A day in the life of Tom, the product service manager

First things first – my background isn't your typical tech story. I actually started out in stage school from 13 to 18. Little did I know that those years of learning to think on my feet and empathise with different characters would lay the groundwork for my future career!

After stage school, I dipped my toes into customer service. It turns out those soft skills I'd developed … they're universal. Whether you're dealing with Deidre and her broken boiler or a big organisation facing issues, it's all about connecting with people.

Here's where it gets interesting. I'd always had a thing for technology, tinkering with it at home. So when a tech support job opened up in the same organisation where I was doing customer service, I thought, "Why not?" I threw my hat in the ring.

And you know what? They took a chance on me! They figured, "This guy knows our software from a user perspective. He understands the frustrations. Let's bring him on board!" Just like that, I flipped from being a user to an administrator.

The big break

Fast forward a bit, and I found myself at Sorted. I started in support and service transition, but I kept growing, learning and helping others along the way. After about four years, an opportunity came up to become a Product Service Manager. It felt like a natural progression. I knew the ropes, people were coming to me for help, and I was ready to be a mentor to current and future support staff.

A day in the life 

So what does a Product Service Manager at Sorted actually do? Well, no two days are the same and that's what keeps it exciting! My day kicks off with a quick check for any overnight escalations. Then it's time to rally the troops on Slack and set priorities for the day. We handle everything from internal IT and external customer commitments to configuring systems for new and existing customers.

A big part of my job is being the bridge between different teams. I work closely with engineering, customer onboarding and support to make sure everything runs smoothly. It's all about collaboration and clear communication.

One of the most rewarding aspects of my role is the direct impact I have on our customers. Almost daily, I find myself helping customers unblock testing issues for new integrations. It's incredibly satisfying to know that my work is making a real difference in streamlining their operations.

The plot thickens

One of the most interesting challenges I've tackled was creating and maintaining the service transition process. Before, new features would sometimes be released without the support team knowing what was coming. Now, we make sure support has a clear view of what's being released and how it might impact our customers. It's like being a juggler, making sure all the balls stay in the air!

A project I'm particularly proud of is improving the onboarding process for new carrier services. We've been moving legacy carriers' tracking from our Ship tracking engine into Track, which has really streamlined our operations. It's exciting to see how these improvements directly benefit our customers.

The grand finale (for now)

Looking back, I never would have guessed that my journey would lead me here. But you know what? It's been amazing. At Sorted, I've found a place where I can grow, take on new challenges and really make an impact.

Sorted has been incredible in supporting my professional development. They've given me the freedom to explore the product without restrictions, encouraging me to lift up stones and ask, “What does this mean?” This openness has allowed me to start exploring options for streamlining our support processes. And let's not forget the £200 professional development budget, which comes in handy when Pluralsight is on offer!

If you're considering a career in tech, especially in a role like mine, here's my advice: be open-minded and ready to learn. You don't have to know everything about the product from day one, but understanding the underlying technologies is key. And don't be afraid to take your time and absorb everything. Being a sponge for knowledge and culture is so important.

Oh, and one more thing – always have a few cheesy dad jokes up your sleeve. Trust me, they come in handy more often than you'd think in this job!

So that's my story – from stage school to Product Service Manager at one of the coolest tech companies around. Who knows? Maybe your unique background is exactly what we need!

Read other Sorted stories

Some sub-copy to go in here.