Meet Arif: 6 Tips from Banglalink’s e-Business Manager
“I recently traveled to Bali, Indonesia,” exclaims Arif. “Being able to experience the local culture there was fun and inspiring. I even went diving for the first time. It’s moments like those that are worth capturing.”
For Arif, life is all about chasing and capturing the experience. It’s much like making a video (which he loves to do).
“The process of making a video is much like life. You learn and you improve along the way,” attests Arif.
In our conversation with Arif, we learn more about how to make the best video ever (i.e. write a better story for your life).
1. Free the plot
Kurt Vonnegut, a famous writer, once said, “I don’t plot my books rigidly, follow a preconceived structure. A novel mustn’t be a closed system — it’s a quest.”
That’s good advice for not just making a video. It’s good advice for living out your life. You must also be ready to adapt along the way.
Arif’s career path shows how this is done. From his first work experience as a volunteer at a United Nations conference during university to his current position as an e-business manager at Banglalink, he’s always been focused on improvement.
“I first worked in sales in telecom. It was tough, as I had long been a shy person. I had to approach big decision-makers at major companies. I learned how to overcome fears and my personality changed a lot,” recalls Arif.
That experience in sales prepared Arif well for his first position at Banglalink in B2B data and corporate solutions. As he learned new technologies like M2M and IoT, the communication skills he acquired and ability to understand customer needs benefited him greatly.
“I always took new roles that would grow my knowledge and skills. This has allowed me to build confidence and tackle every new challenge. Wherever the path goes, I know I can make the story better.”
Being ready for whatever the journey brings is useful for Arif in daily matters, too. Because each day is different at Banglalink.
“New technologies are arriving rapidly and we must find solutions and use cases. This is a roller-coaster ride and every day is a new day. I really like my work here.”
2. Know your audience
Banglalink actually ran a fun video-making campaign in 2017. Banglalink Next Tuber, a first of its kind digital reality show, called on folks to show the world their potential.
“We encouraged young people to make a video showcasing their talents and upload it to YouTube. Our goal was to engage and have fun with our customers, and give them a platform to boost their audience reach,” notes Arif.
The winners of the competition, Ahnaf Nasif and Rafid Mahadi, rose to glory by not only producing exciting and entertaining videos through rap battles and improv acts, but also by touching on real aspects of life. They connected on a personal level with their audience.
Knowing your audience is key to success in video production. It also applies to whatever work you do.
For instance, Arif and the e-business team have been focusing much more on data offerings as Banglalink becomes increasingly. They’re also working on ways to drive more customers to digital services.
“We’re driving customers to digital products through efforts at monobrand stores, call centers, and grassroots-style interactions. By meeting our customers where they are, we can figure out how to better serve them and show them the benefits of going digital.”
3. Scenes often require multiple takes
One of Arif’s great inspirations is Elon Musk (there’s someone they’ll make movies about).
“Musk has big dreams and goes for them. He’s motivated me to never get down. Even if you fail, get up and face the problem head on,” says Arif.
Finding solutions is something Arif learned during his first job in sales. At the end of the day, he would go over all his pitches.
“I would document everything and analyze what didn’t work and why. This showed me how to improve. It also made me treat failure a learning process.”
Arif commits himself to learning daily today. It’s how you make the next scene in the show better. He studies on Lynda.com (part of LinkedIn Learning), collaborates with colleagues, seeks advice from external partners, and gets input from customers as well.
“Our biggest project lately has been the self-care app. We began by doing a call center survey and finding the biggest issues customers have. Having that feedback has ensured we know what’s important as we develop, design, and refine the app.”
4. Edit and edit until everyone can enjoy the show
A renowned film expert, Ken Dancyger, states the editor is successful “when the audience enjoys the story and forgets about the juxtapositions of the shot.” This requires tireless editing to make viewing smooth for everyone.
This is an idea Arif and the team kept in mind while developing the self-care app. For example, since a good portion of Banglalink phone users have feature phones (roughly 70% as of late 2017), they had to keep in mind these customers.
“Adopting this feature phone mindset enables us to focus more effectively on core functions,” attests Arif.
This idea of inclusion in design can’t be lost during development and interface design. As Caio Braga, an expert UX designer, writes, it’s vital to get different inputs, test in different market groups, and make the interface universally accessible.
Matt May, Adobe’s head of inclusive design, has a great quote on the importance of keeping in mind accessibility:
“Accessibility is a qualitative measure of the overall suitability of a product to support each individual user’s needs and preferences.”
Arif has employed these ideals in designing the self-care app. And they’ve enabled all feature phone users to solve key needs in one easy-to-use page.
“We’ve now developed a simple and relevant user interface. After soft-launching and tweaking based on feedback, we launched commercially. It’s been a great success because we’ve worked hard to polish the app.”
5. Be the director
The best directors take ownership, ensuring every part of the video is as good as it should be. If you ask Arif for career advice, he echoes this idea of taking ownership — that you should be like a video director.
“If you join Banglalink, focus on being dependable. Take initiative and never think it’s not my job. Face challenges. Ask questions. Search for answers,” advises Arif.
Arif also stresses the need to be a team player. That’s something he learned on his first day of school, which is actually his earliest memory.
“I didn’t want to go. But then the teacher was so kind and helped me get acclimated. This motivated me to engage with others.”
Much of being a team player involves being there to help colleagues. The team-oriented atmosphere is one main reason Arif tells people to work at Banglalink.
“The work environment is a key reason I’ve stayed so long. Banglalink helps you professionally and personally. I’ve gone from sales to B2B to e-commerce, and they’ve provided the resources necessary to continually improve. You can truly grow your career and even take on different roles here. You can make your own amazing story.”
6. Sit back and enjoy the show
In other words, take time for yourself. For Arif, that involves honing his video-making skills and other activities.
“Give your brain rest and give yourself time for other things. Respect your body’s natural processes. If you don’t, your health will deteriorate.”
During the workday, Arif enjoys his breaks by visiting his son at Banglalink’s childcare center. Outside the office, he spends time with family and loves eating Khichuri. He also plans to learn guitar.
That all sounds like a lot of fun, doesn’t it?
What will your video look like?
Now, you know all about what it takes to make the best video ever (i.e. live your life to the fullest).
By the way, if you want to make an actual awesome video, take a tip from Arif and go scuba diving in Bali (and film it, of course). The beauty of being underwater will inspire you to seize the day.
