In this month’s Meet the Zauian, we catch up with William Oak, our Senior Developer. William brings with him 30 years of experience to Zaui. He constantly pushes himself to craft the most efficient code and keep development cutting-edge, equipping Zaui with the right features for tour, activity, and transport operators.
His advice to new Zauians in software development—Do code reviews! Today, he’s sharing his experience, expertise, and love for Zaui.
What’s your process while working on a new project?
Design, design, design … then code … then debug, debug, debug.
What is the most exciting part of being a Software Developer at Zaui?
The thing I love about working at Zaui is the constant learning and the ongoing opportunity to mentor other devs.
How have you been able to learn and grow at Zaui?
Zaui is a constant course of learning new things about programming … VUE, knockout, Unit testing, node ecosystem, AWS, the list goes on!
Do you use any specific tools or have a routine that helps you stay productive?
My home office is very comfortable, quiet, bright, and wonderful to concentrate in.
What was the favourite Zaui project and why?
My favourite project at Zaui was helping the dev team learn AGILE, and seeing the new hires join the dev team’s culture.
What does your workday look like?
I start each morning with a long and arduous commute, walking upstairs takes more than 30 seconds! Once at work, several times a day I have to walk all the way downstairs to get another tea and then commute again up those horrible stairs and work the rest of the day… then the commute back downstairs after work… You know that’s over 8 and a half hours a year commuting!
What helps you feel connected to your coworkers while working remotely?
Standup video meetings every morning!
My Favourite quote:
Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different outcome.
What do you enjoy doing when you are not working?
I program in my spare time, experimenting with new ideas and new languages.
What do you do to turn things around when you’re having a bad day?
I talk to my wife, in person or via text messenger. She always helps me see the bright side of life.
What advice would you give to new Zauians in their first month?
Do code reviews! It’s good practice, and it helps you learn our code style.
What passion projects do you do outside of work?
I am working on upgrading my home server from PHP 7.4 (that we use at Zaui) to 8.1 (the current latest version of PHP).
If you could trade places with anyone for a day, who would you choose?
Some guy who is not named ‘Satoshi Nakamoto’ … (that’s a pseudonym for the person who created bitcoin.)
If you could pick anybody to be your mentor, who would it be?
Satoshi Nakamoto!
Related Posts
Why Zaui is the Ultimate Choice for Managing Walking Tours
Find out why Zaui is the ultimate choice for managing walking tours. With its comprehensive walking tour software, you can streamline operations, increase bookings, and enhance the overall guest experience. Learn more about its features and benefits here.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. Zaui’s pricing is fully pay-as-you-go. You aren’t locked into any long-term contract. In fact, leading platforms emphasize this flexibility. Similarly, Zaui lets you start and stop anytime. You can change or cancel your plan freely, so you only pay for what you use.
Absolutely not. Zaui’s pricing is 100% transparent. We disclose all fees up front with no surprise add-ons or “sneak-in” charges. In fact, Zaui’s plans include all core features “without additional fees”. Industry experts note that hidden fees undermine trust so we avoid them entirely. All costs are clearly outlined in our pricing, and there are no extra setup charges or undisclosed surcharges at checkout.
Zaui integrates with major payment gateways (e.g. Stripe) so you only pay standard credit-card processing rates (roughly 1.9%+$0.30/transaction) and we don’t mark them up. Only the published platform commission is added on bookings. You also have full control over who pays the commission, we let you decide whether to absorb booking fees or pass them on to customers. In short, you’ll only pay the transparent booking commission and normal gateway fees, nothing extra.
Your onboarding and support are included in the price. We provide white-glove setup help and ongoing 24/7 support at no additional cost. Our dedicated customer-success team will guide you through every step, ensuring a smooth launch. You won’t pay extra for training or service other than the onboarding fee; it's all built into your plan.
You can schedule a free demo with our team. Our Zaui ninjas will walk you through pe how Zaui can work for your business and highlight opportunities to grow with our advanced features all without any upfront payment. This way, you can feel confident it’s the right fit before making a commitment.
Of course. Zaui’s plans are fully flexible. You can upgrade or downgrade at any time to match your needs, without penalties. You can move to a higher tier or back down easily, and your billing adjusts automatically.
No. Zaui does not charge its commission on offline/manual bookings. “No fees on offline bookings” You only pay the commission when a booking is processed online through our system. Manual reservations (or bookings from partner channels we set up for you) incur no extra platform fee. (30% or less)
All of Zaui’s core features are included in your plan at no extra charge. We believe in value and transparency: Zaui provides over 15 advanced features (Google Things to do, reporting tools, marketing tools, reports, etc.) at no additional cost. Many competitors charge extra or require higher plans for the same features, but with Zaui you get the full suite of tools in one package. Any optional add-ons (if any) will always be clearly listed and optional there are no surprise paid upgrades for standard features.
Each Zaui plan is designed for clarity and fairness, following industry best practices. You can trust that our pricing is transparent and flexible, with the support you need built in.
Extra accounts- unlimited agents, resellers, user
