‘Meet The Zauian’ series, introduces Zaui’s hardworking, innovative team members. These stories give a glimpse of the people behind our customer-centric tech.
Meet Andrea O’Brien, our Customer Success Manager, who works to ensure that both tour and transport operators are able to leverage Zaui to meet their business needs and desired outcomes.
As a Zaui veteran, Andrea understands the product and how customers can make a real impact and scale with Zaui. She enjoys connecting with her clients and proactively offers solutions to help them stay ahead of the curve.
Coming from a market research background, it’s no wonder customer research and surveys are a few of her favourite projects. For Andrea, it’s all about nurturing customer relationships and keeping them happy.
What is your favourite part about working as a Customer Success Manager?
My favourite part about being a CSM is I love helping our customers achieve the outcomes they are looking for and getting the most value out of Zaui. That could be helping configure a new unique product offering, identifying and creating operational efficiencies to save time, driving adoption of new features or working on new projects. Working at Zaui allows me to connect with tourism companies that provide amazing experiences all around the globe, like dogsledding, aurora viewing, desert safaris, rafting, heli-skiing, whale watching and so much more.
What was your favourite project you’ve worked on and why?
There are too many to mention! My favourite projects are those where I work with clients and our technical team to scope and build smart new functionality in Zaui that ultimately benefits all users and helps them save time and money or grow their businesses.
Another project that is a favourite of mine is our customer survey where we periodically ask for customer feedback on how we’re doing, what we can improve and what they’d like us to build or improve next! We listen and take our customers’ feedback seriously.
Your happiest moment at Zaui?
Working on long or complex projects with customers, then watching them roll out and work beautifully.
What helps you feel connected to your coworkers while working remotely?
I always feel connected to my coworkers because we’re constantly in touch via Slack or online meetings, thank goodness for modern technology!
What do you enjoy doing when you are not working?
I love outdoor sports and exploring the wild places of beautiful British Columbia. Depending on the season, you’ll find me mountain biking, rock climbing, hiking or backcountry skiing.
What’s the biggest misconception people have about your position?
Customer success management is still a fairly new field of occupation and there is still confusion about what exactly it is! It is not the same as technical support or account management; rather a CSM strives to create happy customers by delivering great outcomes and value/return on investment from using the platform. Happy customers tend to say nice things, which can drive new customers to jump on board and ultimately grow the business from within.
What do you do to turn things around when you’re having a bad day?
My strategy is to get up and go for a walk to clear my head. If that doesn’t help there is nothing like having a good rant. A problem shared is a problem halved after all!
What advice would you give to new Zauians in their first month?
Get to know Zaui as well as you can and don’t be afraid to ask for help. There is so much knowledge amongst the team and everyone is always happy to help.
What volunteering or passion projects do you do outside of work?
I am a volunteer mentor for Mountain Mentors, a not-for-profit organization that helps women develop skills and confidence in mountain sports. In the winter, I mentor backcountry skiing and this summer I am mentoring for their new hiking/mountaineering program.
