A Journey from Coding to Marketing: Know Thy Customer, Know Thyself
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When it’s time to work, Tatiana dedicates herself to her duties as head of B2B marketing at Kyivstar. When she’s not busy, you may find her making cakes (sounds good, right?), enjoying borscht, or traveling to wonderful destinations.
“The Central Highlands in Sri Lanka is my favorite place. It’s incredibly beautiful.”
Now that you’ve met Tatiana, let’s get to her story before you run off on an adventure to the Central Highlands. You’ll learn a lot from her. Sit back, relax, and watch (well, read!).
Seeing Magic
Can you remember the first time something or someone truly inspired you? Tatiana remembers that moment vividly.
“My grandfather was really great at math. When I saw what he could do with numbers, I was amazed. It was like he was making magic. I wanted to be just like him,” recalls Tatiana.
From there, Tatiana developed a great interest in math. It became her favorite subject in school.
“My math teachers were really inspiring and made learning the subject fun. They would tell all sorts of jokes. I know a lot of math humor.”
Tatiana’s passion for math led her to study computer science at National Aviation University. Programming logic and algorithms naturally intrigued her.
“Coding had become a very popular profession at the time. Also, the potential of tech to build great things for people motivated me to learn it.”
Putting Skills to Work (and making turns)
During university, Tatiana landed a job in the call center at Kyivstar. This would be her first opportunity to see what she could do.
“Working in the call center enabled me to interact directly with clients. This helped me recognize customer pain points and needs, and where the company was doing things right or wrong. When you talk to real customers, you gain lots of insights. That’s why even our top management at Kyivstar spends time at call centers,” notes Tatiana.
Tatiana’s experience at the call center turned her attention towards the power of marketing. And she began to see her true calling. After working at the call center, she took a position in Kyivstar’s marketing department.
“Understanding programming logic and algorithms gave me a good base for working in marketing. I understand the IT and marketing sides, and have credibility with both. I’m able to ensure collaboration and communication efforts go smoothly.”
Tatiana’s expertise in tech and marketing allows her to solve customer issues more effectively, especially at a telecom company undergoing a digital transformation like Kyivstar.
“A short while ago, I was at a Kyivstar retail store. A customer needed an M2M SIM card with roaming for a trip to Europe. Unfortunately, we didn’t have the right offers or tariff plans to satisfy the customer’s needs.”
Tatiana’s knowledge of the product enabled her to craft a solution quickly.
“We immediately built a customizable tariff portfolio for roaming M2M SIM cards and trained staff on how to make better offers for clients needing this particular product.”
Tatiana’s proving that skills and knowledge can be combined in amazing ways. Indeed, marketing plus coding equals great things (it’s not a complex formula, but you get the point).
Building the Path Ahead
Today at Kyivstar, Tatiana works on creating winning strategies for her B2B customers. That first means offering services and tools that automate and optimize business operations.
“We’re creating our own digital products. We’ve also making partnerships. For instance, we’ve partnered with Microsoft to bundle services. Businesses get an all-in-one cloud solution with Microsoft 365 just by signing up to our service,” describes Tatiana.
For Tatiana and the team, long-term success means going even further. Because different businesses have different needs.
“In many senses, we have to look at the B2B market from a B2C perspective. Employees aren’t just working. They’re using social media, listening to music, and messaging people. Our tariff plans must reflect this.”
Beyond corporations and small and midsize businesses (SMBs), Tatiana and the team target freelancers and self-employed entrepreneurs. They have even more unique needs.
“There is a big opportunity with freelancers. We also must have a B2C perspective here, as the work and personal lives of self-employed people tend to blend. Our services must be very customizable as there are distinct needs to meet.”
Clearly, B2B marketing has evolved. It’s no longer all about marketing towards work. There’s play involved, too (like funny YouTube cat videos).
“We’re working hard on marketing to show that we stand out from the competition. We’re prepared to solve every need. For instance, to attract SMBs, we’re partnering with B2B influencers so we can benefit from great word-of-mouth. We’re also utilizing data to identify where potential customers are and our sales team is working on developing those leads.”
Making the Journey Enjoyable
Once you hop on the train, you’d like the ride to be fun, right? The B2B team at Kyivstar thinks so.
“Customers love storytelling — so it’s a part of all our marketing efforts. The success of our marketing campaign with Tsipa, in which the stuffed toy bird makes its way home to its family, proves the power of story to make emotional connections,” attests Tatiana.
Indeed, our brains crave storytelling. A Nielsen study shows over 90 percent of consumers want ads to feel like a story.
“We also aim to build great relationships with clients. Personal connections are vital.”
In addition to having account managers in regular contact with customers, Tatiana and her team utilize CRM technology and data analysis to improve services. This is crucial to customer lifecycle success.
“We must consistently identify pain points and offer solutions. For example, we can use our tools to see that someone works in an office, so perhaps they need Microsoft licenses. We can see that they commute from outside the city, so maybe they want articles to read or games to play.”
For Tatiana, the customer lifecycle is like life itself. Find what’s needed or wanted — and work towards it.
Looking Back (and going forward)
Tatiana’s story displays the importance of not only knowing your customer, but also yourself.
“If I could give advice to my childhood self, I would tell her to have no doubts. Just go for it,” states Tatiana.
Thankfully, Tatiana also takes a lot of time to share her wisdom and skills with team members, especially new hires.
“I tell those that just arrive at Kyivstar to meet the team and build relationships. That’s what business is about. Also, know the company’s goals. Understand how our marketing and strategy aligns with our mission. Then, you’ll be able to see how you can help us work towards our bigger goals.”
That’s great advice for those coming to Kyivstar. Even if you’re just starting, you can have a big impact.
“In general, my career advice to new graduates is to not think of your job as just an income source. Rather, your job is a way to grow. Focus on developing and improving each day, and success will come Also, take time to enjoy your freedom and personal life along the way.”
So, how does Tatiana enjoy her free time in Kyiv?
“I love the Podil neighborhood in Kyiv. The history is amazing. Do you know that dinner with three people question? Well, for me, that dinner would take place in Podil and I would invite Einstein, Napoleon, and Salvador Dali. There would certainly be interesting conversations!”
If you’re thinking that you’d like to be at that dinner, you’re not alone. You’d probably learn a lot about not just the past, but also how to create a better future.
“Now that Kyivstar just celebrated its 20th birthday, I’m thinking about the road ahead. Our salespeople joke that they want to add 20 million more customers! They’re right. We should continue working hard towards our big goal: To connect the entire country and improve lives with innovative services. We can do it.”
