by Gary Hixson

Behind the Scenes at Mitchell 1:
Meet Howard Brown, Manager of Product Content Support

Have you ever called the Product Content Support (PCS) team at Mitchell 1 to get help researching a difficult repair? If you haven’t, we’re glad you’re reading this blog post, because we’re going to give you some great information about this invaluable resource that Mitchell 1 customers have at their disposal.

If you have called Content Support, here’s a glimpse into what goes on at the other end of the phone. When you call, you may not speak directly with Howard Brown, manager of the content support team, but you can bet that in some way he has had an influence on the outcome of your call.

Gary Hixson: What does the Product Content Support team do and what is your role?

Howard Brown: The Product Content Support team helps customers with repair information and estimator content issues. When they have a problem finding information in the product, the PCS team is there to help guide them to it. Sometimes they just need a little help understanding how the OEM information is presented. For instance, we’ve seen information for the same make and model for the years 2000, 2004 and 2008 written in different ways by the OEM. That is definitely confusing, as you might not expect big differences from year to year for the same make and model. This is just one example of something that could generate a call to PCS, where our team can help techs navigate to the information they need.

As the manager of PCS, I’m responsible for the overall operation of the group. In a typical day I might meet with the team as individuals or as a group, I might work through a new idea on how to improve our service, interact with the other client services managers, or even meet with senior management about new product or service ideas. But the thing I enjoy most is interacting with our customers, either by phone or email. This helps me “keep an ear to the ground” and on top of what’s happening in the field.  

Gary: How long have you been in the industry?

Howard: I started working in a garage in 1975, at the age of 17. I spent the next 25 years working mostly on European cars and moving between small independent shops to dealerships, then opening my own VW/Audi shop in East San Diego. I’m working on my 14^th year at Mitchell 1. I started here as a Technical Editor, advanced to a Senior Editor position, and then seven years ago I was offered the Product Content Support management position.

Gary: What is the difference between Product Content Support, Technical Support and Customer Service at Mitchell 1?

Howard: Well, here’s how I sum it up:

• Product Content Support helps you fix the car
• Technical Support helps you fix the software
• Customer Service helps you with your account information

 Click here to contact the Product Content Support team.

 We’ll continue our conversation with Howard in future blog posts —so stay tuned!