The technology we use every day can fail due to various causes. You’re sitting in front of the TV and no channels are displayed. Or you surf the Internet and no pages appear. In these situations our customers approach us through various contact channels. We take up their concerns and offer a technician’s assistance, if we determine a deviation from the optimal condition. What exactly happens after we have made a technician request? After my more than 5 years with UPC, I want to experience this up close. I want to spend a day with our technician and give you a behind-the-scenes glimpse of some customer visits. Come with me…
And here we go…
It’s May 24th – a sunny Friday morning. I am very much looking forward to accompanying our technician Danijel for one day. Punctually at 8 o’clock he picks me up. He introduces me to our other companion – the UPC technician car. We open the side door and I’m amazed how much is stored in this car. Danijel tells me that there are more than 1,000 items: screws, various TV sockets, measuring devices, cables, plugs, etc..
…to the first customer…signal problems
Our first customer reports reception problems with his TV box. The screen shows the message that there is a poor signal. Danijel tests the TV box first. The signal quality is fine. We see an extension of the antenna cable and notice that it has a bend which produces a loose contact. Danijel repairs the cable with a temporary one and recommends that our customer replace it with a new one. In addition, the receiver’s software will be updated. The customer thanks us and we move on.
No Internet…
Our next challenge is a modem that doesn’t work. Danijel immediately sees a splitter in use. The splitter allows several devices to be operated from one TV socket. Everything is connected correctly. The signal values are OK. As a preventive measure, we decide to replace the customer’s 3-hole socket. We replace it with a 2-hole socket. The splitter is no longer necessary and we remove it. We switch on the modem again. After a few minutes everything works again. The customer checks the availability of the Internet via WLAN. “Everything is fine” is the gratifying answer. Thanks are expressed and we are on our way.
Total loss of all services…
Fortunately, everything is running again when we arrive at the customer’s home. Nevertheless Danijel decides to test the socket. The signal values do not meet our expectations. We go into the cellar and notice that the signal is too strong. We install a damper that was forgotten during the renovation of the house. The in-house distribution system and the box are then readjusted. Another test measurement and the values are excellent.
Total breakdown in the whole building…
There are 7 modems in the building which cannot log into the UPC network. In the entrance area of the block of flats there is a notice about a planned power interruption a few days ago. Based on the technician’s many years of experience, he suspects the fault in the in-house distribution system. And indeed: When we arrive in the cellar, we see that the system shows no electricity. Danijel replaces it and adjusts the new one. A few minutes later we check all customer modems via mobile phone and see how one after the other goes online again. We move on to the next failure, which is nearby.
Failure of all services…
When we get to the customer, her services are working again. Nevertheless, Danijel checks the signal values of the socket. Everything OK. The customer asks us if she can use only one instead of two remote controls. For Danijel it’s easy to pair the remote control of the receiver to the TV. One minute later we show the customer the application with only one remote control. “That was so easy,” she marvels.
Nothing works anymore…
When Danijel arrives at the next client, where no services are working, he notices that a pin has broken off at the 3-hole socket. A wrong kind of cable had been plugged in, and the pin broke when it was pulled out. We replace the socket, measure the signal values and determine that the signal is too weak. We go into the cellar and correct the signal values at the in-house distribution system. A potentiometer for signal correction is no longer functional. A clear case – we replace the in-house distribution system and adjust it right away. The next task on our list is in the same building. Our customer is not at home. The neighbor has the key and gives us access. Since we have just replaced the in-house distribution system, we have to check the socket and adjust the values according to the specifications. A moment later this modem is online again.
It’s now 4:30 pm. We are on our way home. Danijel has to stock up the spare parts for the next day. I am impressed with Danijel’s extensive experience and knowledge – worth more than gold to our company! Danijel has been with UPC for over 20 years. Not only is he a customer technician, but he also does night duty for planned maintenance or splicing work which becomes necessary when a fibre optic cable is damaged.
On this sunny day we were able to make over 15 customers happy again. If I count myself among them, as I am also a customer, it is 16. My thanks go to all the Danijels in Switzerland who ensure that unavoidable failures are resolved to the satisfaction of our customers. In the following video our experiences are shown visually.
Have fun watching!
(Behind the Scenes - Day 3 - On the road with our technician)