For many customers, they are the face of Ideal Standard.
A team of eight Technical Support Representatives covering all 93,630 square miles of the UK, their varied role can see them troubleshooting at a domestic property in the morning and then problem solving in a hospital in the afternoon.
Commonly referred to as the service engineers, they are cross-category product technical experts, working in both residential and commercial environments.
All are either trained plumbers or time served in mechanical or engineering positions, with extensive knowledge of plumbing and water regulations.
UK Service Manager Lee Wilson, who leads the team, says the nature of the job requires a varied skillset from team members.
“Every job has the potential to be different, unexpected and unplanned,” he said. “You need to be able to improvise, be creative and have the confidence to make a judgement.
“The team have to be good with people, building trust and developing customer relationships while at the same time dealing with difficult issues such as dispute management and conflict resolution.
“They also need the technical knowledge and skills to analyse the issue in front of them, thinking logically, going through a process of elimination and coming to a conclusion about the cause and what needs to happen next.
“The team are all experienced and trusted lone workers, and they have to be commercially aware, knowing that the decisions they make could affect future business or wider contracts.”
The service engineers are mostly called on when the Customer Service team is unable to resolve an issue over the phone and challenging targets are in place to ensure they meet their objective of providing first class customer service.
They assess, verify and investigate warranty claims in the end user’s premises, carrying out repairs and servicing, collecting evidence and writing technical reports.
Over the past 12 months, they have contacted 100% of customers within the required 48 hours from the complaint or issue being passed to them.
In the same period, they have resolved 94% of issues within five working days, despite making an impressive 2,500 site visits between the eight-strong team.
As well as directly liaising with customers, the team provide a wide range of other services.
They offer product and installation training to internal and external customers and stakeholders, including schools, hospitals, care homes and, earlier this year, to staff at online bathroom retailer Victoria Plum.
Where external contractors are working on behalf of Ideal Standard, they are required to oversee the work to ensure it meets quality standards and to provide expertise when issues arise.
In meetings and training events, they often provide technical support to Salesforce colleagues who are working with both potential and existing customers.
The team also create stunning display installations for promotional events and exhibitions, and at showrooms large and small.
And, as well as working with installed products and end users, service engineers have daily interaction with both product design engineers and the European quality teams on the development of both new and existing products and quality issues seen out in the field.
For Lee, the best part of the job is the customer satisfaction.
He said: “There are lots of challenges that come with dealing with customers face to face. We have to make difficult decisions and sometimes tell people things they don’t want to hear.
“But the vast majority of the time we’re providing a solution for people and being ambassadors for the company, and that’s very satisfying.”
• The team offer a range of services and transferable skills to the wider business. If you would like to discuss this, email Lee at lwilson@idealstandard.com