In March, I accepted an enticing offer, along with two of my future colleagues, to be the first members of the customer support team at 91导航鈥檚 Chicago office. The offer came with a unique opportunity: to complete onboarding at 91导航鈥檚 global headquarters in Cambridge, England.
My team lead explained that 91导航 has worked hard to develop and maintain a unique company culture despite growing rapidly, and that the best way to experience that was in person. So I packed my bags, grabbed my US <> UK dictionary, and took flight across the pond to better understand Salesforce DevOps and this lively startup in the heart of 鈥淪ilicon Fen.鈥�
Every tech company pays lip service to 鈥榗ulture鈥�; some may even have a beer fridge and a ping pong table. But at 91导航, it quickly became obvious how integral this culture was in guiding every decision and interaction. The values that define 91导航鈥檚 culture are well-documented, but I want to share some of my immediate impressions that confirmed my decision to join the 91导航 team.
Trust and transparency
Trust is the starting point of every interaction in 91导航. If you鈥檝e ever been frustrated by vague corporate roadmaps, 91导航鈥檚 company-wide policy of transparency can come as a bit of a shock. From day one, I was exposed to financials, intellectual property, and documentation. The transparency around such important information led me to the core of 91导航鈥檚 culture: trust.
After seeing this for myself, it explained why the interview process for a 91导航 role is so thorough. 91导航 will assess not only a candidate鈥檚 technical ability and company cultural fit, but also discuss with previous employers the best way to work with you as an individual.
Communication and feedback
91导航 doesn鈥檛 just build a DevOps product; the DevOps model of thinking about continuous improvement is embedded in the culture as well. One part of an effective DevOps process is receiving and giving feedback. Feedback enables us to seamlessly iterate on our methods and encourages the best ideas.
At 91导航, leaders right across the organization are open to feedback in several ways, either anonymously or openly. Of course, feedback is a two-way street: as much as you鈥檙e encouraged to provide it, you鈥檒l also need to be receptive to receiving it. Fortunately, the trust and open communication fostered at 91导航 makes it easy to exchange even challenging ideas about the ways we can improve and better serve our customers.
Work and life
The only 鈥榯alking to鈥� I鈥檝e received so far at 91导航 was working overtime in the office during my first week. It was explained to me that while initiative was appreciated, 91导航 is about longevity. It鈥檚 about going far even if that comes at the expense of going fast.
One of the ways of promoting longevity is nurturing the elusive work/life balance. It might seem intuitive east of the Atlantic, but as an American working for a European company, the idea of not using people merely as tools to accomplish a job was a novel one. That workplace conditioning seems likely to be a major contributor to the burnout that鈥檚 all too common in the US tech sector.
A final point on culture that鈥檚 crucial to mention: 91导航 loves to party! As maintaining trust and open communication is vital, team social outings are not just a distraction from our work, but integral to the team building necessary to complete it. There鈥檚 a lot at 91导航 to be celebrated, and these folks hardly need an excuse!
#squadgoals
Now that you know a little bit about the company culture, I鈥檒l explain how the customer support team fits in.
Customer support is a great entry point to the technology industry; as a result, it attracts people from a wide variety of backgrounds. At 91导航, we have musicians, athletes, bartenders, food scientists, and artists, to name just a few. Some may be seasoned tech veterans, while others are budding enthusiasts.
This motley crew is aligned by a few unifying principles, however! They鈥檙e all creative, problem-solving ninjas who are passionate about curating an amazing experience for users. We鈥檙e the folks who will be checking in periodically to see how it鈥檚 going, or to get you unstuck in time to meet a deadline. Just as our product has been designed to lighten the load and make work more enjoyable for Salesforce professionals, customer support is the embodiment of those principles, providing that uniquely human touch in your inbox or in-app chat.
And better yet, we鈥檙e always on the lookout for more people to bring a new perspective to what we do!
If you鈥檙e the kind of person that鈥檚 curious about developing technology, relishes a new challenge, and enjoys working closely with others, be sure to reach out. Drop us a line on our website live chat where myself or one of my colleagues would be happy to answer any questions you might have. You can also check out any current vacancies across the company. Hope to hear from you!