Role: Customer Service Engineer
Company: BT
Track Record:
Day In The Life – Terry Cunningham
Customer Service Engineer – BT
The Post
BT Customer Service Engineer
The Post Holder
Terry Cunningham
Track Record
Terry has been a BT employee for over 35 years. He joined the company in 1978 as a trainee telephone engineer learning his trade across homes and businesses in Whiteabbey, Carrickfergus and Islandmagee.
Terry is currently a Customer Service Engineer for BT working across the Greater Belfast area; installing and maintaining phone and broadband lines. However, Terry’s extensive engineering experience is often called upon across Northern Ireland.
6.30am
I get up at 6.30am — weekdays only of course. Being a Customer Service Engineer can be physically demanding, so I always start the day with a healthy breakfast, porridge usually with a cup of coffee on the side. I try to only touch the sausages and bacon on a weekend! After breakfast I am straight on the road and drive my car to the BT centre in Derriaghy.
7.45am
The first thing I do when I get to the BT centre is pick up my work laptop. You might think that being a customer service engineer is all about drills and ladders, but actually it is crucial that I have access to a laptop and a secure mobile Wi-fi hotspot connection to check for telephone and broadband connectivity when I am visiting households and businesses. Once the laptop is packed I head to the garage and pick up my van.
8.00am
I am usually on the road by 8am. You might be surprised to know that I carry out the majority of broadband and telephone installations on my own. If I do attend a complex or difficult call-out, I can always request one of the many BT customer service engineers operating throughout Northern Ireland to come and support me, but most of the time I travel solo. BBC Radio Ulster is my travel partner throughout the day, though my mood when arriving at my destination can depend on the topical talking points of the day!
9.00am
It sounds a bit cliched, but honestly every day is different as a Customer Service Engineer. BT operates a one job at a time system meaning that like a taxi driver, I never know where I am going next, especially with broadband being available in so many homes and businesses across Northern Ireland, so I could be visiting a farm, factory, mansion or townhouse. My visits are probably 50% business and 50% retail customers.
It is incredible the technological innovations that have taken place in the 35 years that I have been with BT; it was black and white TVs when I first started and I’m proud that it has been BT who has brought so much of this innovation to Northern Ireland.
11.00am
By 11am I have usually carried out my first customer visit. The reasons for my visits could be to install a new phone line or broadband service; it could also be that I am visiting to solve a customer problem.
There are a number of reasons why a broadband or phone line problem occurs — it could be software, overhead lines, underground cabling or joinery related.
It’s therefore vital that my van has all the necessary kit inside and that I am frequently in contact with the main BT exchange centre in London to see if they have any new updates about why a problem could be occurring. It is rare that I leave a customer without having fixed their problem; I see it as my duty to get them back online or on the phone as fast as possible.
4.00pm
At about 4pm I am usually finishing off my last job of the day. Northern Ireland’s infamous bad weather always seems to strike me as I am hoping to head home. A couple of years ago I was carrying out a customer visit in a rural location outside Dromara when the skies opened and about two tons of snow seemed to drop on me in five minutes flat. It was the closest I have been to having to stay in the guest room of a customer, but thankfully my van managed to get through the snow.
5.30pm
Before heading home I return to drop my laptop and van back at the BT centre in Derriaghy. Once I am through the front door I switch-off and enjoy chatting to my wife, sometimes I will have a browse online. I’ve superfast fibre broadband at home and the difference in speed is fantastic. I head to sleep hoping that in some small way I have helped people to get back in touch with loved ones, got their businesses online or just enabled them to search for that night’s football results!