“Receiving positive feedback from TIS customers, as we do on a regular basis, is very rewarding. They believe to think we do a pretty outstanding job!”
Marussia Panteva has worked in the TIS office in the Bulgarian capital since leaving university nearly four years ago, joining as a Service Advisor in the global Customer Services team. A German language and literature graduate, she brought experience gained in a customer-related function from a part-time job while studying. Two years on Marussia was promoted to Customer Success Operations Manager. Her role has recently further expanded to include team lead responsibilities.
Approached by an agency and encouraged to apply to TIS, Marussia recalls that her impressions of the company were positive right from the very start. She tells the story in her own words…
First impressions
I could see that TIS had a good, strong market offering in terms of the technology and support, but I was also impressed by the TIS people I met during the interview process. Of course, I had to be the right person for the company, but both HR and my hiring manager took pains to ensure that TIS was right for me, too. As a result, it felt less like being interrogated, and more like a friendly, mutual exploration of what each party could offer.
I’ve since learnt that the company is prepared to take time to find the right person to fill a vacancy. You can see the wisdom of this approach. The culture at TIS is very empowering – but you can’t empower people and free them to use their initiative if they are not a good fit.
A supportive environment
I love to learn by doing: jumping in and getting on with the task. Looking back, I’m amazed at just how much I have learnt, technically and professionally during my TIS career. I learn something new every day, even now.
I can’t really pick out any single event or achievement as a highlight of my time at TIS: there have been so many! Certainly, receiving positive feedback from TIS customers, as we do on a regular basis, is very rewarding. They seem to think we do a pretty outstanding job! For our part, we are delighted if we can quickly eliminate a client problem.
I’ve had some great role models, starting with my original hiring manager, from whom I’ve learnt a lot professionally and technically. My motto is: watch, listen, absorb. A company’s culture comes from the top, and our C-level leaders set the right tone in giving respectful, constructive feedback and appreciating our efforts. It creates an open atmosphere in which we’re not afraid to speak up if we think there’s scope for improvement, and a job well done is acknowledged.
In short, TIS creates an incredibly supportive environment, whereby everyone – colleagues and managers – encourages you to do your best.
Incidentally, the idea of forming a Customer Success Operations team came out of an employee workshop that used to be held twice a year before the pandemic. It’s a great example of how managers listen to and welcome employees’ ideas for improving the way we work to better support our customers.
Adding value to the sales process
Today, there are three main elements to my job. First, I am the main point of contact between TIS and clients at different phases and levels of project roll-out. I get to know our customers pretty well and build a friendly working relationship with them. I’m handling multiple client projects at present. Time management is definitely an essential skill in performing this role well.
Next, we support the Pre-sales team by analyzing a prospective customer’s current bank landscape, in order to better understand the client’s bank connectivity needs. This task adds a lot of value to the sales process and we are very proud of the support we can provide to both our colleagues and potential clients.
Thirdly, we prepare reports for the Relationship Management team, so that they can hit the ground running in customer meetings, fully equipped with an up-to-date understanding of the customer’s usage of our technology and any emerging needs.
Work hard. Play hard.
Since joining in 2017, it’s been exciting to see TIS grow and to feel I’ve been part of the TIS story from its early days. Even last year, during the pandemic, we took on more people. It’s a dynamic, growing organization and I’m very optimistic about the direction the company is taking and my own role within it.
At a personal level, it feels as if we’re one big family. My colleagues are such complete professionals, yet they have a huge capacity for fun, too. I’m sure I’ve made friends for life at TIS.
