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In this “A Day in the Life of…..” segment we’ll talk to someone from MoEngage to find out about their average workday, from how much coffee they drink and their career aspirations to how they keep their customers happy and engaged. This debut edition features Anirudh Kulkarni, Engagement Manager for the Customer Success Team in Europe.

What does a typical working day look like for you?

The word management is often used, yet at times I feel lost to what it actually means? Over the last 5+ work years, I have understood this is what I do – ‘manage’. Manage internal as well as external folks I interact and work with.

Every day is a balancing act in this role. Even if my day is absolutely packed preparing for meetings, working on QBR slide decks, team calls, one-on-one calls, check-ins and sync-ups, a request from a  customer will be attended to straight away. That’s why no customer email of mine ever starts with “I apologize for the delay”.

MoEngage has a culture of customer obsession. That’s why I am always there, first and foremost, for the customer.

Honestly, I start my day with 4-5 meetings on my calendar and end up taking on a lot more. You can get a customer query on an email or they might request for a short call which may turn into a long one. That’s what is fascinating about the role, you feel you know what your day will look like until it begins!

What is it like working remotely?

Remote work is a luxury – that truly could only happen in this hyper-connected tech age that we’re all in today. We are lucky to have software that simplifies the adoption of new technology and improve digital transformation efforts. Those are adoption platforms of the digital age. Although it is a delight working from home now, the reason behind accepting remote work earlier was scary.

The silver lining is that similar to most people who picked up new hobbies during this period, I started reading in my spare time.

What are some of the books you’d recommend to our readers?

As the world went through immense trouble [back in March 2020] and things started to go south economically, I ordered this book called “Zero to One” by legendary entrepreneur and investor Peter Thiel. The book was a breath of fresh air in times that looked bleak and hopeless.

The book speaks about how things are changing rapidly and why we will see new trends/products emerge. As time passed we saw a tectonic shift in the way digital adoption increased.

Working on an offering that functions on the core principle of increased digital adoption – such books helped me bring in a new perspective to my discussions with customers during the pandemic.

What’s the best thing about your job?

The opportunity to understand the nuances of different industries and cultures working with customers across Europe has been the most exhilarating aspect of my job!

What about working for MoEngage excites you the most?

MoEngage firmly believes in keeping up with new trends in the space and reinventing the wheel. The company has been one of the first to bring new approaches or technologies into the customer engagement space. Be it Push Amplification Plus a technology, MoEngage pioneered in 2017 or Insights-led Engagement, a customer-led approach to personalised engagement.

The chance to be the first to talk about these changes, driving new trends, and evolving with the company is the most exciting aspect of working for MoEngage.

What is your proudest work achievement?

I take pride in and celebrate small achievements that involve customers and ultimately help in building goodwill for the company. One such achievement was getting a customer to share their review on Gartner peer insights.

What’s your favourite way to unwind?

I am a Consultant on weekdays and an amateur theatre actor on the weekends. I also like getting a workout in or binge-watching shows on OTT platforms!

As we wrap up if you had to share golden rules that help you deliver the most value to customers as an Engagement Manager, what would they be?

A customer-first mindset is key. Customers are first on my priority list. My goal is to be viewed as a trusted advisor to my customers, both by my customers and by internal stakeholders. From a customer perspective, it means I am constantly striving to address their queries and help them maximize value from our offering while proactively measuring their progress.

Ask questions like “How many new employees have begun using the platform?”, “Has there been any new activity that hasn’t been seen in the past?”, “ When was the last sync-up with the customer?”, “Are there any pending queries that haven’t been resolved?” and more.

Your internal stakeholders should also view you as a partner to the customer. You may get requests for upselling, checking scope for additional modules and exploring other kinds of expansion. Always respond to these requests by delving deep into the customer’s use case and gauging if there’s an actual need before agreeing to these requests.