Techiversary: My First Year as a Coffee Tech
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By Christopher Brown
October 21st was my official one-year anniversary as a coffee technician. Looking back on the year, it’s obviously been strange. I moved from Texas to the DC area, started a new career, and then BAM, pandemic. There have been twists and turns, but I had a few thoughts about what I think every first-time tech should know.
Things I Figured Out Quickly:
Regional Map
I feel like most techs have a general area and client base to work from. I started by getting a general list of equipment being serviced in the area and the frequency of visits. Using this list, I was able to put together a basic inventory. I then plotted out where everyone was located and coded clients based on service requirements. It keeps me organized and efficient as I plan out my week.
Inventory
Once I have an idea of who and what I’m working on, I reset my inventory. I set pars for common parts and organized everything into bins. With my setup, I also split some of my inventory into my car, so there are two inventory lists to manage. To keep counts up at par, I take a big inventory count every few months. I should note that my inventory organization has changed over the year, adjusting pars, frequency of orders, and moving parts around based on usage.
Notes
One of my biggest grievances is looking up the history of a client and finding diddly squat. I’ve made an effort to greatly detail every call, text, and visit I have made on a machine so I have something to look back on for future issues. Initially, my notes were Tolkien-esque in their descriptions, probably due to a lack of detail from past techs. Over time, the notes evolved to a collection of acronyms for parts and services for ease and efficiency, only adding detail for truly odd findings.
Things That Took Some Time:
Screening
Not everything requires a visit. A ten-minute conversation with a semi-confident barista can solve an issue and save an hour-long drive. Alternatively, the problem could require a visit, and getting a few metrics reviewed before heading out can give me an idea of what’s going wrong and give me time to game plan on the way over. This has become a real focus of mine during COVID in an attempt to limit visits and reduce in-person contact. I find that most businesses have one or two people that are willing to take the time to review issues with me and I make sure to add these names to company notes.
Communication and Confidence
Admittedly, I was nervous and was not the best at explaining issues at the start. A service call can be a cacophony of broken machines, missed sales, and irritated owners, which means clear and confident communication can greatly improve the mood. I’ve found that after taking the time to explain what I am fixing and why specific parts are essential, customers are more accepting of the invoice to come. Moreover, I want customers to trust me, which I believe is only achieved through communication.
Filtration Filtration Filtration
Coffee Tech Guild? More like Water for Coffee Machines Guild. Water comes from all kinds of sources, and coffee machines have their preferences. I spent my first couple of months taking samples, analyzing, and creating a set of reasonable options for filtration in my area. I still tackle every install and every scale buildup with a new water test and a filter check. By taking on filter swaps for customers, I take the health of their equipment into my own hands. I find that I am far more consistent in properly timed filter changes than a manager with a million tasks on their plate.
COVID-19
I’ve spent basically half my time as a tech without a pandemic and half my time operating in one. As things transitioned to what they are today, I found my work to be more heavily relied upon. The need to keep machines on and working is at an all-time high, and my service adjusted to support that need. I started addressing issues before stores opened or coming in once they closed. I had to keep an even closer eye on inventory to account for the increased transit times.
Most importantly, I had to increase the communication between clients and me. So that’s the basics of year one. I’m looking forward to making this list a thousand times longer and seeing where this role takes me.