The Humans of smrtPhone

Our “smrtie of the Month” is an adaptable and fast learner, dedicated to great support and constant exploring.

Name

Andreea Cepoiu

Title / Role in the Company

I am part of the First Level Support team. We’re the first ones that users talk to when they reach out and all of their requests. We handle technical stuff, random questions, or maybe just have a chat if someone is feeling chatty.

How long have you worked for smrtPhone?

Since July 2023

What’s your background? 

Most of my career, since I was 19, was spent in hospitality. It started as “just a job” so I could support myself and not ask my parents for money. I’ve been a barista, a bartender, and I worked in a hotel. I tried everything except for cooking. I moved to Brasov when I was 16. After 3 years of university, I decided I wanted to be financially independent. I was so shy at first, but then I learned to be comfortable with talking to strangers all day. 

After a while, I wanted a change. I wanted to try something else. So I became a personal assistant for a very interesting lady who has a private kindergarten in Brasov. It was so different from everything I’d been doing. I ran the social media, organized the kids’ activity club, and worked on various projects for her. It was super interesting. 

Then I started at smrtPhone, which was also very different. One of the things that’s amazing is that very few people have had to apply for jobs here. It’s always a referral. Everyone is connected to someone, or is a friend of, or has some kind of link. It shows that people like working here if they invite their friends. 

For me, I’ve known Oana [2nd Level Support] for over 10 years. She kept telling me about her job and what she was learning. She was basically saying, it’s new, and it’s something you should try.

What was your first job? 

My first job was a really weird thing: I took part in a social research project sponsored by a university in Bucharest. It was based on some political stuff. We had to go house to house and ask people to talk to us. They gave us a huge questionnaire to administer. And the people would get bored really fast, so you had to keep talking and try to keep them engaged. 

Some people were really nice and some people were really rude. But, I learned a lot and I’m thankful for the experience

What do you like about working for smrtPhone? 

The greatest thing about working for  smrtPhone is having a very supportive Support team. 

This type of work was new for me. I had no idea how to troubleshoot technical issues before, but I was interested in learning. I was very impressed with what we do, how the whole thing works and what we offer clients. My colleagues are so supportive, answering questions, explaining things sometimes multiple times.

Describe smrtPhone in 3 words: 

• Friendly – We’re all about human interaction (among technical talk)
• Flexible – We’re so adaptable to users’ needs, and it shows
• Resourceful – Whenever there is something that looks like it’s unfixable at first, we still come up with ideas and solutions. We make the impossible possible.

Is there a particular moment/project at smrtPhone that stands out and makes you feel proud?  

When I think about when I’m most proud, it is every time we have a difficulty or a challenge, like a feature outage or a compliance issue or something that interferes with what our clients are doing. Whenever we have a moment like that to overcome – I’m so proud of the team and how everyone handles it. We’re really great at challenges.

What do you like to do in your free time?

I spend time outside. I like all kinds of outdoor activities. A few years ago I got into trail running, which was a big milestone for me because I was never good at sports. My boyfriend casually said “let’s go for a run” and then another and another. Two months later, I was running a half marathon. I like the challenges of trail running, up and down and watching out for tripping. 

I also like going on little adventures. Not even far away, just going to new places to see. Often it is just a small town, an hour away. I like to be aware of what’s surrounding me. 

And of course the classic answer: I love hanging out with my friends and going to live concerts.

Name something that is on your “bucket list”

Someday I’d like to learn how to cook professionally. Maybe taking cooking classes. I want to learn the professional way, be taught all of the science behind it. I want to learn all of the techniques, but especially pastry.  

I would really like to build a house. I don’t mean to have a house made for me, but rather to learn how to do it myself. I’m very interested in how to build stuff. My dad is a builder and he gives me details and explains things. I love to just ask him questions like, “Tell me all about tiles!” 

I’m already very handy. I’ve started with small stuff, fixing things. My friends know they can call me to help. “Oh, you need help with your sink? Do you have tools? No? It’s okay, I got you.”

What is a fun fact people might not know about you? 

I really like to clean. It helps to keep your hands busy. It helps me think. It helps me process. I either think about or think through something or I space out and it gives me an escape. Cleaning is like my therapy. I don’t need therapy, I just need to wash the dishes.