PMM puts the questions to Steve Smith, a former Toyota Master Technician, who now puts his extensive knowledge to good use as an Automotive Application Specialist for Pico Technology.
PMM: How many people are in the Pico support team?
Steve Smith (SS): Automotive technical support is mainly provided by two people in the UK, covering most of the world, except North America and Canada, where our US office has customer support needs covered. IT support is via six technical support
staff, who provide in-depth support of hardware, software and interpretation of data captured. We can also call upon hardware and software engineers to assist with issues that may require ‘system’ operation knowledge, so you could argue there are 16+ members of the support team ready to help in their specific area of expertise.
PMM: What is the main purpose of your role?
SS: My role is primarily to support and assist our automotive scope users and customers with any concerns they have surrounding the company and its products. I have been a technician for over 30 years, using numerous scopes for various diagnostic routines – and this of course lends itself to supporting others, as I know only too well how difficult the role of a technician can be.
PMM: What’s your favourite part of the job?
SS: Without doubt, assisting others to resolve diagnostic issues using PicoScope. The automotive trade has given me a career and a stable living since leaving school with very little in the way of academic qualifications. Having taken from the trade for many years, I find myself in the unique position of ‘giving back’, assisting and training others to better equip themselves for current and future diagnostic routines.
PMM: Describe a typical day for you. What do your daily tasks include?
SS: Daily tasks vary depending on whether the day is office-based or offsite. Office- based will involve the handling of multiple technical enquiries that Pico receives via email, forum posts, Helpdesk enquiries and, of course, by telephone.
When I’m in the office, the creation of editorial (such as the series of Scope School articles run in PMM), case studies, application notes and help files is a continual process that requires hours of concentration, to ensure accuracy and quality.
Offsite work usually entails assisting customers with automotive technical issues; training visits to vehicle manufacturers; supporting trade events, both UK and abroad; development of new products; product research and the constant search for new and improved automotive application of PicoScope.
PMM: What sort of training do you undergo? Is there specific training when a new product is launched?
SS: Training is a continual process at Pico. With regards to new products, we are included from the outset of development, and we form part of the test process for all automotive products. By the time of launch, we are fully conversant with the product as we have been involved in the development process.
PMM: What proportion of queries are over the phone and how many are via the online chat and online forum? Has this trend changed during your time in the role?
SS: Phone queries make up a very small percentage of technical support enquires. I have found that the majority of calls are Friday afternoon when technicians find themselves with a window of opportunity to experiment with Pico products at the end of a crazy week. The majority of enquiries (around 90%) are via email, Helpdesk and the forum. The trend has always been the same during my short time at the company.
PMM: Is the service you provide subscription-based, or is it open to anyone?
SS: Our service is open to anyone; technical support is free.
PMM: What are the most common queries you hear from customers? Can you provide a couple of examples?
SS: Enquiries are varied and there is no one common theme. Enquiries we receive are always relevant to the customers’ ability and experience with the product.
For example, a new user may be unaware of the waveform library feature of PicoScope when looking for comparison waveforms, or they may not have used the convenient features of Pico Diagnostics that require minimal input from the user to obtain valuable test results.
An advanced user, on the other hand, may wish to discuss the intricacies of a captured waveform, where, together, we can ‘chew the fat’ over what we believe to be visible, based on our knowledge of the system under test.
PMM: What’s the process when a query comes in?
SS: The process depends on the means by which the enquiry arrives at Pico. Anything sent directly to my email inbox will be dealt with by me, but anything via the Helpdesk will be dealt with first by the Helpdesk Manager/team.
The enquiry will be assigned to the most relevant support team member, based on areas of expertise. Should the enquiry be of a specific automotive nature, it will be assigned to either my colleague, or I. We will then provide the necessary support.
As an example, we were recently asked ‘When using Pico Diagnostics relative compression test, how is cranking speed obtained?’
For this type of enquiry, the customer is required to enter the number of cylinders for the engine under test. During the craning phase, the software calculates the time taken for the battery voltage to fall and recover twice during craning (for a four cylinder engine). This will indicate to the software that one crankshaft revolution has been completed. Armed with this information, the frequency of one crankshaft revolution can be measured and multiplied by 60 in order to obtain and provide RPM (cranking speed to the user).
Enquires requiring further assistance will often surround intervention from the hardware or software team. For example, customers using the NVH software with an unsupported OBD device have the opportunity to activate a software feature called ‘OBD logging’. This logging feature will provide the software engineers with additional OBD communication activity during customer connection.
PMM: Have you taken any particularly quirky or unique calls?
SS: I have received a marriage proposal from one male customer after helping him resolve an ongoing issue with a misfire (mechanical issue). Unfortunately, I had to decline! I have to say, though, when we resolve customer issues it really does boost my day knowing that I have assisted the technician and, ultimately, their customer.
