My Journey to Becoming a Data Analyst
In the ever-evolving landscape of technology and innovation, the role of a Customer Success Fellow is like being the captain of a ship navigating waters which have not been explored. Each day brings new challenges, opportunities, and a chance to make a lasting impact. As someone deeply immersed in the world of products, I've discovered that the principles of customer success shape the very fabric of our daily lives.
Throughout my journey as a customer success fellow, I have learned many valuable lessons, including how to use some of the best technologies and curate user experiences. It has been an exhilarating journey filled with profound moments that are worth sharing. So, let's dive into the heart of this adventure and explore how passion, strategy, and genuine connection create a roadmap for success, not just in customer success but in life’s journey.
Onboarding at Impact Africa Network
My journey began in May 2023. Being fresh from campus, I had very few expectations of what my role would involve. Furthermore, everything I heard concerning customer service revolved around making and picking calls, answering customer queries and responding to messages here and there. Seems easy, right? I had very little experience with customer service, but making calls did not seem all that hard. I make calls every day. The only difference was that I was getting paid to make and pick those calls. The first week was just that, the first week. Nothing much was going on, not many tasks, work was very minimal, and this was odd because I remembered during my onboarding the words ‘High Performance’, ‘High Integrity’ and ‘High Collaboration’ were stressed to the point that you could compose a song with those six words. I assumed that my tasks would be manageable and at my level.
Little did I know that the slow week was just a ‘welcome’. I started handling the growth section of my Shukran’s weekly reports, reporting on the number of new tippers we’d gotten that week and the restaurant they tipped from. Initially, each department head would present their section of the report to the CEO, but my case was a unique one because I also started reporting the growth department’s numbers due to my superior's long absence. I remember my first time reporting to Mark. My voice was shaky, and my hands were sweaty. All eyes were on me, and since it was my first time, I felt nervous. I just wanted to get it over with and hoped I wouldn’t mess up. In the end, I managed to get through it.
This went on for some time until one Tuesday morning, when I was giving my report and Mark (CEO) asked for some insights that I got from the data I presented, and I boldly said, ‘I don’t know’. This led to me learning another lesson. The room fell completely silent, and I had all eyes on me! I remember getting flushed and tearing up. I had never been so embarrassed before! That is when it dawned on me, this job was not like the university internship I had a few months back, where I spent my days printing papers and bingeing Netflix shows (I finished a whole series at work). This was real life, with real targets where people held me accountable. I had to shape up, and so I did. I am forever grateful because without those tough lessons, I would not have become the person I am today.
At the next meeting we had, I went in prepared with numbers, insights and answers to possible questions, but I was still tense. It takes a while to build confidence. Still, the meeting went very well, and I was applauded for my presentation. I felt so good about myself that day. That was my first time taking a step towards growing into a competent customer success professional, and it felt awesome. Day by day, my confidence grew. I became smarter, and making the calls became easier. Though I hated it at first, I embraced my role and became good at something on my own, through sheer effort. I was finally getting the hang of it.
Within those first few weeks, I also got involved with the SACCO. Specifically helping with retrieving numbers, they needed for their reports and helping out with the marketing department. I was like a shared resource; in fact, I was a shared resource. I was in marketing, SACCO, growth and even product. Additionally, I worked with the relationship managers, following them to pitches and getting to learn about sales. Dorcas, one of the relationship managers, was an expert when it came to selling Shukran. I was learning many different things concurrently. From making calls, to coming up with call and SMS scripts, pulling needed data from Metabase, creating and manipulating data, marketing, etc. I was going through a steep learning curve, one I did not expect. By this point, I was fully immersed in the Impact Africa Network culture.
Learning and Development Opportunities
My role was evolving, and so was I. When I first joined the organisation, I came in with a clear dream of becoming either a Software Engineer or a Data Scientist. However, up to that point, none of the work I was doing truly aligned with that vision. Working with Metabase was the closest I had come to my goal. Recognising this, I decided to improve and become more critical in my approach, especially because I started receiving questions that pushed me to be more precise in creating and manipulating data to find accurate answers. Numbers should never lie, and even the smallest error could throw off the entire business. I knew I had to get better.
It is at this point that I shifted my focus to Data Analytics, and it sort of became and is still my primary role. I was first tasked with sharing insights on marketing campaigns to find out what was working and what was not. I also came up with comprehensive reports on the data and created analytical dashboards to help the team keep track of the numbers. I fell in love and I still am, and now I am the project lead. My dream was being actualised right in front of my eyes, and I was living it, not exactly how I thought it would look, but it’s still a great feeling. It has been a journey with many challenges, hurdles and obstacles.
Conclusion
I can confidently say that I am not the same person I was back in May 2023. I am shocked to see how much I have grown both mentally and professionally. I see things differently, I speak differently, I am different. People often tell me how lucky I am to be here, and looking back, I agree, not everybody was blessed with such an opportunity. I am surrounded by awesome people in an awesome environment. This is the first workplace I have heard people say they get along with HR, which is something you rarely hear in the corporate world. I love the person I am today and the person I am becoming. I am growing daily, and I’m ready to face the real world because I am now confident that I can do anything I set my mind to.
Data is Beautiful!
