Life in the SumUp Customer Support team
Kristiin Krillo and Matilda Kaarna share their SumUp origin stories.
Matilda Kaarna and Kristiin Krillo both moved to Berlin fairly spontaneously for jobs at SumUp. Matilda explains, “I’m from Finland and I moved here about 2 years ago. A friend was living here so I came to visit and just totally fell in love with the city. I saw that SumUp was looking for a Finnish Customer Service Expert and became intrigued–I’d never really considered working for a tech company, but I’ve always been interested in technology. Before SumUp I was working for H&M, and I’m a trained hairdresser. But now that I’ve been here for 2 years, it feels like I’ve worked in this field my whole life. It’s funny how you discover these new sides to yourself.”
The allure of Berlin also played a major role in bringing Kristiin to SumUp. “I grew up in Estonia. After university, I wanted to move to Germany, but I was worried it would feel too big. So I packed my bags for Portugal and spent 2 years there instead. But the idea of Germany, and Berlin, in particular, stuck with me. Then I was working on a project in Poland that got cancelled, and I learned through a friend that SumUp needed someone to handle Estonian customer support: it seemed like the right opportunity at the right time.”
Working with smaller SumUp markets has given Matilda and Kristiin plenty of opportunities to expand the scope of their roles. Kristiin explains, “I’m part of what’s called the Expansion team, there are around 11 of us. In most cases, we’re each solely responsible for a single small market. There’s a lot to take care of, but we’re not overwhelmed with phone calls, so this gives us time to work on different projects and pursue other interests within the company.”
The pair have amassed a wealth of company knowledge during their time here. Matilda recalls her initial training: “It was such a blast of information, but it was really rewarding learning so much about the industry. And then once you start dealing with merchants, you have to learn a lot about your own market, because there are so many things that customers might call us about. I know so much about accounting and business law now! And by talking to merchants every day, you form this very accurate picture of how SumUp and our products are perceived by the outside world.”
Kristiin elaborates: “We also receive constant feedback on user experience, which is really useful for our Product and Engineering teams. For anyone who works here, using our app is really easy and intuitive because we’re so familiar with it. But talking to merchants every day gives another perspective and reveals the blind spots.”
After becoming experts in all things SumUp, many members of our Customer Service team go on to pursue other career paths within the company. Matilda recalls, “I definitely saw the potential for growth here from the start. The interaction between teams is great, and there’s no visible sense of hierarchy. The senior people are all very approachable and visible.”
Kristiin shares similar sentiments: “I feel very connected to the rest of the company. I’d say you need to show some initiative to really make the most of it, but everyone’s really welcoming and encouraging. There are lots of social initiatives–not just parties and after-work drinks, but also really meaningful things like our recent mental health awareness day. I love organising events and I’ve had plenty of opportunities to do this at SumUp. As we’re growing so quickly as a company, I think it’s really important to preserve the family atmosphere by bringing people together.”
Finally, we ask the pair to each share a personal highlight from their time at SumUp to date. Kristiin recalls, “During a trip to Estonia, I interviewed and did a photoshoot with a couple of SumUp merchants. I’m a part-time photographer, so it was great to use these skills in my day job. We shared the stories on Instagram, and I really enjoyed the chance to show that SumUp cares about smaller countries like Estonia.”
Matilda, meanwhile, struggles to stick to one highlight: “Becoming a team lead is definitely up there. I love the fact that I always have interesting side-projects to work on. I’m really proud of a deep-dive I produced on the Finnish market, which I shared with the rest of the company. And I also had the opportunity to spend some time in Amsterdam as an interim team lead for our Dutch office. As they’re separate from the rest of our teams, it was great to get to know them personally and learn more about their culture.”
