While open source technology is the backbone of who we are, our customers are the lifeblood of our business. We value our customers, and the Customer Success team is an integral part of building a lasting relationship with customers to provide them with the best possible experience and ensure their continued satisfaction. 

Instaclustr has built a team dedicated to the success of a customer through customer experience and customer outcomes. Meet one of our Sales Engineering team members below!

Below are some questions we asked Ritam—the responses are in his own words. 

1. What does your role at Instaclustr entail?

I do a lot of things! I qualify technical opportunities with customers and prospective customers, and make sure their needs align with Instaclustr’s capabilities. I focus on addressing any customer queries and helping them understand the platform and how to use it. I help to work with existing customers as they scale, and potential new customers looking to shift to open source. I also put out technical marketing content in the form of blog posts, tutorials, and webinars—all based around Instaclustr’s offerings. My goal at the end of the day is to keep customers happy. 

2. What does a typical day look like for you?

No typical day exists for me. A lot of my work is based on ever-changing customer needs and incoming pipelines. I conduct pre-sales calls to make sure that a customer can benefit from our platform, and post-sales calls to check in on our current customers. I am constantly researching in an effort to stay up-to-date and knowledgeable on the open source data layer market. This could mean gaining knowledge as I do research for the technical blog posts I put out, or learning more about Instaclustr’s platform, services, and processes. 

3. How did you first get interested in a technology career?

I feel like I have always been a natural with technology. In school, I was in the STEM program, enjoyed working with any sort of technology, and would even read math textbooks in my free time. It helped that my parents also work in the tech industry, so I got a lot of time to play around with the tech toys and tools laying around my house. In college, I majored in Computer Engineering and concentrated in the Business Strategy of Technology Innovation. I felt like it was just a natural progression of my interests.  

4. When did you join Instaclustr—and why?

I joined in June 2021. I graduated and had an idea of what I wanted to do. I was interested in staying in an intersecting field such as business and tech. Based on my college experience, I wanted to mix the two fields and found the SE role best suits my skills. I ended up hopping on a call with Steve, who also started his career as an SE. Everything he said, I just vibed with it. I really credit Steve for bringing me in. 

5. What’s been your favorite part about Instaclustr since joining?

The people. The people at Instaclustr are an intelligent group of people who all share a similar humble growth mindset. Some of the people here really amaze me with their abilities and knowledge, all the while practising humility. The people here also have very diverse backgrounds, so our conversations aren’t strictly limited to work, helping us work better as our chemistry builds. In short, the people and the culture they fostered at Instaclustr are my favorite things. 

6. Why is it an exciting time to be in tech?

It’s always an exciting time to be in tech because of how rapidly it shifts. But I think now is especially exciting because we are in a unique position to see how open source is really a revolution within the software industry. I like tech because it is something that challenges me, and it’s ever-changing. It is an industry that moves quickly, so it forces you to stay on your toes and keep learning. Most people tend to get bored doing the same thing repetitively, but tech challenges me to focus and learn new things.