"We are VIER!" Today: Sandy Frässdorf, VIER Product Owner VIER enrich
Hello Sandy – how long have you been part of VIER?
Oh, for 15 years. I guess that makes me a veteran. But I haven't been bored in all that time. There was always something new to learn. A lot has happened in telephony with the change from ISDN to VoIP and the introduction of our MRF. In addition, with new customers came completely new applications in the area of conferencing, some of which are very complex. My head was smoking from time to time!
You are Product Owner VIER enrich – what does your daily work look like?
Actually, it sounds quite simple: it is a matter of deciding which tasks and topics in the area of FOUR enrich/Conferencing are to be tackled and when, and which are not - and always in the context of the requirements and within the framework of the available resources and company goals. This can indeed sometimes be quite simple, but most of the time it is a balancing act between wishes and reality. I am also involved in the operation of our conference solution. This involves, for example, expansion planning or special requirements or proofs that our customers from different industries and countries need.
What do you particularly like about your job?
What I am really happy about is that everyone in my team is working together. We sometimes discuss a lot, but the primary goal is to provide valuable and efficient services for the customer. It's fun to get back to work every week. And of course it makes my job as a product owner easier. It is also nice when customers thank me for the fact that the services simply run well and do what they are supposed to do. I'm proud of that, just like the whole team.
What experience and skills from previous jobs help you in your work?
I started out in support. My first boss liked to say: "The customer has a problem, not you. We are not part of the problem, but we can be part of the solution. But to do that, we have to understand exactly what the customer actually wants to achieve, not just where they see a problem at the moment." That was already very helpful in support. And as a product owner, it helps me today to look at the customer's whole use case and not just the solution the customer has in mind. In this way, I can find solutions that the customer hasn't even thought of and that might make life easier for both sides.
What would you do if you could be invisible for a whole day?
Whoa! I would like to hear how big negotiations take place in the EU, for example. Playing a fly on the wall. What is discussed and agreed upon in "corridor talks" or "break talks" can certainly be quite enlightening. Appearance and reality often diverge...
