Solving Problems, Building Impactful Campaigns and Working with a Supportive Team: Why Joseph Ford is #BlueToTheCore
At Bluecore, we put our people front and center in everything we do. To better understand what makes our diverse team tick and really get to know the individuals that make up our people machine, we decided to find out why different Bluecorians are #BlueToTheCore.
Today’s interview is with Joseph Ford, Customer Success Manager at Bluecore. Joseph first joined Bluecore in September 2016. He enjoys flying but is afraid of heights. His ultimate dream (aside from working at Bluecore) is to get his pilot license so he can retire shuttling people around the Caribbean.
TS: Tell me about the path that led you to Bluecore.
JF: I started my career in healthcare, but I soon became interested in using data for marketing, so I switched gears to work for an Email Service Provider. A recruiter introduced me to Bluecore when it was TriggerMail, but I wasn’t sure if I wanted to make a move at that time. I kept in touch and decided to go for an interview when TriggerMail became Bluecore. I was so impressed with the simplicity of the UI, the easy integration and the speed at which the platform captured customer data. And when I realized Bluecore could do in 15 seconds what took other platforms 15 minutes, I knew I had to make the move.
TS: What does your typical day at work look like?
JF: There are no typicals days as a Customer Success Manager — it’s a mix of internal and external meetings, project management and inbox management. I support enterprise clients who can have multiple, smaller brands. They ask me to step in and assist with strategic email marketing campaigns and formal presentations. For example, if a client is running a sale and wants to drive purchases, their marketing team will come to me for advice. I love strategizing with clients and help them come up with ideas on how to grow their marketing programs with Bluecore. Before I finish my day I will get back to as many clients as possible to maintain a 24 hour or less response time.
TS: What differentiates Bluecore from other high growth companies?
JF: Bluecore makes every effort to be proactive rather than reactive. Many companies in the martech space will try to stay the course for longer than is optimal, but at Bluecore, we pivot based on missteps and customer feedback so that we can optimize for success.
TS: Which Bluecore value do you most represent?
JF: As simple as possible, as powerful as necessary. Sometimes things get overly complicated for no reason, especially with technology companies. But at Bluecore, everything we do is user-friendly. I love when a customer tells me how easy our Visual Template Editor and Audience Builder are to use. The solutions we offer are always simple yet powerful for our customers.
TS: How well do we walk the walk when we say product and customer first?
JF: We walk the walk without a doubt. We focus on listening to clients, anticipating concerns and providing actionable solutions. For example, Customer Success Managers are routinely questioned on challenges customers face and how we can enhance the product to resolve those challenges. We then work with our product managers internally to develop solutions we think are impactful.
TS: If you could switch jobs with anyone, who would it be?
JF: Our sales consultants. They get to help prospects solve for their marketing and technical needs using sophisticated problem solving. So, it’s that strategic and technical intersection before a prospect signs that’s exciting to me.
TS: What about Bluecore do you value the most?
JF: The people. Bluecore has been invested in my success since I started. There has never been a situation where I needed help and a colleague didn’t immediately jump in.
TS: What are you most looking forward to accomplishing this year?
JF: Helping clients expand their cross-channel customer experience by using multiple avenues like email and Facebook. Cross-channel is a big initiative in the retail marketing space right now, but it’s traditionally been hard for retailers to accomplish because their data lives in silos. But Bluecore brings all that data together in one place, which allows retail marketers to build impactful, cross-channel campaigns — and I’m excited to help them do that.
TS: What are you most proud of, either personally or professionally?
JF: Becoming active. I just completed the United We Sprint Challenge at Barry’s Bootcamp. I went from not doing anything to being a regular.
TS: What keeps you at Bluecore?
JF: The fact that the company is led by engineers and the focus is on technical innovation and client demand. It’s exciting because I believe that what we have today is not what we are going to have tomorrow. Our possibilities are limitless and I get to be a part of it.
