To be honest, I’ve always found written communication to be my strength which is also a core factor of this job role. Writing gives me the space to organize my thoughts, reflect on my experiences, and express myself more clearly. That’s why I decided to write this article.

Note: I didn't record the interview, I'm just trying to recollect the responses. I used AI tools like Grammarly to refine the sentences for better clarity.

Update: page optimized for mobile screens.

Introduction about me.

I’m Hari Nandanan! I’m a Computer Science graduate and technical support engineer from Kerala, India. I find myself to be a blend of technical and customer centric guy who is curious to figure out how things work. I find joy in educating others with their technical challenges. I like to believe in this philosophy of teaching how to fish.

How did I find Zapier?

In my previous org, we used Zapier with other applications and services to make our LMS product fully functional. From payment to refunds was done through the zaps which are integrated. Playing around with Zapier was a breakthrough in my career where I can imagine different combinations to solve different problems.

Here's the link to a Zap we used: https://zapier.com/shared/wvc-invites/b6576533da9b5e2d2ebffc338586105b771f18e1

Why do I want to work at Zapier?

I was surprised by the power of Zapier when I first used it. It opened doors for me to imagine solutions by simply integrating applications. I have researched Zapier as a company before and I must say I have read some strong mission statements on the values page.

The idea of making automation accessible to everyone and making computers do more work is something that I strongly advocate for. I always like to think of ways to improve a system and Zapier's growth is pointing exactly to that direction.

When I researched more about Zapier’s culture, I realized how much it aligns with my values. I thrive in environments where feedback is encouraged and used as a tool for growth, and I deeply value empathy, especially when viewing things from the user’s perspective. It’s this alignment with Zapier’s values that pushed me to apply for this position.

I connected with some amazing people from Zapier’s Support team on LinkedIn. Special thanks to Lauren and Jeanny, who took the time to share their insights about the Support role. Hearing their perspectives on what the job really is and how the team collaborates truly resonated with my approach and style.

Talked to a nice and patient customer (Lou)

This was the interesting part of the interview where Lou was the customer who had an issue with the Hubspot to Shipstation integration. I got the issue from the API log but figuring out the solution was a bit tricky - we used Google, Copilot and the right guidance from Alexis.

We fixed 3 issues, it felt great moving from forums to documentations searching for that exact solution. Finally we got the solution and that was communicated with the customer. It felt fulfilling :))

Pushing me in right direction (Alexis)

While moving from one page to other in search of the exact Formatter documentation, I was totally into the process and missed talking my thought process. Alexis had helped me to move in the right direction. This has helped me in reaching the final solution.

I also learned about Lookup tables and the use cases of where to use it. After the interview, I also tried to build a sample zap to try out Lookup tables.

Here's a zap I built with the country code formatter we discussed: https://zapier.com/editor/277902761/draft/277902763/sample

Multitasking question

In times of high traffic especially when there is a promotional sale, multiple tickets come in, I rely on a prioritization approach I learned from my previous manager. It's the Eisenhower Matrix to categorize tasks based on urgency and importance.

This helps me focus first on critical issues ensuring that urgent and important tasks are resolved promptly. For important but less urgent tasks, I schedule dedicated time to address them before they become challenging.

To stay organized, I leverage Asana, which help me track progress and deadlines. My work also include reading documentation, searching for answers, and active learning. Clear communication with customers of ticket statuses have also helped me in managing large amount of tickets.

Collaborating with different teams

I got stuck here in gathering my thoughts. Thank you Lou for giving me a moment to take a breathe and write down my thoughts. I really appreciate your patience.

I was the lead in managing the technical integrations and launching a community app, where I collaborated with both the development and marketing teams to ensure a successful rollout.

My responsibilities included coordinating alpha and beta testing, where I worked with the development team to identify and resolve bugs, improve functionality, and ensure the app met user expectations. Simultaneously, I partnered with the marketing team to create and execute a launch strategy, which involved sending out targeted marketing emails, engaging with feedback groups, and incorporating their insights to refine the app.

I tried to maintained clear communication between teams and addressed the major challenges. Thanks to this collaborative effort, we had actually launched our application.

Here's the app info: See the launch update of the app here.

Feedback that helped me

While I was on project to design a website early on in my career, I received a feedback from my manager Ankur Warikoo. He appreciated my commitment to learning and tackling new challenges, my honesty in admitting what I knew and didn’t know, and my grounded personality, which he found endearing.

However, he also encouraged me to explore my creative side, suggesting I take up UX/UI design courses to broaden my skill set. He emphasized the importance of proactive communication, urging me to provide regular updates so no one would ever need to follow up on my tasks.

This feedback gave me a new perspective to reflect on my work. In my next project, I applied my learnings, for which I received praise for its user-friendly interface. I’m grateful for my manager's mentorship, and the lessons I learned from his feedback still guide me in my work today.

The feedback email is still something I visit, I'm happy to showcase it.

If the image is not loading, click here to view it.

Here's my recommendation letter when I was leaving that organization, I'm actually proud of the progress I made.

If the image is not loading, click here to view it.

Adapting to a change

When our team transitioned from using email to a CRM platform called Freshdesk, I felt a little uncomfortable at first. But it was tool and I was always interested in learning new tools, I decided to quickly try the product hands-on and saw it as an opportunity to grow.

My first step was to dive into tutorial videos. I’ve always been someone who learns best by seeing and doing, so these videos were incredibly helpful in building my confidence.

Next, I turned to my favorite resource, which is documentation. I read through the CRM’s user guides which helped me understand the technical aspects and potential challenges to prepare solutions in advance.

As I started using the CRM in my day-to-day tasks, I realized how much more efficient and organized our processes became. What initially felt like a steep learning curve gradually turned into second nature. I even found myself sharing guides with my teammates when they got stuck.

My Success Metrics

Questions…?

I always wished to get an answer directly from people working at Zapier about how things operate withing the company. I just got a masterclass about Zapier and the working style of Support roles there.

I had my doubts cleared on training program, success metrics and career progression for the role. I had also got an idea of how new apps are added to Zapier when they are launched.

Thank you, Lou and Alexis, for taking the time to share your expertise and for making the conversation so comfortable. Your insights not only answered my questions but also left me feeling inspired about the possibilities ahead. I’m truly grateful for the opportunity.

Zapier!

As mentioned by my recruiter, Allan, Zapier has a lot of new features coming and is planning to expand the company's hiring. This is a great time to be part of the team and contribute to the mission of making computers do more work.