Newbie - About me

[BillyCarpenter]

RE: multiple computers.

like I said I'm old school.. no docking station for my win95 lapper.. have plenty of desktops around tho.. i used to take old PC's and refurb them for kids that couldn't afford them...

you need to play the game the best way you know how to.

+1 to BillyC on the raise comment.. I haven't been in that situation since 1989 when i started .. oh how times have changed and the equipment also!

I just can't imagine owning a copier company and hiring a copier tech with no experience as the only person to be in charge of service and telling them to "figure it out". It's one thing to fiddle around in the shop while learning but it's different when you're in the customer's office. They don't want to hear any damn excuses for why their machine is down.

I question the owner's decision making. No offense to anyone. I wouldn't do it.

[BillyCarpenter]

Haha he does pay me well (especially for the training portion) and it is pretty well implied that as soon as my department gets off the ground my compensation will increase. He also has some experience himself in the field but to be honest I think the reason he hired me for this position is because I have a reasonable amount of experience in management, and a lot of experience in hardware, different hardware for sure but I am very familiar and comfortable with pulling things apart and putting them back together (with as few extra parts as possible). I'm the head of a department here and he wants me to fill that role, he is more than accommodating with any resources I request for the position. Overall it's obviously a lot and I wish more than anything that I had an experienced tech to follow around, but the reality is there aren't any here except our competition, and I am expected to surpass them. He has faith in my ability and I have faith in his perception of the environment. I may be operating independently but I am not without support.

Plus now I've got all of you guys!

I've already said this in another thread, but this site has been invaluable to me. While I just started posting, I used to search the database to help me find a solution. Most of the answers are already here if you seach the database. These guys have been there and done that.

With that being said, you have a great attitude but talk to me in about a year. You're about to be baptized by fire. You can do it.

[blackcat4866]

I guess I have a few constructive suggestions:

Read lots of threads on models that you see. Months later you'll be working on something and think: "Hey! I saw something about that on CTN!"

Start your own database. After 30+ years of cramming useless information into my cranium, most of it just pours back out the other side. You'll save yourself a huge amount of time if you can keyword search your own history of fixes. Include a lot detail (jam codes, error codes, image quality descriptions, observations-even when they don't really make sense), and don't wait too long to update it. If I wait longer than a week I cannot retrieve much detail. If you're interested in the format that I've used for 20+ years, I'd be glad to share.

Read the manual. I hear from other techs that the manual is useless. The manual is not useless. It helps you understand how the systems work. IT IS NOT a magical source of golden nuggets of wisdom. It requires thought to extract what you need. When we help you, we expect you to know the basics, and this is how you get to know the basics.

I forgot the rest. Maybe it will come back to me. =^..^=

[M94]

I've already said this in another thread, but this site has been invaluable to me. While I just started posting, I used to search the database to help me find a solution. Most of the answers are already here if you seach the database. These guys have been there and done that.

With that being said, you have a great attitude but talk to me in about a year. You're about to be baptized by fire. You can do it.

Baptized by fire is probably the right way to put it, but perhaps I could have been more clear in my description of my company and my role within it. We aren't a copy shop, we are a local IT provider for small businesses in the area and the owner is looking to expand our abilities and range. We are partnered with an actual print shop that services a small number of printers in the area but their physical location is about a 4 hour drive from here (or a 30m flight) which is where I'm getting a lot of my direction and credentials for HP and Kyocera. I have had the chance to spend a week with them and will likely spend more time up there and in actual classrooms before my department really gets going. I'm not disagreeing that it's a long rough road ahead. Just trying to make it clear that we are well aware of that and do not intend to underestimate those challenges. Even when I was offered the position he made it pretty clear that he wasn't planning on hiring for this position for another 6 months to a year but he wanted me on the team. On the flip side of that I'm left with quite a bit of time to become as prepared as I can and I intend to take full advantage of that!

[BillyCarpenter]

Baptized by fire is probably the right way to put it, but perhaps I could have been more clear in my description of my company and my role within it. We aren't a copy shop, we are a local IT provider for small businesses in the area and the owner is looking to expand our abilities and range. We are partnered with an actual print shop that services a small number of printers in the area but their physical location is about a 4 hour drive from here (or a 30m flight) which is where I'm getting a lot of my direction and credentials for HP and Kyocera. I have had the chance to spend a week with them and will likely spend more time up there and in actual classrooms before my department really gets going. I'm not disagreeing that it's a long rough road ahead. Just trying to make it clear that we are well aware of that and do not intend to underestimate those challenges. Even when I was offered the position he made it pretty clear that he wasn't planning on hiring for this position for another 6 months to a year but he wanted me on the team. On the flip side of that I'm left with quite a bit of time to become as prepared as I can and I intend to take full advantage of that!

Thanks for the clarification. I'm feeling much better about your job already.

[M94]

I guide I have a few constructive suggestions:

Read lots of threads on models that you see. Months later you'll be working on something and think: "Hey! I saw something about that on CTN!"

Start your own database. After 30+ years of cramming useless information into my cranium, most of it just pours back out the other side. You'll save yourself a huge amount of time if you can keyword search your own history of fixes. Include a lot detail (jam codes, error codes, image quality descriptions, observations-even when they don't really make sense), and don't wait too long to update it. If I wait longer than a week I cannot retrieve much detail. If you're interested in the format that I've used for 20+ years, I'd be glad to share.

Read the manual. I hear from other techs that the manual is useless. The manual is not useless. It helps you understand how the systems work. IT IS NOT a magical source of golden nuggets of wisdom. It requires thought to extract what you need. When we help you, we expect you to know the basics, and this is how you get to know the basics.

I forgot the rest. Maybe it will come back to me. =^..^=

Thanks for additional suggestions, I would love to take a look at your format and incorporate it into my strategy. It really does make me happy that the suggestions you guys have seem to line up with the goals and ideas I have already come up with, must mean I'm on the right track. I'm happy to report that I already have a repository of my own information that I have been compiling for better access but would love suggestions on what I can be doing to keep that as fluid and applicable as possible. I am also happy to report that I have been following along with almost anything that pops up in the Kyocera forums and intend to continue doing so, every issue people have there is just another thing I might be able to reference later. You guys are all awesome and I fully intend to utilize this place as a resource and think it will more than worth the contribution badge (coming soon to my posts near you) Edit > Hey look there it is!

Thank you all so much for being as welcoming as you have been, I've already been on for a couple of weeks and every hour I spend here I feel is well worth it!

[blackcat4866]

You'll have to extract the attached file. CTN doesn't accept straight un-zipped Excel files.

Typically I'll sort the data to separate worksheets based on manufacturer, and a worksheet for "Other".
=^..^=

[rspicer]

Welcome to CTN and welcome to a fellow Alaskan (I'm 400 miles away from you in Fairbanks). I don't know much about the Kyocera boxes, so I can't help you much there. I do have some HP experience though, so I might be able to help you there if you need it.

[Phil B.]

Welcome to CTN and welcome to a fellow Alaskan (I'm 400 miles away from you in Fairbanks). I don't know much about the Kyocera boxes, so I can't help you much there. I do have some HP experience though, so I might be able to help you there if you need it.

WELCOME

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