In this month’s Meet the Zauian, we catch up with Sam Wadi, our Implementation Specialist.
Sam Wadi, our Implementation Specialist, plays a crucial role in assisting tour and transport operators with onboarding as they begin their journey with Zaui. Being a Zaui veteran, she has excellent knowledge on how operators could make the best use of their technology investment.
Her success mantra is to listen attentively and understand client’s requirements without making any assumptions. For Sam, her greatest and proudest moment is when customers become Zaui experts.
A constant learner and doer, Sam loves learning languages and hiking. And another thing she is adept at… the world of fungi! Out of pure fascination, she recently started learning about them.
What’s your approach in helping tourism operators adopt Zaui as their booking management software?
Never assume everyone will be able to learn the system the same way. Open and honest communication with the customers is also key.
Types of customers you work with, and what are some of the key challenges your customers face?
I work with tour and transportation operators such as Zipline companies, trekking and kayaking tours and airport-city as well as intercity shuttles.
The industry has been hit hard in the past year. I think the key challenges have now switched to Covid restrictions and guest capacity reductions.
What is the most exciting part of being an Implementation Specialist at Zaui?
Getting to talk to customers from all over the world and learning about their operations and services offered.
My Favourite Quote:
El respeto al derecho ajeno es la paz – Benito Juarez
(Respect for the rights of others is peace)
Your happiest moment at Zaui?
I am passionate about training and teaching, it is a good feeling when a customer completes onboarding and starts taking in bookings but most importantly, that they become Zaui experts as well!
What helps you feel connected to your coworkers while working remotely?
Meetings and direct messages on Slack!
What do you enjoy doing when you are not working? What makes you feel alive and excited?
I love learning languages, I am currently studying German and one thing that really makes me feel alive and happy is hiking and being outdoors!
What’s the most common question people ask you when they find out what you do?
I think most people have asked me if I am a software developer.
If you could trade places with anyone for a day, who would you choose?
A commercial airline pilot – I am a huge Aviation geek.
What do you do to turn things around when you’re having a bad day?
What usually works for me is to take a 5-minute break, talk to my partner about my day or play with our dogs and that would clear my mind.
What advice would you give to new Zauians in their first month?
Don’t be afraid to ask questions and always be ready to learn new things, because there will be lots of that!
What volunteering or passion projects do you do outside of work?
Before the pandemic, I used to teach ESL and Spanish on a volunteer basis. I recently applied to a local NGO to help newcomers to Canada practice English and to help them navigate through their new home!