Reflecting servicers’ use of virtual support this year, Samsung conducted its second annual Skills Competition entirely online.
By Alan Wolf, YSN
While nearly every appliance dealer has faced unprecedented challenges this year, the industry’s frontline servicers have shouldered more than their usual fair share.
That’s why the Samsung Customer Care division’s second annual Skills Competition for certified Samsung techs assumed even greater importance this time around. The event, held virtually last month, honored service personnel who went above and beyond during the pandemic while also supporting the further development of the vendor’s certified tech pool.
Thirty of Samsung’s more than 700 branded techs from around the country participated in the competition, which was updated to reflect the increased use of virtual customer support this year in addition to in-home service visits.
Related: Pattersons Providing Virtual Service to Keep Staff and Customers Safe
“This year, we focused on ‘triage services,’ which means diagnosing an issue prior to arriving on the scene,” explained Nicholas Webert, Director of Product Support and Training at Samsung Electronics America (SEA). “This increased our first-time fix for appliances and TVs. Not only has this new way of problem-solving increased customer satisfaction, but it has helped decrease the number of in-home visits required.”
Last month’s contestants had to complete a variety of tasks over the course of the competition, including solving repair scenarios, taking an online quiz, and participating in a lightning round. Ultimately, 10 winners were named — five for home appliance repair and another five for servicing TVs.
On the appliance side, first place winner George Hollis of Cone Appliance Repair in Bradenton, Fla., took home $10,000, with prizes of $5,000, $3,000 and $2,000 going to the second- through fifth-place victors.
Said Cone Appliance owner Dane Cone, ““I was struck with how Samsung is instituting this master tech program. The level of support we’re receiving and level of where Samsung is taking this is far and above anything I’ve experienced in the service industry.”
“It’s not about the money,” he added. “It’s about building confidence in our team members, and this program incentivizes that and that’s an amazing thing.”
For Samsung, the Skills Competition ultimately creates an ecosystem of expert branded engineers, building a better customer experience and showcasing technician roles as an exciting career opportunity. Through the competition, Samsung also aims to reward the engineers who have stepped up in these times.
“I am really excited we were able to host the competition for a second year,” added Ramon Gregory, Samsung’s Senior Vice President of Customer Care. “I hope it inspired and motivated the participants to continue delivering best-in-class service to our customers.”
