Employee Profile: Never a Dull Moment in the Day of a Maintenance Service Technician

The Fairfield Standard of Service Starts Here

We all want to enjoy the place we call home. It’s a great feeling to be able to look forward to returning after a busy day at work, school or even a full day of fun and know that your property is well cared for — and that someone else is doing all the work. You wake up in the morning with one less burden to carry. More than that, if something does go wrong: an appliance is on the blink or a cabinet comes unhinged, all you have to do is either call your property management team or go to your online portal and open a work order and a Service Technician will handle the issue. At times like these, you can truly appreciate the importance of your maintenance service team.

If you pass by any one of Fairfield’s many communities across the nation, the first thing you will notice is the curb appeal. Building exteriors are attractive, grounds are clean and well maintained, and walking around on any day proves you can count on consistent overall quality. This is all because our on-site and after-hours emergency on-call Service Technicians are an essential part of each community’s property management team. Read on to learn more about these integral positions, or explore our current openings and apply now!

17 Barkley Apartments in Gaithersburg, MD

What Residents Say About the Impact of Service Technicians at Their Fairfield Communities

Our Service Technicians take pride in the work they do, knowing full well how important their service is to each community. It’s not just all about cleaning and fixing things, it’s about customer satisfaction.

Residents Love to Share Their Feedback

New resident reviews attest to the fact that residents can look forward to moving into freshly prepared apartment homes with everything in great working order:  

“…Extremely clean upon move in.” and “…Our new apartment is IMMACULATE!”

Current residents know their Maintenance Service Technicians respect them and truly care about their maintenance concerns:

“Maintenance man Jeff is nice and responsive as well.” and “…Fixed everything with delight and a smile.”

Renovations are sometimes necessary and are handled as efficiently and painlessly as possible with residents’ quiet enjoyment a major consideration:

“…It has been a nice experience. Even with the construction we never felt inconvenienced and we love the communication from the Merrick team about renovations that are to be happening and when to expect them. This among others is why we chose to renew our lease here and continue to look forward to what the future has in store for us for the duration of our stay.”

What a Service Technician Brings To The Table

Many of Fairfield’s Service Technicians come to us with a solid background in building, property, or apartment maintenance. They stay because they know they can count on cultivating a long-lasting career in residential property maintenance. New and seasoned Service Technicians alike receive comprehensive, regular training in all aspects of safety and job responsibilities.

Fairfield Service Technician on the job

Essential Skills and Traits of a Service Technician

If you are skilled in general maintenance or specific trades requiring the ability to fix things, are able to make repairs and maintain apartment property standards, and can diagnose problems that may require a higher level of service repair or replacement, could you see yourself as a Fairfield Service Technician? Maybe you know someone who fits this description. We are hiring nationwide!

These skills include the ability to work with electrical, plumbing, HVAC, swimming pool and jacuzzi maintenance, carpentry, dry wall, exterior structural repairs, appliance maintenance and repair, pet park cleaning, painting projects, and much more.

However, it takes more than trade-related skills to be a first-rate Service Technician. In all aspects of maintenance service, impeccable customer service is most important. Norte Town Lake Assistant Service Manager Jeff Weeks sums it up best as he walked us through his day:

“The most important part of this job is to provide the residents with their best apartment experience. We treat our residents with respect and want them to be happy where they live. I see them every day so my goal is to always be friendly. It’s their home.”

 

A Day in the Life: Follow 2 Technicians Through a Day on a Fairfield Maintenance Service Team

The Day Begins

It’s 6:30 a.m. and Jeff has already arrived at Norte Town Lake Apartments. The days can get hot fast in Tempe, AZ, so Jeff knows an early start on the grounds, garage, courtyards, and pool will not only make his day easier but will please the residents who enjoy their outdoor common areas in the cooler morning air. By 9 a.m., he’s ready to tackle the day’s work orders. 

At the same time, Service Technician Matthew Strickland’s day at Boardwalk Senior Affordable Apartments in Olympia, WA, starts at 9 a.m. After a debriefing with his team, he, too, starts with the grounds before tackling work orders.

Prioritizing Tasks

There’s never a dull moment when working in maintenance service. Fairfield Service Technicians know that a fast-paced, challenging environment requires strong time-management and organizational skills. They can plan their days out according to the work orders received, but the next day’s priorities may require last-minute adjustments. As you might expect with any home, things break, chip, and malfunction: The ceiling fan needs repair, the dishwasher or washing machine stops working, the shower head or sink faucet leaks, lightbulbs get stuck in sockets, the upstairs neighbor overflowed their tub, the air conditioning isn’t working right… the list is endless. In addition, new concepts, upgrades, and modern amenities give rise to questions that need to be addressed: Why don’t my blinds have a cord? (Yes, even blinds have been updated to just lift and pull down.)

Every work order represents an inconvenience at best and can seem like — or truly be — an emergency to a resident, which is why all members of Fairfield service teams agree on one thing: Excellent communication skills are required in order to provide excellent customer service.

Everyone Works as a Team in the End

Jeff’s day ends around 3:30 or 4 p.m. Matthew’s day ends at around 6 p.m. Because of every service team’s on-call schedule, they are prepared to be dispatched to handle after-hours emergencies. Fairfield Service Technicians may work on weekdays, weekends, or after office hours when emergencies arise. Here’s where teamwork comes into play:

“Are you a team player? That’s what makes a property function. Here, it’s a great team. We work together really well and pick up the slack for each other.”
– Jeff Weeks, Assistant Service Manager

Fstop123, iStock

Trust, Respect, and Patience are Integral Parts of the Job

Service Technicians are in and out of residents’ homes all day. Sometimes residents are home, yet many must trust their Service Technicians to enter their apartments while they are gone. All Fairfield associates adhere to strict ethical standards while respecting confidentiality and fiduciary responsibilities. Not every resident with a maintenance request is happy to wait for service. Service Technicians are adept at dealing with many different personality types knowing full well that a resident who had a bad day at work, missed the metro, and arrives home on a hot evening to find their air conditioning isn’t working may just be angry about everything by the time the Service Technician arrives to tackle the problem.

On top of resolving resident and property maintenance issues, Service Technicians are also responsible for making apartments ready for resident move-in days. They take pride in ensuring that our residents are pleased from the day they walk through to inspect their new homes to the day they must move on to someplace new.

What Jeff, Matthew, and our many other Service Technicians across the nation know is that their jobs are not just about fixing things in apartment homes and beautifying exteriors. Because they maintain the many amenity areas our residents enjoy, they may be responsible for checking that the big screen TV’s in lounges, pool and jacuzzi equipment, fitness center equipment, on demand workout technology, BBQ stations, firepits, HVAC units, and equipment in business centers are in good working order. Some Fairfield communities even have dog parks, dog-wash and self-grooming stations, and social lounge demonstration kitchens that require attention. For the technician who truly likes to fix things, there’s plenty to do and an extensive variety of Fairfield apartment communities across the nation from which to choose as their home base!

Fairfield Service Technicians Go Above and Beyond The Call of Duty

Occasionally, you come across a resident who just seems to have many bad days all the time. It may have nothing to do with his living environment. There’s no real explanation. When that happens, it might be the Service Technician who puts a smile on his face and brightens his otherwise grim outlook. Matthew had only been on the job a couple of months but took the time to notice one such resident. Because Matthew noticed and acknowledged, that resident told his property manager that she’d better keep Matthew because “he’s nice and polite.” When you know the residents, even the more difficult ones, appreciate you, you know you’re in the right place doing a great job.

Jeff recalled the resident who always remembered his birthday with a homemade cake delivered to the leasing office. They share the same birthday, so it was her way of showing her appreciation for the work he did for their apartment community.

Rawpixel, iStock

How To Begin a Career as a Service Technician

Besides previous experience, some Service Technicians supplement their high school or college educations with additional certifications. In some cases, HVAC-EPA (Type II) is required. Certified Pool Operator (CPO) licenses may also be required based on the property’s needs.

Fairfield Service Technicians must have valid driver’s licenses, and reliable transportation to and from the property and in the event that they need to leave their job sites in order to obtain parts and supplies. They should also have basic computer knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite and Yardi (or similar) software.

“My favorite thing about working for Fairfield is the potential for career growth and the promotion of learning new skills. My hard work and commitment have not gone unnoticed. I love being part of a team and using my leadership skills to help make our properties successful.”
– Mark Cooper, Regional Service Manager

As you can see, the role of Service Technician can take on many different meanings. They don’t just clean and repair things. They are dedicated inspectors, preventing problems before they happen. And, to some residents, they are like family – always present and ready to help when needed.

Employee Appreciation Matters at Fairfield

Fairfield salutes all of its employees for their dedication, expertise, and hard work. We know that when we value our employees and we all strive to offer a high level of customer service, our residents love where they live and are proud to call our communities home.

We honor our associates twice each year with Fairfield Honors awards events. These regional events are opportunities for our associates to spend time away from the office, have fun, get to meet associates from other Fairfield communities, and celebrate each other. Associates nominate their peers for special awards presented during these events.

“I’ve never really had a job that is close to where I live and paid as well…[And,] I had never been to a corporate event. The regional Fairfield Honors event at the racetrack was an absolute blast!”

– Matthew Strickland, Service Technician

Learn more about our culture by reading about the benefits of working at Fairfield. And be sure to check out our referral and sign-on bonuses on our Careers page.

Fairfield is currently offering $1,000 and $2,000 sign-on bonuses for certain open positions in maintenance.