Meet our longest serving Woo Happiness Engineers -
One of the festivities around our 9th birthday has taken into consideration how Woo has grown and changed over the years.
Since support is an integral part of our business and service, what better way to pause and review than through the voices that of the three longest-serving happiness engineers.
Stuart Duff, Sven Hutchinson, and Daniel Dudzic are at the frontlines of Woo assistance every day, helping to solve many different requests and queries for our clients.
All three joined a budding WooThemes back in 2011, back when themes were still the main source of income while eCommerce was only the glimmer in our eyes They had plenty to say about their journey thus far, aswell their thoughts on what is necessary for anyone who wants to take up the task to assist their customers with the support department.
Find out what they shared with us.
Inspiring Woo from Scotland, Poland, Thailand and between
The office is located in Airdrie, Scotland, Stuart helps customers who've bought premium extensions from .com. Sven assists in sales and pre-sales accounts at his home in the tropical Thailand as well as Daniel is the other one who oversees the tickets for payments queue from his home at Warsaw, Poland, where the family lives. family.
Note: In addition to being a master guitarist Daniel also lays claim to being Woo's "most entertaining dancer" (we encourage you to ask any Woomattician at a WordCamp for additional specifics or photographs).
You're some of 's longest serving happiness engineers, having started early on when Woo's only focus was designing and developing. What was it like watching the company change direction and expand, not just by staff size but also in terms of success?
Stuart: It's been an incredible journey through the years, with many feelings. Seeing grow into the product you see today is quite amazing and is something I'm extremely thankful to have experienced.
It was initially a service that was built to compliment our theme and we got frequently asked for store functionality by our theme clients. It's not like we thought, in 2011, however, that would grow to become the most used eCommerce platform on the internet.
Sven: The support staff at the time consisted of around five people total. I have found great value when I have watched a business (that I was originally be a customer of) grow from three young people making a few concepts to becoming what it is now.
Daniel: It's been quite a ride! Since October 1st of this year - the day Woo made public release. I love to imagine us as twins!
To be honest, I am still a somewhat overwhelmed by the massive progress and expansion we've seen. Going from 15+ people and now being part of a family of more than 500 people has been an exciting journey in learning and growing. I'm extremely proud of the fact of the fact that, despite all our changes regardless of what our main priority was, we will always try to give a fantastic customer experience . It's been a privilege to be a part of it.
What does open source and mean to you?
Stu: It means everything to me in the modern environment we live in which is becoming more closed and controlled. I think that projects such as WordPress have never been more crucial for freedom of speech as well as the control of your own content or your business. Just as WordPress democratizes publishing, I believe the same can be said for eCommerce and eCommerce - both are accessible to anyone and you have complete control over the content you publish.
Sven Transparency would be the primary thing to consider here. I truly believe it is vital in the current time and day. Since the internet has brought all people together, and just an instant message away, this is a critical feature. Anyone connected to the internet around the globe can access the codes. Through it, they can gain knowledge, support/help others and possibly even help to make more efficient through the addition of core features or enhancements.
Daniel Free-source = freedom and community. = the democratization of eCommerce.
"We are always striving to give a great customer experience and it's been a privilege to have been a part of that."
- Daniel Dudzic
Working remotely How do you imagine a typical day like to you?
Stu: I usually get up at 8 am, and take my dog for walks to help me wake up. I begin working between 9am and 10am up to around 6pm or 5pm later in the evening, based upon the time of start.
Sven: It is my habit to get early and leave early to the local cafe, where I get started by looking up the new things that are going on with Woo. Then, I dive right into helping out our customers. I get most of my work done in the beginning of my day, when I am most efficient. The afternoons are dedicated to clearing pieces of furniture, and discovering new subjects in greater depth and doing some final responses to clients.
Daniel: The full advantage of being a remote worker and work at home from my office. This lets me stay away from becoming stuck in Warsaw congestion and allows me spending more quality time with my loved ones.
What are some of the more common day-to-day issues that you encounter in your support?
Sven: There are all kinds of inquiries from people with no computing experience or don't even know the meaning of WordPress is all the way to 30plus years old experienced developers who are very specific in their coding queries.
The most significant issues within this range of people are often the same, stemming from the flexibility that using WordPress/ gives them. There are many web hosting and third-party themes and plugins and, as a result, it can create the potential for coding conflicts - especially when you don't keep your website well-maintained and up-to-date.
Daniel: Most of the times, the problems we are able to solve are resolved through installing the latest version and extensions or by disabling themes or plugins.
"The more unique the store is, the more I view the challenging task!"
- Sven Hutchinson
What are the essential abilities you should have in order to would like to work as Woo engineer? Woo happiness engineer?
Sven An interest to problem-solve! The general rule is that you're or trying to figure out why something isn't working as it should on the user's website or giving advice on the things they should consider to build their perfect online store. This is like solving a puzzle the question: what components could be put together to allow the user to achieve the goals they have set?
The Stu It is the ability to become a better learner, to be compassionate as well as curious about the way things work, and comfortable with change. Additionally, the ability to complete a questionnaire and apply is important too as I've had conversations with folks who noticed that Automattic was hiring, but did not fill out an application for a variety of reasons. If you don't apply, you can't work with us.
Daniel patience, as well as being a fast learner.
Do you remember some of your most memorable moments of the time you were happy?
Daniel It was moments when I could interact with our clients, on the spot, during WordCamps, WooConfs and Meetups providing them with the chance to voice their problems and be able to fix many of them right there and then.
Sven We enjoy having meetings all over the world, wherever they are. There are several extensions developed by us and other third-party developers, I get an immense pleasure in working out some of the more unusual store layout requests from customers, working out which possible configuration could start their store. The more original the store will be, the more I see it as a challenge!
Stu: For me, the best part is the ability to help someone and share information, since it's something I love to do. If I am able to bring a client who have had a difficult time (or had their business affected by negative circumstances) happy, that is what makes me feel happy.
"For me I find the best part is being able to give someone a helping hand and sharing the knowledge that I have, because it's what I love to do."
- Stuart Duff
What do you believe is the biggest misconception about support/happiness?
Stu: That we know everything about every possible /WordPress-related plugin or theme ever released and even those Woo hasn't created. It's truly incredible just how much information the Happiness Engineers have stored within their heads, they aren't able to know every theme or plugin intimately.
Daniel: We don't have feelings.
Sven: It's likely that this could be a step to a different role further in the future. Many companies as the "lowest grade" job and therefore easy, however I don't believe that's the case.
Do you have any advice to give to folks who are just beginning and want to get to the basics of how it functions?
Stu: The best piece of advice I can give to anyone is to just dive into, set up an installation, and learn how works by playing around. You can join one of the numerous Facebook groups that are dedicated to . If you're more serious about starting a business on the platform, I suggest you start by going through a class like this one from Patrick Rauland to provide a solid introduction to the site.
Sven Begin with this incredible 101 video series; even if you don't have a site but, these tutorials will give the best insight into the way it works. Also, I make basic video tutorials when I have time. I'm willing to help with any queries. However, I need to expand them frequently though! If you have questions regarding the shop you'd like to establish and the best way to do it, please call us and we'll put you on the right path!
Daniel Don't get discouraged by the variety of options you see and help documents you see. It will get easier soon. I promise! If you have any concerns you're not sure about, don't hesitate call us at support. We will be more than happy to help you with answers to help you set up your store and up within a matter of minutes!
There you have it - a little more insight into the daily life of the happiness engineer as well as what it takes to make a smile appear on the face of a client.
If you'd like work with us and deliver a fantastic customer service experience through our support team, why not apply? We're always hiring and would love to hear from you. Woo!
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