The Humans of smrtPhone

This month’s featured “smrtie” is a name you might be familiar with if you have ever reached out on our live chat: Support team member Alessandro David.

Name

Alessandro David

Title / Role in the Company

I am part of the First Level Support team. We chat with our clients about any issues, problems, or questions that they might encounter while using our platform or our apps.

How long have you worked for smrtPhone?

8 months. I’m excited to reach the one year mark, and hopefully many more. 

What’s your background? 

Before smrtPhone, I was working at a call center doing phone support for another company. I worked there for a year and a half. I learned a lot of things like social skills, asking good questions, and other customer support-related things that are helpful here at smrtPhone. It was a great place to build my skills. 

I’m currently in my second year at university, studying industrial design. At first, when I started school, I wasn’t really sure of what I wanted to do – even now, I’m not sure what I want to do! I wasn’t particularly interested in design – I didn’t think I was very good at it in high school – but there is a program in English at a university with a good reputation. My friend went there and he told me it was good, so I applied. 

I have two and a half more years until I graduate. My goal is just to finish school. It’s really exhausting. I wake up at 7am, go to school, get home around 2 or 3 in the afternoon, and then at 4pm, I hop on smrtPhone and get to work. I’m going to finish, because why not? But in my opinion, university in Romania is not worth it. 

What was your first job? 

Before smrtPhone I have had five jobs. But the very first one was as a waiter in a really famous restaurant in the center of Brașov. I worked there for a summer, for four months. I made enough money to take a good vacation to the seaside. 

What do you like about working for smrtPhone? 

I like everything about smrtPhone.

The first thing that comes to mind is the team that I’m working with – not just the Support team, but the entire team. Everyone is friendly and wants to help. Everyone wants to do the best that they can. Being part of a company where everyone wants to give everything they have is something that I’ve never seen before. And that’s one of the most important things. 

Another thing that I like about smrtPhone is the product itself. I see a lot of potential in smrtPhone to grow. And to grow fast and to grow big. I want to see that happen and be a part of it, and that makes me really excited. 

Working from home is nice, too. It suits my lifestyle really well. With my schedule, I couldn’t physically go to a place to work. It would be almost impossible. 

Describe smrtPhone in 3 words: 

Family –  I really see everyone as family here and this is something I never experienced before. Everywhere else you’re just “workers.” The fact that everyone wants to help each other – it’s the best! That’s how you grow; that’s how people around you grow. 

Friendly – Friendly for us, inside the company and also friendly for our customers. We really respect our clients and get to know them. But also, our products and platform are user-friendly for everyone who subscribes.  

Growing – Fast-growing. There has already been so much growth since I joined the team and a lot more is coming. 

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

What makes me feel most proud isn’t an exact moment. Or, maybe it’s a future moment. I feel really excited and proud when I look into smrtPhone’s future. Seeing the potential smrtPhone has to grow and surpass any other phone system out there (or even any other company) energizes me. Not only in five years, but even in the next year or in two years; I’m excited to see how we’ve grown. 

I am also proud of everything we’ve achieved in the past eight months. We’ve accomplished a lot in the past year. Someone has joined in every department. We’ve added so many new features. Seeing how everything has grown – that makes you proud. 

What do you like to do in your free time? 

I don’t have very much free time, especially Monday to Friday. At the moment, I live with my girlfriend. The free time for me from Mon-Fri is in between chats, and I can turn around and hang out with her. 

On the weekends, when I actually have free time, I like to chill. I like to stay at home, watch movies with my girlfriend. I love to cook. We cook, we watch movies, we chill. 

Sometimes when we are not in the mood to cook I like to go to a restaurant or go grab a coffee. 

I enjoy driving. Sometimes I’ll get a coffee and drive around, and stop to visit friends. 

One thing I rarely do, but would love to do more, is go visit my parents. I usually go once every two weeks. We have great talks and enjoy a glass of wine together. 

Name something that is on your “bucket list”

I haven’t had much time, but looking ahead, I would like to start traveling. In April I’m planning to go to Germany to visit my uncle and his girlfriend. I would also love to go to the Netherlands. I really want to go there. I want to go back to Italy. 

I also want to start following an exercise routine and eating healthier. If you want to move on to the 3rd year of school, you cannot have any unpassed exams from the first year. I have two physical education tests I have to pass, so I should start focusing on it now. 

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

Both of my parents are Romanian but I was born in Italy. I lived there for six or seven years, and then I moved back to Romania. While my parents were there with me, they learned a lot of Italian dishes and cooking techniques. My father taught me how to make pasta. My name is the Italian version of the Romanian name Alexandru. 

I’m pretty open, so there are not a lot of things people don’t know about me.