You might have noticed that your emails are getting answered around the clock!
This is because we have expanded our team to cover all timezones. If you read our Support Team Journey, you’ll have heard about our new remote global team.
As our user base has expanded globally, it’s been on our radar to make the necessary changes so we’re always present to take care of the wide range of enquiries, whether it’s a bug report, billing issue, or help with using Marvel.
It made sense to build a remote overseas team so we can support our users from all parts of the world! We felt it would be fairer to our staff, and more beneficial to our users around the world, to hire remotely rather than hire within the London timezone to work a graveyard shift. That’s how I got the opportunity to work for Marvel.
This article will talk through the remote working set up and experience for the Marvel support team.
Training
Our official training period spanned two weeks. Training was conducted remotely with video calls, online task boards, and a Google drive filled with knowledge about Marvel, our people, and our company culture.
We completed daily tasks on Trello, checking them off as we went. The London team had compiled a comprehensive crash course on Marvel in Google Drive, and we built mini projects and submitted them to be reviewed. Easy peasy, because Marvel is so user friendly.
Once we had Marvel down pat, we started drafting sample tickets. We left notes on tickets for our team to review, and sent them after they were approved. During training, our shifts overlapped our colleagues’ by a couple hours so we could ask any questions we had over Slack.
There was a lot of research work involved. We found solutions to new tickets by searching the archives and adapting how similar problems were solved in the past. Researching old tickets also helped us pick up the Marvel tone of voice. I’m in love with the Marvel tone of voice - it is friendly, positive, and helpful. Perfect for brightening someone’s day.
Lain and I completed our training with flying colours, and we were able to start drafting replies to all of you. After a few weeks of practice, we were able to handle first responses like pros, and start working our normal shifts without overlapping.
Wins & Challenges
My biggest win, besides helping our lovely users solve problems, would be writing blog posts (such as this one) and any other ad-hoc tasks the London team needs help with (such as user testing). I also enjoy making short tutorial videos to help users understand solutions better.
It’s incredible meeting people from all walks of life, and having a remote team means we have a more culturally diverse team. Having different influences and perspectives is super helpful in generating ideas and tackling challenges.
Working in my previous corporate job, I realised I missed working with customers, so this is the perfect opportunity to help others again. Nothing brings a bigger smile on my face than celebrating with a user over a working solution.
The biggest challenge I face would be the isolation that inevitably comes with remote working. While it is nice working from home with my pets and blasting any music I like, I’m the only one in my timezone so I do miss having coworkers to chat and work on projects with. What helps is getting out of the house to work at a cafe, library, or other public space. Thankfully, my mobile hotspot makes working outside a breeze. We also make sure to meet on video calls and catch up on each others' lives.
We’re striving towards growing the team as soon as we can, which will only make Marvel stronger, so I’m looking forward to that, and possibly having someone else working my shift with me.
Thoughts on Remote Working
Before remote life, I was seriously struggling with maintaining a work-life balance. Where I live, a work-life balance is near impossible to attain. On top of that, I was having trouble focusing on my work because of the constant buzz and disruptions in the open-space office I worked in.
Now, while I’m not really able to live up to the travel-around-the-world-while-working idea because I can’t bear to leave my pets for more than 2 weeks, I love being able to customize my work space, the flexibility in choosing where I want to work from, and my lovely coworkers.
Working remotely is better with Marvel’s warm, welcoming culture, and how passionate everyone here is about the product and our customers.
Working remotely allows me to attain a state of deep focus, and that is crucial with my work.
Transcending Boundaries with Technology
Remote working wouldn’t be possible without the amazing tech that allows us to work with people across the globe! I believe this is the new standard and represents the bright future of many start-ups. While the London team work in a shared office, they also enjoy generous vacation days and the flexibility to work from home.
If you have any questions or feedback, please write in to us at help@marvelapp.com, and we (Lydia and Dubo) will be right here to answer.
Happy Prototyping!
