for fewer one-on-one interactions with customers, I can coach and mentor my ten staff members to help ensure customers are getting the same great experience with anyone on the team. That means I can help each person on my staff help more people. I also find it very exciting that we don’t work with a lot of strict boundaries, and we empower staff to do what we have to do to get the problem solved.
Q: What are a few things you would like your team to accomplish in the 2019-20 academic year?
First, I would like to see a better integration of Support Services outside of our ticketing systems. I would like to develop more cohesion among our groups, that is TAG, Loan, the Operations team, and my group. I would really like to see our Support Services group eventually working in the same space so we can more easily cross boundaries to better support each other and help our customers. Imagine if customers could come to a single place for all their answers. Another goal of mine is to get Support Services on a single communication platform, such as Slack or Google Hangouts. We need a tool that allows us to send instant messages to an entire group without needing to search for specific people.
Q: How do you keep up with new technologies and trends in and outside the workplace.
I was on the Geek Squad at Best Buy for six years as a home theater installer and computer technician. But the networking and relationships at work is what really keeps me up to date on the technology. I love technology outside of work, too, and I am a big audiofile—I love home theater set-ups, music, and TVs. One of my favorite technologies is Sonos—wireless audio that uses wifi instead of bluetooth. I have a speaker in every room in my house that I can control from my phone to play music, either separately or together. But I want more! I would like to eventually purchase the Sonos Soundbar so I can play the television audio through other speakers in the house. I also subscribe to a lot of email newsletters—my favorite is the Computer Electronics Show (CES). The CES is in Las Vegas every year, and it’s on my list to go there one day. I also enjoy listening to organizational psychologist Adam Grant’s WorkLife podcast.
Q: Tell us a little bit about your life outside of work.
Almost 4 years ago, I was hired by LSA IT, I got married to my wife, Lindsay, and we bought a house all in the same year! We enjoy working on the house. Although I am only semi-handy, I managed to install a ceiling fan this weekend. Lindsay and I both love to cook. For example, the other day we made a Korean dish called Bibimbap—ground meat, rice, sesame oil, sriracha, soy sauce, worcestershire—it was just delicious. This week, we made gourmet burgers topped with onions sauteed in worcestershire and creme fraiche and homemade garlic mayonnaise. Next on our list is homemade alfredo.
Q: Describe your perfect vacation.
Lindsay and I are big campers, and we travel to a different national park every year, usually tent camping. This year we stayed in a cabin in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. We love the nature and wildlife. However, one year we were on a kayaking trip in Washington with the current taking us down river—straight ahead, there was a bear fishing in the river! We panicked as the current pushed us toward the bear, paddling the other way and yelling at the bear to scare it away—we heard that works. We were able to direct the kayaks to shore and waited for him to leave, and eventually he did. We also love waterfalls and we try to get as close as we can. Next on our list is Banff National Park in Canada, Arcadia in Maine, and Zion National Park in Utah.
Q: What was the last book you read?
I currently like to read to learn, so I am not a big fiction reader. The book I am currently reading is called Shine by Edward Hollowell. Shine is about using brain science to get the best from your people. It explores what motivates people, as well as how to motivate and retain people. It can take me awhile to get through a book because I journal along the way. I write my thoughts on sticky notes, flashcards, or in my journal.
Q: What would people be surprised to learn about you?
When I was sixteen, my family bought a farm in Midland, Michigan—and we are not from a farming family! My parents bought the farm for fun and the function of a sustainable farm. My family still lives there with the horses, goats, chickens, cows, and a vegetable garden. I love helping out on the farm every chance I can.
