Samsung Care Hosts Second Annual Skills Competition

From November 2 -5, Samsung Electronics America’s Customer Care division hosted its second annual Skills Competition. The Skills Competition, which was hosted virtually, honors technicians who have been asked to go above and beyond during the pandemic and encouraged competition through a series of challenges. By supporting our branded engineers’ development, the goal is that their desire to be a part of the industry will grow.

Even amidst the pandemic, the Care team has remained agile. Key changes were implemented that have enhanced the way they support customers – both virtually and for in-home service visits – which was reflected in the Skills Competition.

“This year, we focused on “triage services”—which means diagnosing an issue prior to arriving on the scene,” shared Nicholas Webert, Director of Product Support and Training at Samsung. “This increased our first-time fix for appliances and TVs. Not only has this new way of problem-solving increased customer satisfaction, but it has helped decrease the number of in-home visits required.”

Samsung has nearly 700+ branded engineers and has seen a 65% growth in the workforce since April 2019. This year’s competition featured Samsung’s strongest and largest competitor pool yet—welcoming 30 branded engineers from across the country. The Skills Competition ultimately creates an ecosystem of expert branded engineers, building a better customer experience and showcasing technician roles as an exciting career opportunity. Through the competition, Samsung also aims to reward the engineers who have stepped up in these times.

“The 2020 BE Skills Competition is a perfect venue for the best of the best to demonstrate the techniques that are so valuable to our customers,” said Ramon Gregory, Senior Vice President of Customer Care, Samsung Electronics America. “I am really excited we were able to host the competition for a second year and I hope it inspired and motivated the participants to continue delivering best-in-class service to our customers.”

This year’s winners had to complete a variety of tasks over the course of the competition. Tasks included a quiz, lightning round, repair scenarios and more. This year’s winners came from across the country, with a variety of experience, some of whom have been certified with Samsung for two years to 32 years.

• TV 1^st Place Winner – $10,000 / Jonathan Belfield, Jon’s Electronic Service
• TV 2^nd Place Winner – $5,000 / Jonathan Cope, Telco Electronics
• TV 3^rd Place Winner – $3,000 / Ryan Davies, Lakes Electronics
• TV 4^th Place Winner – $2,000 / Dale Travis, Complete Electronic Specialists Inc.
• TV 5^th Place Winner – $2,000 / Brian Nguyen, Barretts
• HA 1^st Place Winner – $10,000 / George Hollis, Cone Appliance Repair
• HA 2^nd Place Winner – $5,000 /Brandon Nahum, Home Technology Solutions
• HA 3^rd Place Winner – $3,000 / Marat Turlybekov, NISI-TX Inc.
• HA 4^th Place Winner – $2,000 / Tyrone Tyson, Home Services Network Inc.
• HA 5^th Place Winner – $2,000 Alexander Nahum, Home Technology Solutions

“I was really excited you still held the competition, even with everything going on,” shared 2^nd place TV Winner, Jonathan Cope of Telco Electronics.

“I was struck with how Samsung is instituting this master tech program. The level of support we’re receiving and level of where Samsung is taking this is far and above anything I’ve experienced in the service industry,” shared Dan Cone, owner of Cone Appliance Repair and manager of George Hollis, 1^st Place HA Winner. “It’s not about the money. It’s about building confidence in our team members and this program incentivizes that and that’s an amazing thing.”

As Samsung continues to invest in the future of the customer care industry, it’s important to thank and recognize our technicians for their hard work during this challenging year. Thank you and congratulations!