This upcoming International Women's Day, we're celebrating the women who are making a meaningful impact at Infotrust, and within the Australian cyber security industry.
In this feature, we caught up with Kaliope, Sales Support Specialist, to explore her journey into the industry, lessons learned, and her advice for the next generation of women in technology.
My educational background is with a Degree in Secondary Education. I was supposed to be a High School Teacher. You’ll never guess my subjects.
However, I decided on a different path, which eventually wove its way into Managed Tech.
I moved into the retail sector and customer service. Once I was done with Retail, I had to find a new path. I ended up in a contact centre working as a Level 1 Mobile Technician for Telstra, primarily as it was still linked to customer service in a round-a-bout way. The rest, as they say, is History.
When I look back, I wouldn’t change that decision to study Education and be a High School teacher, as it led me to where I am now. It wasn’t a straight line to Managed Tech, but it has been a fun journey so far.
I currently manage software renewals for our Managed Tech customers. Either assisting Account Managers/TDMs with their customers and any subscription renewals. Or connecting with our unmanaged customer accounts when their software/licences come due. I work in the background mostly to help the customer keep the business secure and running. From Domains to Security to Microsoft, I assist as much as I can.
I enjoy building a relationship with customers that may be once a year contact, seeing potential in their licencing that will improve business operations for them. That customer service element is still key to being successful in this role and in Managed Tech.
One pressure is ensuring I get all the renewals actioned in a timely manner. Missing a renewal, which is a critical software or licence, is not a situation you want. Customer missing business and I do love those random renewals that have me scratching my head, wondering what does that do?! And how do I get it renewed?
Ultimately, it’s a team effort that sees you succeed. Whether my immediate team, or the greater team, knowing I can seek assistance from them keeps me sane.
Don’t feel that you need to have a technical background to work in the Managed Tech Industry. There are many facets to the industry that will fit any skill set. From customer service to customer support, to technical roles. It has it all …and most importantly, it is an ever-changing landscape. If someone had said to me early on in my career that I would be working in the IT industry, I would’ve laughed. It has been an amazing experience, and I continue to learn each day.
Retire and live on a Greek Island…does that count as a future career move?!