The Employee: Tim Skurdahl

Location: Fort Smith, AR

 

Tim Skurdahl made a great impression fast when moved to the Datamax Fort Smith office after working for an Arkansas competitor.  In addition to copier repair experience, Tim did photo lab installation for Fuji Film and even served as a Patrol Deputy for the Sebastian County Sherriff’s Office.

But it doesn’t matter if he’s wearing a badge or a Datamax-branded polo, it’s far from just a job. It’s much more than that for Tim.

“I believe your job is a calling, it’s what I’m made to do (at a particular time),” Tim says. “It’s never 8 to 5. It’s doing what I’m passionate about.”

For Tim, it’s anything close to 8 to 5. He is routinely charged with overnight on-call service for Baptist Health, one of Datmax’s largest clients as an organization. His dedication has not fallen deaf on management. Earlier this year, Tim was promoted to Service Supervisor over the Fort Smith office.
What makes him such a valuable part of the Datamax service team at large?

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Tim knows the client.

How does he know Baptist Health so well? He serviced them for years before the account was taken over by Datamax. In his area, Tim covers two hospitals, 10+ clinics and a plaza that houses several additional clinics.  The after-hours calls “come in spurts,” he says.

“You could go four nights in a week, or you could go a month and never get called out,” Tim said. “Typically it’s a paper jam or needing to rebuild the fuser. You might even get called out just to put a toner bottle in…..The people there are always very impressed with how fast we get out there. I’ve dealt with them for years, so I’ve been able to show them a number of things like how to fix a jam. They know the drill. They know me well.”

Tim knows the 'calling.'

What he refers to as the “calling” breaks itself down to a strategic game plan for every client site he visits.

The first thing he does: Ask the customer exactly what is going on, and have them explain it to him in as much detail as possible. Next, he assures them that the issue will be taken care of. And then he goes to work.

Finally, he asks them if they have any other questions or concerns before he leaves. After all, that could save a callback. The most important thing to him? That the client feels confident and sees for themselves that they’re back to running at full speed.

“People at the hospital love him. Tim travels a lot and never fails to get the job done. He’ll do whatever we need him to do, and he’s not afraid to jump into it for whatever the customer needs,” Arkansas Service Manager Mark McKinney said. “The people there in Fort Smith respect him and what he’s trying to accomplish service-wise.” 

Tim knows the culture.

Almost immediately after coming over to Datamax, Tim sensed it was different here. You had a voice. Coworkers and managers were open to new ideas. This feeling was accentuated when he was promoted earlier this year.

“What this means to me is that it shows that the company actually sees what they’re doing and rewards them for the job they’re doing. I hadn’t had that at other places….I’d have to say, it feels like a family, it really does. It feels like a place I could retire from.”

After all, it’s never 8 to 5 for Tim Skurdahl. It’s a passion. It’s a calling