|
SECURICOR DETAILS
|
s
|
I went to work for Securicor ATM Services in June 1996 as a temporary Helpdesk Operative. Answering calls from both clients and Securicor staff, I arranged site visits in response to reported ATM faults or for routine maintenance. These site visits had to be logged into a database and onto paper, before details were faxed to the relevant parties for confirmation. While there was much to learn about the business and the processes involved, this role was mainly about building solid relationships with a chain of people around the country and working with those people to solve problems.
After one year on the helpdesk, a new ATM Services Centre Manager was appointed. In recognition of my hard work and my accumulated knowledge about the business, he put me in charge of all Securicor ATM Upgrade Projects in the UK. This was quite a challenge because the workload was formidable, often with 4 or 5 projects running concurrently, and the resources available to me were sparse to say the least. My responsibilities were to schedule ATM site meets between Securicor, the client and external engineers,
write upgrade instructions and oversee the upgrades remotely to ensure that they were successfully executed. In reality, many of the upgrades would be cancelled for any number of reasons from one of the parties involved failing to attend to faulty software or missing keys. The field staff that I had to mobilise for these upgrades were already so over-stretched that advance scheduling was often a problem, so when things went wrong it became a case of trying to negotiate a mutually agreeable solution as soon as possible. This job was frequently a case of trying to pull off the impossible without showing the audience 'the strings'.
Needless to say, it required strong communication and customer service skills, not to mention a flair for negotiating.
I enjoyed this role and put 110% into it. I consistently exceeded expectations and got very positive feedback from our clients. However, it became apparent that Securicor were not in a position to offer me permanent employment in this area. Disappointed by this, I decided to move on.
I had frequently dealt with software engineers and developers from external companies when researching ATM software upgrades and I decided that I would like to try to get a place on a graduate IT scheme. Following a period of making applications, attending interviews and assessment days, I was offered a place on a 2-year secondment with IBM. I accepted this job and left Securicor after 2 years' service in July 1998.
|
