Interview with David Ureña, Technical Specialist Engineer
Introduction and Background
Can you tell us about your background and how you came to be part of the Support team at Appear?
My professional journey in the broadcasting industry began at Catalonia’s leading public television channel, where I worked as a Technical Engineer for their 24/7 broadcast channel. After two years, I transitioned to Mediapro and spent three years in the Master Control Room, overseeing and managing the live transmission and play-out of major sports events, including LaLiga, Serie A, and Ligue 1, ensuring critical onsite support and operational oversight.
With five years of experience in Spain’s broadcasting industry, I sought to broaden my international expertise and joined Appear as a Technical Support Engineer, providing comprehensive second- and third-line support for our hardware and software deployments, ensuring smooth customer experiences. I also worked closely with clients on deployment planning, testing, and gathering user feedback to enhance system performance and satisfaction.
How has your journey evolved since joining the company and what is the next step for you at Appear?
Since joining Appear, I not only became proficient with our portfolio but also developed deep technical expertise through close collaboration with the development and sales teams, and our customers. This involvement helped me build a strong reputation within Appear, which led to opportunities for increased project leadership responsibilities and to take on the role of Technical Specialist Engineer.
In that role, I act as a lead project engineer, managing the planning, execution, and timely completion of key projects. I worked closely with clients such as DMC Productions, NEP Group, and served as the dedicated Account Engineer for Teracom. Earlier this year, I was appointed as the post-sales Engineering Lead for the Paris 2024 Olympics, partnering with Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS), and for the Eurocup 2024, collaborating with Eurovision.
My next major career milestone is to join the U.S division and take on the role of Head of Customer Success – North America.
Leadership and Vision
You’ve played a pivotal role in our customer excellence operations, particularly with high-demand projects like Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS). How do you define leadership within the scope of a technical engineer role?
Leadership in a technical engineering role requires promoting collaboration and empowering teams to solve complex problems efficiently, swiftly, and effectively. It’s not just about problem-solving; it also involves making sound decisions, clearly communicating a vision, and developing strategic direction. Combining technical expertise with strategic foresight, effective communication, and a strong sense of responsibility is essential to drive success for both the team and the organisation.
How do you stay aligned with the company’s broader goals of becoming a leader in live production technology while leading support initiatives?
A key factor in our company’s ability to lead the industry lies in prioritising customer feedback and consistently delivering exceptional service quality. These elements form the foundation of our support initiatives.
Can you share a moment when you felt you truly made an impact on one of our customers?
It’s difficult to single out one project, but I would highlight my work with DMC, Eurovision, and especially Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS). Each of these projects has been significant due to their impact on major live sporting events like the Eurocup and the Olympic Games. Given the high profile of these events, it was crucial to be close to the customer both before and during the events to ensure smooth live transmission.
Innovation and Technology
Customer service is constantly evolving. How have you integrated innovation and technology to enhance the support experience at Appear?
At Appear, we prioritise our customer service by focusing on enhancing our ticketing system, improving our customer portal to facilitate self-service options, providing support through various communication channels, including phone and email, across all regions of the world, and gathering customer feedback to drive excellence in our Net Promoter Score (NPS).
What tools or systems have been instrumental in improving efficiency and customer satisfaction within your team?
We are in the process of implementing a new and improved ticketing system designed to enhance customer satisfaction and service quality. Additionally, we are gradually introducing self-service options, allowing customers to easily access our resources independently.
Challenges and Opportunities
What are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced in creating a seamless support experience, and how have you overcome them?
The Olympics has undoubtedly been one of the most significant challenges – I led the project to establish a dedicated replica within our Lab, reserved exclusively for this initiative and kept in a frozen state throughout the Olympics to ensure its availability for any potential emergencies during the event. This effort involved close internal coordination between Support and R&D teams, 24/7 monitoring and management, a well-defined incident escalation protocol, and comprehensive project documentation.
Last year, I faced a particularly challenging situation where I had travel to Los Angeles, U.S. to manage several post-sales cases for major clients such as Warner Bros, NBC, and MLB, while also overseeing the post-sales onboarding process in the U.S. This experience provided me with valuable insights into the unique dynamics of U.S. teams and customer relations. I found it especially enlightening to observe the contrasts between U.S. customers and those in the EU, UK, and other regions. At that time, the U.S. division was focused on sales and pre-sales, with post-sales support handled in LATAM, which added complexity to the onboarding process. This high-pressure responsibility played a key role in sharpening my leadership skills as we built the post-sales function from the ground up.
In what ways do you think the support team can turn challenges into opportunities to improve customer service
I believe that each post-sales case presents an opportunity to enhance customer service. By gathering consistent feedback from customers, we can identify areas for improvement, address their concerns, and strengthen our relationship with them. This ongoing dialogue fosters a robust relationship that hopefully leads to long-term partnership.
What new trends or opportunities do you foresee that could enhance our customer support operations in the near future?
Current trends we are seeing in customer support include the implementation of AI chatbots for 24/7 service, the use of predictive analytics to anticipate customer needs and potential issues based on historical data, training and development tools designed to enhance support knowledge, and visual assistance tools to aid in troubleshooting.
Personal Insights
What is the most rewarding part of working in customer support for you personally?
The most rewarding part of my job is the satisfaction of fixing issues after careful troubleshooting. It’s also incredibly fulfilling to hear customers express their gratitude for the support we provide, recognizing the positive impact of our work.
How do you maintain a positive mindset and high performance while handling customer inquiries and complex issues?
For me, the key is to implement frequent and transparent communication cadence with the customers. This approach ensures that the customer feels supported and not abandoned, while helping us manage pressure and maintain a positive outlook.
Finally, what advice would you give to someone aspiring to build a successful career in customer service?
Never assume that any case is straightforward; while it may seem obvious to you, it might not be for the customer. Treat each customer as the most important by delivering the highest quality service and demonstrating a consistent commitment to their case. Strive to build as many strong relationships with them as possible.
Find David on Linkedin