This month we sit down with Set-Up supervisor and Helpdesk king Lee Brodland. Chances are if you’re a customer, he’s helped you configure your software to get you started, and answered some questions along the way. But exactly who is this masked man?
SB: Thanks for doing this Lee. We’d love our customers to get to know you a little bit. Let’s start with your professional background…what experience do you bring to ServiceBox?
Lee: Before coming here I had 26 years of working in Information Technology. I worked for a major catalogue business in their data center, doing everything from printing and distribution of reports and customer orders, to data compilation and installation of computers in the different areas of the building. 19 years of different shifts takes a toll on a person, so I took it upon myself to find a new job which I found at a helpdesk here in Regina. Our helpdesk had clients from around the world, mostly in the North American market but a few from as far away as Egypt, Morroco, Japan and Australia. After 7 years with that company I took a break from the IT world and took a job driving School Bus. Now that was a real eye-opening experience.
SB: And before you knew it, you were itching to get back to IT. [laughs] So what do you do at ServiceBox? What’s your role here?
Lee: My role with ServiceBox is Helpdesk and Onboarding Lead (director, manager, gopher). Onboarding new clients is my primary role, where I work with clients to get their sites set up to their standard, make sure their accounting connector is configured correctly and then spend time with all the users to train them on the new software they’re using. I also spend time with the customers answering questions and problem-solving…figuring out ways to do what they used to do on paper, using ServiceBox. Lastly, I’m normally the first person that reads over the Freshdesk (help request and suggestion box) tickets that come in. If it’s something I can fix or figure out, I contact the client and give them the solution. If it’s not something that I can answer I dispatch the ticket to our Technical Support group.
SB: You’ve been a great fit here, and we’re glad we have you…but how did ServiceBox find you, and what made you want to join this company?
Lee: My wife and I are friends with Mike [Schudel, lead developer] and his wife. He contacted me to see if I would be interested in doing the Onboarding role for ServiceBox. After having an interview with Jon they offered me the position. Originally it was only part time, but I guess they must have liked what was happening because they changed the position to full time. Been here since October 2018.
SB: This past Fall we did a phone survey of every single ServiceBox customer, and one of the areas where we consistently rated the highest was the initial set-up process and transition into using ServiceBox. That’s your department…what’s the secret?
Lee: I love working with people. I enjoy working with them to resolve problems or develop a new way of producing a requested result. I find that very gratifying. I always talk with a smile in my voice. Ok, that’s not entirely true, but in all seriousness I think the trick is to be as knowledgeable as you can, and then add the friendliness. Friendly but professional. Answer the customers’ questions. If you don’t know the answer, find it. Then deliver it to the customer in as timely a manner as possible.
SB: Any humorous stories you can tell us from the world of Helpdesk?
Lee: There are many funny stories in the world of Helpdesk, but what happens in helpdesk stays in helpdesk.
SB: Funny…ok, fair enough. I usually ask, “what’s your favorite ServiceBox feature?” But in your case, maybe I should ask “what’s the feature you never think about, because people are never having problems with it?”
Lee: That’s a tough question, I think my favorite thing isn’t so much a specific feature as a characteristic. It’s the flexibility of ServiceBox to give our customers what they need. People are often amazed at how customizable ServiceBox is, and how many different options exist inside it. It gives me a good feeling to watch someone realize something they assumed they couldn’t do, can actually be done.
SB: If you had a chance to give all of our customers some advice about using ServiceBox that would prevent the kinds of situations you deal with at the Helpdesk, what would you say?
Lee: I don’t think there’s any one thing that would be good advice across the board. Maybe this…my one piece of advice would be to use as many of the features in ServiceBox as you can. People who’ve used ServiceBox for a while are often surprised to find out it has features they need but assumed didn’t exist. Finding those little hidden treasures scattered throughout is the best way for them to get the most value for their money.
