Meet Gladys Phillips, Support Technician

Recently we shared a chat with Gladys where she tells of how she came into her line of work, opportunities she has grasped along the way and shares some advice for aspiring support technicians.

Gladys tells us where she began in her career. “I started off as a call centre agent and worked my way up from print media to digital. In the year 2011 I started as a call centre agent in the call centre and left in October 2011. The next year 2012 end of May they called me back to start in June 2012. So, I continued working as an agent until the retrenchment process started in January 2013. On the day they told us that our contacts have been terminated Touchlab/digital news were looking for someone who could read and write Afrikaans. The interview was successful, and I got another temp position because they didn’t know how long they were going to need me,” she says.

Gladys continues to tell us of her work experience through the years. “As time went on the work load became more and users started reading the News in Afrikaans online. Questions and queries started rolling in and I continued working there. When I got a position at another company in 2013 my manager said they can’t let me go and offered me a permanent position, “she says.

Gladys goes on to tell us how she came into her Support Technician position. “In 2017 I applied for the Support Technician position at 24.com. After interviews and assessments, I was successful and got the position. When I came here it was a whole different world and environment because now I wasn’t only working with subscribers but also with internal staff. This is a short version of how I came into this line of work. I’ve worked my way up from print to digital and grabbed every opportunity I got to learn more especially more about digital.”

She says her first short course was a call centre management course. “From there I started learning on the job and training that we got in the different departments that I’ve worked in over my 7 years at the company,” Gladys adds.  Gladys says what she loves working with people and helping to assist their specific needs.

The advice Gladys shares with aspiring support technicians is that one of the aspects of her career would be that one needs to have a great passion for working with people.

“To do this type of job you need to have a passion for people. The reason for this is because you will always be working and interacting with people. Whether it is in person, telephonically or via email, you will always be busy with someone. You need to be patient, strong and able to sympathise and empathise when needed. If you are someone who takes everything to heart, then this is not for you. If you want to get into this line of work, you must have the above and more, “she says.

Lastly Gladys says, to always remember that everything is possible. “No matter what people say nothing is too hard, impossible, or out of your league. If you have the will to do something you can do it. Don’t ever think that you are supposed to stay in one position and can’t do anything else. If the opportunity is there, grab it with both hands!”.