Customer service and support is really important to us at Cambridge Viscosity. It’s important that our customers get the best installation, startup, calibration, troubleshooting, and training we can offer. We feel like we do customer service really well, and one of the reasons for that is Kevin John.
When you’re in a customer service role, two things are critical. One is a commitment to the customer, and the second is a passion for our business. Kevin has both, and we’re really excited that he agreed to be a part of our employee spotlight. Kevin, incidentally, just had surgery for a torn ACL and is recuperating at home for the next six weeks. We jumped on the fact that he was immobilized and easy to track down for an interview.
– Tell me about your role?
I work for PAC, with 50% of my time dedicated to the Process Analytics group and 50% of my time dedicated to Physical Properties group. Cambridge Viscosity falls under the Process umbrella of our parent company, PAC. Right now I’m supporting the help desk with open cases and open support issues, as well as overseas CVI/Process depot repairs. I oversee field repairs most of the time, but I’m out of the field for at least the next 6 weeks while I recuperate from knee surgery.
– How did you hurt your knee?
I was playing cricket. A lot of people may not know this, but there is actually a pretty large community of cricket players in Houston. It’s my favorite sport, and I’m looking forward to getting back to it as soon as I’m healed.
– What is your official title?
Service Coordinator Lead – Process Analytics
– What was it about the company that made you excited to work here?
I think it was the team that is here. It’s really great when you can come to work every day and know that you are part of this fantastic team. We have a lot of fun.
– Before working here, what was the most interesting job you had?
I think it might be the year I spent designing medical assembly machines using AutoCAD. This was my first job after graduation, and that job that you take because you need to work.
– What are you most proud of in your career?
Really, it’s being a part of the PAC family. My first job was in India for one year, and it was when I was designing medical assembly machines. Then, I worked in Kuwait for four years for a PAC distributor – Al Essa. After that, I joined PAC. I haven’t jumped to a lot of companies. PAC is the best out of all the companies I have worked with. One of the really great aspects of working here is the mobility. I’ve worked in several different departments at PAC. I was first working with the depot for physical properties instruments, including Cambridge Viscosity instruments. Then I came to field service.
– What was the most interesting service job you’ve had working with CVI’s viscometers?
With Cambridge viscometers, I mostly work with calibrations or installations. A lot of my work includes adding new ranges to the existing system. I especially like installing PVT units and training customers. I also like to work with the customers' samples and configure the systems to meet the customers' expectations.
– Describe your best day ever at a customer site.
The best day is any day where everything goes well. Any day that everything goes well. When things go wrong, we stay and work through it until we get it right. Field days are always really full of surprises. A lot of times, I’ll go to the customer site and discover a completely differently issue than we saw in the lab. It keeps things interesting.
– Part of your job is to train customers. What would you say is your most effective training style?
No doubt, hands-on training is the best thing to do. It’s good to show the customer exactly what they need to do, and then make sure they completely understand how to work with the instrument.
– What energizes you at work?
The job is great. I really just enjoy going every day. Troubleshooting is interesting, and really fulfilling when you find the root cause of a problem.
– If you could have any other job for a day, what would it be?
Any job? A professional cricket player, of course!
– What hobbies do you have in your personal life?
Besides playing cricket, I also like to play video games (FIFA). Since my knee surgery, I’ve been playing a lot of video games with my friends. However, my wife, Ann, and I are kept very busy with our four-year-old daughter, Tabitha, and my family definitely takes priority over playing cricket and video games.
– What are a few things that are on your bucket list?
Well, I like to travel to new places. I really want to spend time in Australia and Europe. Specifically, I’d love to go to London and watch a live Manchester United game at the Theater of Dreams. That’s probably #1 on my bucket list.
– Do you have any hidden talents?
I actually do. I really like to design flyers, which I do for my church using Canva. I like to be creative. I've used Photoshop in the past, but then I discovered Canva, and it’s easy and fun and has a lot of functions.
Thank you to Kevin for taking the time to tell us about himself! If you need service or support for your Cambridge Viscosity viscometer, you may see Kevin John at your site. For service inquiries or additional information, reach out to our team by filling out this form:
