Field Service Engineer Responsibilities

Field service engineer is a professional who provides valuable services to the customers by conducting actual field visit. Field service engineer responsibilities comprise installation, repairing, maintenance of various equipments, and to ensure that they are functioning properly. Thus, this professional helps in resolving the technical issues and also in satisfying the customer's needs in a timely manner.

Key Responsibilities of a Field Service Engineer

Whenever there is a technical problem, the field service engineer is the first person to approach the site to troubleshoot the issue and ensure that the equipment is working smoothly as before. He/she may specialize in any one particular field, so that he/she has more demand and can expect a more lucrative salary package. He/she should be able to understand the intricacies of the equipment and should be able to deliver quality services, so that it operates normally. To get a better idea, let us get an insight as to what exactly are the key responsibilities that need to be handled by a field service engineer in various fields:

Field Service Engineer in the Metal Manufacturing Industry:

Here, the professional is responsible for installation, inspection, and testing of machinery and equipment.
Identify the malfunctioning associated with the system and communicates it to the maintenance technicians or supervisors.
Dismantles the defective parts and replaces it with the new ones.
Cleans and lubricates various parts of the machinery as well as repairs the electrical and electronic components of the equipment.
Involved in setting up and operating the machine tools like drilling and milling machine, grinder, lathe, etc., to fabricate the fixtures, jigs, tools, or any other machine parts.

Field Service Engineer in the Medical Field/ Hospital:

He/she is responsible for on-site installation of equipment and also for performing preventive and emergency repairing and maintenance functions in a 24x7 work environment.
Installs and repairs automatic equipment and troubleshoots if there are any electrical or mechanical failures.
Responsible for upgrading and modifying the product as well as handling special assignments.
Configures and installs the workstations, servers, etc., and provides valuable support in initializing the new product or site.
Provides a detailed feedback to the senior personnel from the organization regarding the performance of the automated system

Field Service Engineer in the Optometry Field:

Here the field service engineer is responsible for providing excellent customer service by complying with all the administrative procedures and policies.
Responsible for scheduling and completing the planned maintenance work for the product of the organization.
Provides on site services, installs new systems, and escalates the customer's complaints in an appropriate manner, so that they are resolved in time.
He/she plays a key role in providing the technical expertise and maintains records of inventory and test equipment assigned to him/her.
Responsible for responding promptly and providing on site professional remedial solutions for the customer's queries, performing the maintenance functions and testing it as to whether it runs smoothly or not.

Essential Skills

An individual aspiring to become a field service engineer should be able to demonstrate strong customer management and excellent interpersonal communication skills.
He/she should be able to demonstrate commitment to satisfy his/her clients completely.
He/she should be able to maintain composure in stressful and demanding situations.
He/she should be able to identify the discrepancies and provide remedial solutions for the same.
He/she should be ready to travel and should be ready to work in 24x7 work environment.

Educational Background

A field service engineer should have completed at least a high school diploma or should have completed a bachelor's degree in electrical or electronic engineering or any other relevant field where he/she is working in. A technical training or an associate degree would be preferred. Previous experience in the service industry would also be beneficial.

Work Schedule

The work of a field service engineer can be quite strenuous as he/she constantly needs to be travel whenever he/she receives a call from the clients and is required to be on site. He/she needs to be flexible and may at times require to work on weekends and holidays as well depending on the urgency of the situation.

Salary Details

The salary of a field service engineer varies depending upon the geographical location, type of the industry, and size of the company he/she is working for. The minimum starting salary is $30,000 to $34,000 while the maximum can go up to $80,000 to $125,000.

Career Prospects

The service industry is growing tremendously, and hence the demand for field service engineers is definitely going to increase. This is definitely one of the most satisfying and lucrative career options and if your performance is excellent, the career prospects are really bright.

Thus, if you want to establish in this field, make sure you are able to handle the field service engineer responsibilities efficiently and effectively. This will further help in taking your career to new heights.