Customer agent by day and techy by night

Moonlighting rarely sits comfortably with employers, but a Glasgow-based business is positively beaming about Nick Jack’s sideline activities.Nick has been with Abica for a year and a half, working in its customer services team. However, when he has any spare time, he also submits expert tips and answers to consumer queries on the fixya website.

Set up in 2005, the website aims to fill the crater left by manufacturers keen to get their products to market, but not quite so enthusiastic about providing the after-sales support that so many of their customers need.

The site has so far given troubleshooting tips to over 15 million visitors on over 1 million different products. Nick specialises in the mobile phones space and as a self-taught and self-confessed techy, loves the challenge that finding answers to a diverse range of questions throws up.

“I’ve always loved IT and actually came across fixya.com when I was looking for an answer to a problem I had myself,” he says.

“Looking through the website I saw a question from somebody else that I could answer and things really just went from there.”

Nick Jack

Nick regularly sorts out situations for people who have got themselves tied up in IT spaghetti and has also started leaving expert tips on the website to help people avoid getting tangled up in the first place.

Overall he has a user rating of 89% and it is this, rather than the pennies he receives in remuneration, that keep him interested.

“There is a small financial reward for helping on the site, but it really is very little. Knowing you have helped people before they end up pulling their hair out is far more rewarding and from a selfish point of view I love the challenge,” says Nick.

From Abica’s point of view, having someone who actively enjoys helping people with IT problems is encouraging evidence that they have the right person on their customer services team.

David Munro, joint managing director at Abica, comments: “Most employers would frown on staff members moonlighting, but in this case I think it is very positive.”