Q: Please describe your role at Circuitwise.
I manage the high-profile existing customers of Circuitwise. My job is to maintain our strong relationships with these customers and ensure they are so satisfied that they keep coming back to us. I need to keep up with what is happening internally with our customers and what is important to them so that we can serve them in the best way possible.
I also talk with new prospects where my sales background can add value by determining their needs and if they are good fit, before onboarding them into the business as valued clients.
Q: What does a typical day look like?
The main thing I do every day is keep customers updated on the progress of their existing jobs and answer any queries they have on that. At the same time, there are often related inquiries, such as rework or new product inquiries.
So basically, I’m interacting with customers at all levels, ensuring I'm available for them and helping them through their inquiries while trying to grow their business with Circuitwise.
Q: What is the most important part of your work?
Maintaining the customer relationship is the most important thing, and that is about ensuring I listen to them. I have an electronics engineering degree, which helps when the inquiry is technical. However, the main thing is just good listening skills.
I often have to ask several questions to get to the bottom of what they are asking about, which requires patience. Each customer has a different history and so has different perspectives and expectations. For example, sometimes inquiries are coloured by a bad experience they had with another manufacturer in the past.
Their current context is also important, as some may be focused on quality demands from their end users and others on getting a job through urgently to meet a sales deadline.
The main outcome I am working toward is to ensure they understand and feel we are true partners, vested in their success. Achieving that gives confidence to customers.
Q: What is the most interesting part of your work?
Previously, I was working in distribution at element14 where I had an outsiders, high-level visibility of the manufacturing process. Since coming to Circuitwise, I've developed a much deeper understanding of the whole process, which has been fascinating.
Also, I get to see where the boards we're building are going, and sometimes, they can be put into some very cool machines. I visit my customers and see how our PCBs are assembled into the final product.
Working closely with the customers is what I enjoy most and coming to Circuitwise I have taken that to the next level.
Q: What is the best thing about working with Circuitwise?
The best thing is the collaborative nature of the business. The individuals and teams here work as one unit. That's just been amazing. The amount of knowledge each person has and what I have learned since joining has been incredible.
When I talk to customers, I try to help them understand that it’s not just me supporting them. There's a whole team at Circuitwise backing you up.
Q: What is the best tip you can give to customers?
The most important thing is to ensure that your design files are detailed and meticulously prepared. If you aren’t designing in-house it is critical to partner with a good electronics design firm that really understands what goes on at the manufacturing end and what is required to deliver a design package that will streamline the design transfer process. We are happy to get involved early in the design phase to give suggestions on optimising the design for manufacturing, but it’s important that the customer owns their overall design process and is invested in a collaborative effort with their contract manufacturer.
Q: What are your favourite activities outside of work? What are you most enthusiastic about?
I'm the mother of two boys, 5 and 10 years old. As a family, we love sports and outdoor activities. We are originally from India so we love cricket. My husband and older boy play cricket and my father is a state coach in Kerala, India. Our weekends and weekday evenings are often spent on the cricket ground or doing some other form of physical activity. Personally, I love working out, so I do that whenever I have some free time.
We also love travelling and hiking, so we often go to the Royal National Park or the Blue Mountains just outside of Sydney. We recently went to Tasmania and did several of the most famous walks there.
Q: What is a fun fact that people may not know about you?
I was a professional badminton player in India. I started at district level, then state level, progressing to nationals. I was ranked number 2 in all of India (Inter Schools) for the under-16 and under-19 categories. Unfortunately, I then had a back injury and had to stop around the time I was finishing university.
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