ZEISS senior field service engineer Buyani grins broadly while repairing a ZEISS diagnostic device.

ZEISS Stories | Buyani

Not only a matter
of technology

Field Service

Buyani has been a field service engineer at ZEISS in South Africa for many years. It is his job to solve problems with highly complex medical equipment and thus make the hospital staff’s everyday jobs easier by installing, maintaining and repairing ophthalmic diagnostic devices. Something Buyani can identify with perfectly: “I'm also a problem solver in my private life.”, he says and laughs. Maintaining these machines is very important, especially in medical technology. The ophthalmologic diagnostic solutions, in which Buyani is specialized, are used to diagnose different eye conditions. Patients can only be helped if they work flawlessly.

Making a difference

After high school, Buyani already knew exactly where his career path would take him. He studied medical technology and applied this knowledge in different jobs. “But it didn't feel like I was making a difference to people's lives.”, admits the engineer. Until he joined ZEISS.

“When I joined the company, I already had the technical skills required for the job. It was the soft skills that I still had to learn.” After all, the day-to-day work in service technology requires interpersonal skills for interacting with customers. “At first you only think of technology in this job, but there is so much more to it.”, explains Buyani. His thirst for knowledge, his commitment to customers and the company's support have paid off: he recently joined the expert ladder at ZEISS.

Buyani works concentratedly with a screwdriver on a ZEISS diagnostic device.

A firm eye on his goals

Buyani regularly consults with his colleagues about upcoming service cases. On site, however, he is left to his own devices and has to rely completely on his skills. “When I go out to a customer, I'm usually greeted with a tense atmosphere because an important machine has gone down. Once I've repaired the machine, I look into happy faces.”, enthuses Buyani. That's the best thing about his job.

Buyani already has an idea of what he wants to achieve in the future. His aim is to become an expert in the second level support team and to evolve into a go-to person for queries relating to the ZEISS Humphrey Field Analyzer 3. “The opportunity to develop professionally is very important to me.”, says Buyani. On reflection, he would do everything exactly the same all over again.