Michael Brown, Service Delivery Manager with Clark Integrated Technologies. Age: 40
My Morning
Clark IT is an independent provider of managed information and communications technology solutions and my mornings generally get underway at around 6am with a check of emails to see if any issues have been logged through the night. By the time I’ve done that it’s time to help my wife Julie get our two boys Kieran (12) and Finlay (10) ready for school with breakfast and so on. We stay in Newmachar and Kieran attends Dyce Academy while Finlay is at the local primary. We have the typical family madhouse in the mornings!
When I arrive at work, first thing I do is grab a coffee, have a look at my emails, and then check our support ticket portal to see if any urgent tickets are on the go. I catch up with my team to see how they are getting on and how the day ahead looks for them, although in our environment the day can change minute by minute due to the varied clients we support. From this point on I am in constant dialogue with my team keeping an eye on the support tickets coming in, answering questions, offering advice and assistance. If I am not involved directly with the support tickets, then I will be involved with meetings or running reports based on the support we are providing to individual clients the length and breadth of UK from Lerwick to London and also some based overseas, in Norway, Dubai, Singapore and Australia. My role is managing the delivery of service to our clients, whether remotely or providing onsite engineering support. There is never one day like the next. One day I can be in meetings for the majority of the morning, and the next I can have none, it depends on what the requirements are at any particular time.
My Lunchtime
As our office is in a rural location and I tend to stay on site for lunch at our staff room, or at my desk checking the latest football news. If the weather is good I sit outside and catch some sun.
On the last Friday of every month we have pizza delivered to the office. Everyone from apprentices to the managing director gather for this and it’s a really useful get together.
My Afternoon
After lunch it’s back checking all is running smoothly on the helpdesk. The role can be fast paced and varied at times but this is part of the appeal, you never know exactly what the day ahead will throw at you.
The key to the role is ensuring that we deliver what we say we can, offering exceptional support and customer service to our clients. As a company we strive to be the best managed service provider around.
My Evenings
If I am not driving my sons to football or soo yang doo then I will be involved in coaching the football team I run, Newmachar United U13s. Our team has been running for over four years and we are now in a competitive league. We train once per week and play matches on a Sunday.
I played football for many years, a couple of seasons with Montrose, when it was in the 3rd and 2nd divisions, then moving into Highland League. My longest spell was at Keith Football Club and I loved it. I stopped playing a few years ago and started coaching because my sons enjoyed football but there were no teams for their ages. I sent a letter to Newmachar Primary inviting kids born between 2003-2006 and interested in football to come along on a Saturday morning. 50 turned up the first week! With help, things evolved and we are still going strong with four teams. It’s good for the village and I get great enjoyment coaching the kids and seeing them develop their skills.
I go running with the boys some evenings and I think it’s so important to teach kids to keep fit and be healthy. In the summer months we often go walking as a family or out on our bikes. When we’re being less active we all enjoy watching movies to relax.
Seven reasons why I love my job…
- Variety – each day is different
- It’s a friendly working environment
- Team spirit – I know the importance of this from my footballing days!
- Rural location – I can simply step outdoors for some fresh air
- Being part of a forward thinking business – Clark IT strives to be ahead of the game
- Working for a business with a strong family feel
- Ensuring we deliver a high level of satisfaction to clients
