We hope you’re ready to meet another one of the incredible employees here at Team UTOPIA! This month we are talking to Field Service Technician Sam Brown to learn about what it’s like to work in our Field Services department! 

What’s your name, and position, and how long have you been at UTOPIA Fiber?
I am Sam Brown, I am a field service technician and I have worked for UTOPIA for eight years now.

What do you do as the Installation Technician at UTOPIA Fiber?
In field service, we are responsible for maintaining the network and assisting customers with their needs. We track down issues like equipment failure, fiber cuts, and discrepancies that arise in construction ie cables being spliced incorrectly. We troubleshoot these issues and either resolve them ourselves or pass on the information to our managers to issue the work to our partners. For the average customer, we are the face of the company often being the only people they see. We troubleshoot their issues, conduct repairs, complete any new work they need done after the install, and when needed we meet customers before the install and explain the process and plan with them the best way to install their home.

What does a typical workday look like for you? 
First thing every work day I will look at my schedule and plan my route based upon where my tasks are and how long I expect each of them to take, the goal is to minimize drive time and maximize efficiency. I’ll be scheduled for eight hours, usually I’ll have a few surveys, upgrades, and maybe a repair. During the winter when it’s slow, I’ll get a lot of preventative maintenance tasks like replacing battery backups and getting things like air sensors and monitoring equipment back up.

What inspired you to go into this position?
This type of work suits me, I enjoy working alone but having a team I can call if I need help.

What led you to work at UTOPIA Fiber? 
I came to UTOPIA after working for a contractor for one of our competitors. Working there it seemed all that management cared about was numbers and making money. I came to UTOPIA at the recommendation of a friend who worked in field service. I have stayed because this company really is different.

What do you think is the biggest obstacle your team faces?
The biggest obstacle I see upcoming is the limitations of cat5e. The fiber itself will support 10 gig, no problem and changing the equipment is easy but replacing the cabling in customers’ homes will be an interesting challenge.

What’s your favorite thing about working at UTOPIA Fiber?
My favorite thing about working here is that our managers care about the customer. We aren’t billing an excessive amount for basic work and a lot of times we are able to help customers out the day they start having issues if the schedule permits.

What’s been the funniest memory you’ve made at UTOPIA Fiber so far? 
The funniest memory I have is winning a cornhole tournament and all the trash-talking that went along with it.

What do you wish people knew about UTOPIA Fiber?
I want people to know that our goal is not to make money but to provide options for communities that did not have them before.

In a company-wide Mario Cart tournament, who do you think would win and why?  
Tona hands down. She seems very competitive.

What’s a hobby or activity outside of work that you are passionate about? 
My hobbies have changed since becoming a dad. These days they consist of building with legos and playing Minecraft with my kids.

That’s all for today’s interview! We hope you enjoyed getting to know Sam and learning what it’s like to work as a field service technician as much as we did! We are so grateful to Sam and all of our technicians for the hard work they put in every day to ensure our customers have the best service possible!

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