My Career Journey: Maksym Natiazhko, Client Experience Director

Introduction

Q: Maksym, your role is brand new for the company. What are your main focuses and responsibilities?

My role is all about People Experience for clients: gathering feedback, addressing concerns, and ensuring issues are resolved quickly and effectively. If something isn’t right, I connect with the internal teams, develop an action plan, and follow through to improve the experience.

Q: You’ve spent the past three years focused on People Experience for our internal teams. Now, you’re bringing that expertise to our clients. How does that feel?

It’s a change, but an exciting one! Before, I was the go-to person for internal teams to discuss various issues: from work-related concerns to dealing with a loss of a loved one or navigating personal challenges.

Now, I’m shifting my focus to business needs. It’s still about problem-solving and improving experiences, but from a broader perspective, helping to refine our services and processes to better support our clients. While this was part of the CCO’s role in the past, the department restructure has now made it a dedicated position, which I’m really happy about.

Let’s Reflect

Q: Can you share your journey at SupportYourApp?

Ohh…it’s a long one! I started as a Customer Support Consultant, like most of our management, but shortly after, the project I was working on got shut down. I was offered the chance to try a new role — Service Delivery Manager. 

It was a wild ride: I handled everything from tough client terminations to integrating one of our key clients. This meant negotiating offline, making office visits, managing CRM setups and customized solutions. Oh, and there was that one time I sprained my ankle right before the client’s visit, and still showed up to the office because remote work wasn’t really a thing back then!

After some time, I decided to step back into customer support to spend more time with my growing family. But not long after, I got an offer to join the Internal Operations (now Human Capital) team as a People Experience Manager. Somewhere along the way, I even helped the Marketing team set up some processes. 

Q: That’s a truly unique experience! How does it help with your new position?

Understanding how everything works really helps. I know exactly when something is a company policy or arrangement, or just a mistake that needs investigating. I know exactly what each department is doing and whom to contact for questions or suggestions. This knowledge of each team’s responsibilities gives me the helicopter view that’s crucial when communicating with clients and identifying areas that need improvement.

Q: What is it about the company that has kept you here for nearly seven years?

I think it’s SupportYourApp’s attitude towards people. Despite mistakes, stressful situations, role transitions, COVID, any crisis that ever occurred… I’ve never felt like just another random profile in the HR system. From onboarding to this day, the company has always made me feel valued, appreciated, and supported.

Q: That’s true! And speaking of Onboarding, how did it go for you?

Some people know that our Office 1 ground floor space was dedicated to onboarding. Despite it being absolutely lovely, fully furnished, with iMacs and everything, I still joke about SupportYourApp keeping me in a basement for a month. 

And as for the 1 month part — well, the project was launching slowly and wasn’t fully ready, so instead of just leaving me in limbo, the company kept me engaged and assigned tasks to keep me part of the team. This is a perfect example of how the company treats its people, and why I’ve stayed here for so long.

Be Open-Minded, Be Prepared: Career Insights

Q: What skills are essential for someone in a People Experience role?

For People Experience with internal teams, the key skill is a genuine love for communication and interacting with people. It rarely drained my energy, and I truly enjoyed building those connections. Empathy is essential too: being open-minded and prepared for any situation. People may be dealing with personal challenges, stress, or tough emotions (sometimes even aggression), so being able to handle those conversations with understanding is crucial.

Q: What about skills that are most important when it comes to Client Experience, on the other hand?

It’s all about understanding the client’s business needs and how we can best meet them through our services. Problem-solving and strategic communication are essential, as we need to provide clear solutions that align with their goals. Having in-depth knowledge of our processes and services is crucial, so we can manage client expectations effectively. 

Outside the Office

Q: Now it’s time for a round of personal questions. If you weren’t in this profession, what career would you have pursued and why?

Handy man, handy work. I’ve always been interested in becoming a car mechanic or an electrician. There’s something satisfying about following instructions and seeing the tangible results of your efforts. In People Experience, the results aren’t always immediate or visible; it’s more about long-term impact, so that instant gratification of completing a physical task and seeing the outcome right in front of you sounds very exciting.

Q: This sounds exciting! What hobbies or passions do you have?

I wouldn’t say I have one long-term hobby, but I am an expert in trying things out and moving on if they don’t stick. Crocheting, sewing, making mini rugs, embroidering, painting, playing instruments — you name it, I’ve probably tried it out already. My philosophy is that I will never know if I like it if I never try. Right now, I’m into mountain bikes. How long will this one last? No one knows.

Q: And our last, and probably most fun, question: can you share an interesting fact about yourself that most people don’t know?

I have both a fact and a confession! The fact: I recently bought a leaf blower, and I AM LOVING IT. I spent hours cleaning up the backyard, and it was ridiculously satisfying. And the confession? I only play scary games during the daytime or when someone else is in the room with me. No way, I’m doing that alone!

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