With this series, we aim to highlight some of the more obscure and lesser-known jobs that some of our colleagues at AEC perform. Have you ever wondered what technical service operations (TSO) actually means, or what a “Flying Doctor” does? This week, we sit down with Michael Janssen to get an inside look.
What is your job title?
I am a Flying Doctor.
That sounds cool – can you explain what that actually means?
In our world, a flying doctor is a technician who travels to dealers to solve problems when we’re not able to fix them remotely! Or when we have complaints from customers where we can help by talking to them directly or doing a test run together on the ground.
How would you describe your job to a five-year-old?
Oh, that’s not difficult since my kids are exactly that age! I am like a doctor for cars. The owners call me or e-mail me what issue the car has and I try to fix the car to work like it should. Sometimes I just listen to their concerns and offer encouragement and suggestions.
What three words come to mind when thinking about your job profile?
Complex, exciting, varied!
So what does a typical day look like in your shoes?
Since I work from my home office, I enjoy breakfast with my kids every morning. Then I start my workday and handle my first requests. Throughout the day I handle inquiries, phone dealers, and end customers create our technical bulletins and I try to solve as many bugs as possible.
I then recharge my batteries by having lunch with my family.
The day never really ends. If requests come in late at night, I try to deal with them as quickly as possible, because I worked on the other side for 20 years and know how important a quick answer, or better, a quick solution is.
Is your day-to-day routine quite consistent?
There’s not really a routine because every day is different. There are also weeks that I spend in our office in Belgium, helping to quickly finish vehicles in the VPC and deliver them to the dealers.
Which of your achievements as a Flying Doctor makes you most proud?
I am proud that in a short time, we put the focus more on the needs of the dealers. Here I could bring in my experience because I worked for an AEC partner for years. Our technical communication is improving every day. We now have our own diagnostic manuals, technical bulletins and maintenance plans that we can provide to the dealers.
Thanks for sharing, Michael! Keep an eye out for future posts in this series to learn more insights into some of the coolest jobs at AEC.
