Service technicians are technical specialists who never sit still or let a problem go unsolved. Service technicians are responsible for providing technical service, maintenance, and repair work either on-premises or in the field at an external customer site. Service technicians who primarily work at external customer sites can also be called field service technicians. Service technicians are frequently on the frontline with customers, so being people-centric and providing great customer service is a must-have skillset.
Service technician jobs cover a range of responsibilities. Service technicians need to install hardware and technical components, ensuring that they work correctly and safely. They must furthermore excel in conducting assessments on functionality as well as preparing reports about ongoing maintenance. Diagnosing and troubleshooting issues, repairing damaged equipment, and preventing future failures are also a part of the job. Service technicians should also be able to explain complex installations, diagnostics, and repair issues to end users.
Service technicians can work in a range of technical sectors, including telecommunications, information technology (IT), automotive, manufacturing, transportation, facility management, healthcare, and industries where technical maintenance and servicing are essential to ongoing operations.
In the manufacturing sector, a service technician may work alongside an engineer to learn how to maintain certain technical components and equipment. In facility management, service technicians may be responsible for repairing sensors in monitoring equipment. A central service technician in the healthcare sector is often responsible for disassembling, analyzing, repairing, sterilizing, cleaning, and reassembling medical supplies properly to prevent infection. Attention to detail is definitely a requirement for any service technician.
Common service technician responsibilities
A service technician is responsible for performing a range of mechanical and electrical servicing tasks. Responsibilities may include:
- Inspecting, monitoring, testing, detecting, preventing, and solving an array of technical malfunctions, such as failing equipment sensors;
- Repairing faulty equipment and damaged structures, or scheduling repairs;
- Implementing preventative maintenance procedures to manage systems and guarantee functionality;
- Carrying out regular quality checks of equipment and systems to keep them in working order;
- Performing general routine maintenance tasks like cleaning, lubricating, and activating machinery or other items requiring servicing;
- Maintaining the inventory records for equipment and supplies;
- Collaborating with fellow service technicians or field technicians;
- Delivering results in line with agreed servicing project timelines and budgets;
- Reporting on results to team and management;
- Delivering outputs in compliance with relevant requirements, codes, and certifications, and in line with customer needs and demands;
- Participating in trainings as needed;
- Traveling to customer premises to execute tasks when required.
Qualifications for service technicians
Service technicians should have at least a technical or trade certification related. Specialization in mechanics, electronics, heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC), medical supplies, or a related technical field is advantageous.
Additional supporting skills and experience include:
- At least 2 years’ experience in a similar role;
- In-depth knowledge of electrical, mechanical, and other technical systems;
- Solid understanding of general servicing and maintenance procedures and techniques;
- Using problem-solving abilities effectively;
- Having excellent written and verbal communication skills;
- Being well-organized and having the ability to prioritize tasks.