My first month as a Customer Support Executive at Unibuddy

Although this London Summer of heatwaves and flash floods could have us all believing July was actually an entire year long, the beginning of August marks the end of my first month in my new role as a Customer Support Executive at Unibuddy. Here’s a little look at how it’s going so far.

I recently joined the growing UK arm of the Customer Success team at Unibuddy after deciding to leave my job as a Credit Reporter for Experian.

I was in search of a new challenge. Although I haven’t had to change my commute too much (a mere seven-minute walk from one side of Old Street in London to the other separates the two offices), I’m excited to be beginning this new chapter of my life.

I was previously managing Experian’s Customer Service and Operations teams. Though I don’t come from a higher ed background, I’ve worked in SAAS-based companies for a few years now and like learning new software and services. Most importantly though, I love helping people on a day-to-day basis, which is something I’m enjoying in my new role here.

I decided Unibuddy was the right fit for me during my interview process. One of the key things that stood out to me as a candidate was the way that everyone I spoke to promoted the culture within the company.

Rather than being anxious or concerned about the interview process and progressing to the next steps, I felt comfortable. The interviews felt more like conversations, which allowed me to really introduce and present myself well.

The values also spoke to me. ‘We own our actions and their outcomes’ stuck with me during my initial research on the company. It’s an imperative and assertive line, and for someone who prides themselves on being a self-starter, it resonated with what I was looking to be a part of.

With everything going on, I’ve not yet made the commute from my home in South London to visit our office in Old Street, which means that my onboarding was done entirely remotely in my first week here.

Despite that, the onboarding process was seamless, which made getting to know the company (and the people within it) especially pleasant. Unibuddy has adapted so well to the post-COVID style of onboarding new employees, which no doubt has been refined over the last year or so with the company more than doubling in size.

I was always able to ask questions and check in when I needed to and, when embracing an entirely new industry, that help is extremely valuable. They provide an ‘Onboarding Buddy’ for each new starter, which was useful for any questions that weren’t strictly role-specific.

Training sessions were informative and were led at just the right pace. I felt fortunate to be helped with my onboarding by the Support team because everyone was so helpful and approachable. 

During your first few weeks here, you’re invited to present a short ‘Who Am I’ in the company huddle at the end of the week. It turned out to be one of the most memorable moments from my first month here. 

Depending on how comfortable you are with public speaking, it can be enthralling or terrifying when you’re first posed with the idea of presenting in front of the whole company.

However, once you see the smiling faces and the words of support in the Zoom chat, the task becomes really fun. It’s a great way to introduce yourself to everyone and to find groups of people with similar interests who you may not have spoken to otherwise.

I’ve loved getting to know everybody here and taking in the amazing atmosphere and culture. The general tone of the company is cheerful and positive. All team members are eager to answer any questions you have and are happy to have chats and virtual coffees when going into the office isn’t quite so simple as it once was. It’s truly a great team to work with. 

One month down the line, I’ve learnt an awful lot about the day-to-day of a tech startup and the company culture here—though I’m still not quite sure how anyone is supposed to be dressing for this weather.

If you’re looking to join the team here at Unibuddy, you can check out our open roles here.