I caught up with our CX strategist and project extraordinaire, Olivia, to find out more about why she chose Occtoo. 🚀
Aside from the lockdowns we experienced during the pandemic, committing to fully remote employment is new for me too, and being a freshman to the Occtoo squad, I was super keen to get Olivia’s take on the culture of the company and how she connects with her team.
Take five minutes out of your hectic day, grab a boujie coffee ☕, and read on. Who knows? - Joining a Maverick SaaS company and working fully remote could be the next step in your journey too!
Hey Olivia, can you tell us a bit about yourself?
I am a CX strategist, a project manager, a wife, a mother of two children, and many other things. I’ve had my feet in many buckets throughout my career: from digital marketing, print design, managing e-com solutions, UX design, PIM integrations, loyalty platforms, you name it. But closest to my heart is human interaction and behaviour, which is the main goal of why we run all of these other projects.
How did you hear about Occtoo and why did you decide to apply?
I stumbled over an Occtoo post on LinkedIn: it was a about a customer case, and it really caught my attention. I became curious, read some more on the website, and really liked Occtoo’s approach towards revolutionising customer experience data. A big point of interest for me was Occtoo’s very humble approach towards their employees and their focus on work-life harmony. I needed to know more!
For the curious one, you can read the story about Christian Bader, CDO at Fenix Outdoor, that sparked Olivias attention.
How would you describe the culture and work life of Occtoo?
I’ve loved the environment and culture since day one! All colleagues are friendly and helpful. We work hard as a team, but we also have a lot of fun together, which is exactly the way I enjoy working.
We are a group of individuals in different countries, with different backgrounds that do amazing stuff together.
Can you tell us about your job, your day-to-day tasks and what you enjoy about your role?
My day often begins with a customer check-in meeting for status checks on ongoing projects, followed by an internal meeting with our developer team to outline prioritisations and what needs to be done during the day. After that, I focus on the delivery of tasks that need to be done for various customer projects, as well as have various discussions to support customers with our products; this may be to document requirements and gather user stories that will create optimized customer experiences. I touch base with team members to check in how he or she is doing, and we might discuss some issues and solutions together. We also have virtual coffee breaks where we meet the whole team.
Most of the time, you only see colleagues via virtual meetings. Is there a true team connection?
Absolutely! There are many colleagues I haven’t met physically yet that I already have a good connection to. I met my manager just a week ago, prior to that I had only met her digitally. But I see no difference in our type of conversations, although it is great to meet your colleagues in real life, it is not a condition for great teamwork.
Had you worked remote prior to this job, or was this your first experience?
Yes, since covid-19 pandemic spread globally, I have been working from home for one and half years in a global organisation.
Do you take advantage of the flexible working?
Yes, I do, although it has had its lessons. It is a lot easier to forget to take breaks, exercise and have lunch when you are sitting at home, because no one interrupts you or reminds you of this. It’s important to set up healthy routines. I think many of us have learnt this during the past two years. When you feel good and rested and have healthy habits, you become more productive and creative, also your job is more fun, and you perform better.
What do you like most about working remote?
I love my home, and it is a privilege to have the possibility to work from a home office. Everything is very convenient, and I can exclude some planning issues when it comes to commuting and picking up the children from school etc. I save about 10 hours a week - that is a lot of minimised stress! As well as this, my home environment never gets crowded or noisy during working hours, it creates great space for effective focus. Colleagues are just a Teams call away.
Work-life balance has never felt more harmonised.
What would your advice be to anyone who is considering switching to remote work?
I would advise them to consider the pros and cons of remote work, from a practical and personal perspective. Can you create an environment at home that you would enjoy working in? How would you benefit from saving time on commuting? How important is it to you to meet your colleagues physically on a daily basis?
I think many have been surprised by how successful remote work has worked out during the pandemic. Although, I believe the most important thing is to explore the employer’s approach and efforts towards building a culture around remote work and work-life harmony; these values need to align. 😀
In summary …
Occtoo believe digital collaboration and continuous learning combined with ambitious goals and a strong focus on work-life harmony is key for success both for our people and our business.
Are you curious?
Are you considering a career change that’s remote first? Check out some of our open vacancies.
