There has been exciting growth at Coachair in recent months with a few new team members on board. We sat down with Mick McKenzie for a chat about his experience, his new role supporting our customers and his top tips for keeping your HVAC running.
Bringing a lifetime of experience to Coachair
Mick joins Coachair in the Melbourne office as part of our Technical Support & Training team. The role is an exciting new chapter which adds to his impressive 28-year career.
Mick has always worked with air conditioning, getting his start over 20 years ago as a unit installer. He stayed in that role for 8 years, before moving into breakdown and service work. More recently, Mick has been a service manager and spent the past 15 years working closely with a large Victorian bus operator to maintain the AC on their fleet of 700 vehicles.
A family-man at heart, Mick thought about retiring – but he couldn’t resist an exciting opportunity from his good friend, Anthony O’Donnell.
“Anthony was trying to build something and I could see that things at Cocahair had changed since he’d been on board. So, I thought, why not join the journey. The journey is what excites me – it’s the future of where we’re going.”
Prior to joining us officially, Mick had a long working relationship with Coachair – from buying spare parts to repairing products, performing warranty work and supporting our team with his industry expertise.
When he’s finished with work tools for the day, he loves to tinker with vintage cars. The only thing better is time spent with his sons, both AC mechanics themselves, and his four grandsons.
Support for customers in every location
A large part of Mick’s role is getting hands-on in the field with our technicians and customers. He’ll be helping to walk them through any technical issues and give them training.
“I’ve just come back from a customer in Cessnock who needed some help. We worked through their issue and I can feel they’re now more confident in the product,” says Mick.
But it’s not just support on the road that Coachair is known for – we can also help over the phone. According to Mick, this is especially important for parts of Australia that are harder to access for service personnel.
“I do a lot of technical work over the phone with customers. Places like Mudgee and Bathurst that are a bit further out. Usually, we have a positive outcome and I can talk them through it to a fix.”
Mick also believes in following up on his technical sessions. He wants to make sure the customer has received the help they need.
“My dad was in refrigeration and he always said, ‘if you fix the little things, it’ll stop them becoming big things’. That’s why I like to follow up with customers. To make sure we have fixed their issue, even if it’s small.”
Mick’s work goes hand-in-hand with the training provided by Ian O’Hara, another new member in our Engineering & Technical Support team.
Mick’s top tip for efficient HVAC
If there was one piece of advice that Mick had for his customers, it would be following a good maintenance schedule. Having your HVAC unit looked over by a specialist is sure to keep your equipment in good working order.
“Filters are another good one to check. Keep them clean – it’s not a hard job. They’re right there in the bus. We have a fold-down system where you pull it out and wash it. If you keep your filters clean, they’ll last you forever.”
A simple function test once per year is another affordable and effective way to keep your HVAC running at its best.
Get in touch with Mick
To contact Mick directly, call 0488 588 331 during business hours or email mmckenzie@coachair.com
If you need support from another department, you can reach Coachair by calling 1300 287 247 or using the online contact form.
