Jon Popek a Stunning Addition to the Schrock Team

Hiring computer technicians is always hard for Schrock Innovations.  Many PC repair shops can simply look for a person with good tech skills, but at Schrock we have to find a person with great tech skills, good people skills, and most importantly a dedication to customer service.

After nearly three weeks of searching, we found the person we needed in Jon Popek.

Jon was working for the University of Nebraska, Lincoln before we hired him as a full-time service technician.  Jon is one of those guys who can fix just about anything. 

He works on PCs and Macs.  He can fix your computer, or he can fix your car.  He is a naturally gifted problem solver and that will serve him well at Schrock.

But Jon is more than just a technician.  I have had the chance to watch him on the Schrock Desk for a few days and he is amazing on the phones too.  He is extremely patient, calm, and aware of his customer’s perceptions.  This is a skill that simply can’t be taught.

If Jon senses that a customer is frustrated, confused, or just overwhelmed Jon resets the situation help the customer feel at ease while still solving the problem.  That kind of service is priceless.

There is always a trial period where we “test out” a new employee to make sure they are right for Schrock and that Schrock is right for them.  During this period I am looking at the candidates skill set and ability to make decisions in the interests of our customers.

Last Friday Jon called me after the Service Center closed.  We were still recovering from the massive Maintenance Checkup Sale we held, and some of our customers who took advantage of the sale have been 4-5 days without their computers due to the unexpected volume we had.

Jon had spent the majority of the day fielding status check phone calls from customers who wanted an update on their computers.  Even with our wireless bluetooth headsets, doing 20 status check calls an hour kills your productivity. 

Eventually the situation became a self-fulfilling prophecy as lower productivity leads to slower completions which leads to more calls, etc…

Jon was calling to ask me if he could come in two hours early the next day to work uninterrupted before the phones started ringing.  I was impressed by his initiative and told him I would also come in two hours early to help him.

Together we dropped about 12 computers in 2 hours, leading to satisfied customers and fewer phone calls.  Jon instinctively knew what a consultant had warned me about when we expanded our hours.

I was told to watch our for productivity drops as sometimes longer hours actually result in less work getting done.  Because of Jon’s efforts our next schedule will take advantage of the 2 “Golden Hours” in the morning whenever our turn around times are longer than two business days.

Jon, we are all very happy to have you and we look forward to learning form you in many ways in the future.  Now on a side note…  It’s really time to trim the teddy bear.  You know what I mean!