Welcome to the third installment of our Inside Cronofy interview series! Today we're sitting down with Technical Account Manager David Jiang to learn more about his role and and the kind of clients he's currently working with.
Hi David, thanks for speaking with me today! Firstly, could you tell me a bit about yourself and your role at Cronofy?
So I'm a Technical Account Manager, and my role is to identify the scheduling needs of prospective customers and explain how we can help them solve these problems. This role in particular requires more technical knowledge because you often need to understand APIs and the customers' systems to see how well Cronofy could fit. I explain how we can help in a deeper way, from a very technical point of view.
Sounds interesting! How long have you been working for Cronofy?
I've been at Cronofy for six months.
What were you doing before you joined Cronofy?
Before joining Cronofy, I worked as a technical account manager but focused more on the post-sales process. So I didn't work with potential customers to understand their needs; they had already signed a contract saying, "we are ready to use your platform." The sales team would then pass me to customers, and I would help them work with our platform, explain how the technology works and help them on their projects. It also required some integration work, so I would do some analysis and coding, identify their needs, and serve their requirements.
What does a typical day at Cronofy look like for you?
I will normally start the day by preparing for a phone call with a prospect. I would do some research on them, looking at what type of industry they're in, how we can potentially help them, and what encouraged them to want to work with us. I'd then have a call with them to explain how our API works and how we can help. If they're technical, I will go into more detail to show what we could potentially do by using this part of the API or showing what the user journey could look like, like a story. I really try to go deep into that, and people are pretty satisfied with the result - but I digress!
Aside from that, after a prospect call, I follow up with everything that has been discussed to help them make a decision. Then, I might have technical calls with prospects or existing customers that would focus on their integration. So they could be building a proof of concept or starting development, and I would be there to guide them and say, "this is how you could do the integration." The call could also be related to fixing some issues or doing a review of their integration. So I can comment on why certain parts of the integration don't seem right. I'm really here to be an advisor, like a consultant, to help prospects and customers solve their requirements.
Makes sense! So what does the sales cycle look like at Cronofy?
So first, the marketing team provides a lead that might be interested in building scheduling functionalities. Then I would discuss requirements with the lead and show how Cronofy might be able to help. After that, the prospect usually gets started on either creating a proof of concept or directly beginning the development. We might do an implementation to check that everything is going well, and once they're ready to go into Production, I help them go through the verification process. Then they're ready to go live!
"In six months, I've learned so much in terms of business, the strategy of sales, and even technical knowledge. This role touches upon so many fields, and I like working with all the different teams, from Marketing to Engineering. It's been fantastic."
Do you have a particular approach to sales?
I would say at any point, always be honest and straightforward with a prospect or customer. In my case, I particularly focus on building a long-lasting relationship and helping them grow as a business because this really is a win-win situation. I want to be a partner for them and not just consider them as a customer.
I love this approach! So now that you've been with us for six months, what is it that you've enjoyed most about working at Cronofy?
A lot of things! Of course, our colleagues and the culture. But also the fact that I get to work on many different tasks and projects. I'm learning lots of things I've not experienced before - to give a bit of background, I wasn't in sales at all before this role. In six months, I've learned so much in terms of business, the strategy of sales, and even technical knowledge. This role touches upon so many fields, and I like working with all the different teams, from Marketing to Engineering. It's been fantastic.
It's wonderful to hear you've had such a positive experience! What would you say to anyone who is considering applying for a role with us?
I would say if you're looking to learn and you're eager to progress quickly in your career, or even as a person, join us at Cronofy. One thing I love about Cronofy that I forgot to mention is the support they provide you in your career. So whatever your career path, whether you want to be more technical, more managerial, or deal with more key customers, Cronofy can help you and guide you on the right path.
Does Cronofy sound like the perfect fit for your career? If you're interested in joining our team, head to our Careers page to see our current open positions or submit your CV to recruitment@cronofy.com!