"My work starts when the project manager’s work finishes."
Mr Zahorec, thank you very much for taking the time to do this interview with us. Let’s start right away, with what does your daily work routine normally looks like?
My work starts when the project manager’s work finishes. After the handover of a project where a security system is involved, we register it. From that point on, our customers can always contact us, or we actively approach them when maintenance is due on their system. Naturally, I can also receive a call at any time when an error or a malfunction of the system has been detected. In such cases, I always try to find a fast and easy solution over the phone – in many instances; we can resolve simple faults in this way. Our technicians are also very observant on site and find out about any planned modifications or replacements. Here, for example, access cards may have to be renewed or additional fire detectors planned, so that the building complies with the applicable standards. Lastly, there are quotations and maintenance contracts that need to be written and sent out. As you can see, my activities are varied and include everything.
You have been working for Nutz for more than 10 years now, have certainly got to know a lot in this time, and experienced the development and constant growth first hand. What has changed within the Service and Maintenance department?
A lot has happened here! The company itself has expanded considerably, digitalization has advanced rapidly and then of course, there was the relocation of our headquarters to a large, modern, company building. These are only a few changes the last ten years have brought. For us as a department, the move to larger premises has meant a more relaxed work environment where we have a separate area where we can take calls undisturbed and therefore give our customers our full attention. Furthermore, the growth of the company has brought specialization; in the past, each technician installed, serviced and maintained the systems. Now, it is divided more strictly, into the service-team and the technicians, who install the systems.
And what has changed for you personally at Nutz?
I returned to Nutz in 2011, having worked here as an electrician previously. After my return, I was exclusively on site at the customer and maintained their systems. Over time, I took on more responsibility and looked after some of our big customers, such as the ProSiebenSat1 Media group. Eventually, I ended up in the office. Now, as the team leader, I mainly have administrative tasks and am responsible for the prioritization of incoming incidents. However, it also happens from time to time that I help out on the front line when there is an emergency or particularly tricky cases.
For me, that’s what it’s all about – sticking together when it’s important. Many of our customers appreciate this as well, that in fast moving times, we keep calm and concentrate fully on their problems and solve them professionally. This is partly done in cooperation with the system manufacturers, with whom we have and maintain very good relationships.
Your customers are not only from Germany or from the DACH region. You also carry out maintenance all over the world – how do you approach this challenge?
We are constantly building up our team, training our technical specialists for a wide range of systems, giving them the opportunity to improve their language skills with internal English courses and ensuring that we meet the demands of our international customers. More and more, we are taking over the coordination of maintenance for various global players, particularly in the pharmaceutical industry. Here, we work closely with similarly qualified local service providers who take care of the maintenance on site in the respective country, which we have coordinated and organized. This is a big advantage for our customers as we continue to be their single point of contact, even though another company carries out the maintenance. Additionally, each customer receives a unique service package tailored to their needs, which, for example, determines the on-call service and the prioritization of error reports. It definitely is a challenge, but most importantly, we are able to manage it together as a team!