It is no surprise to our clients that we don’t abandon them after launching their website at Tourism Tiger. Our technical team of talented and diverse professionals is dedicated to providing a full range of services for our tourism website clients to ensure their websites stay in tip-top shape. If you’ve ever wondered who makes up our team of TigerCare Specialists(opens in a new tab), what it’s like to work at Tourism Tiger on the TigerCare team, or just a bit more about the humans behind the scenes, read on for a 5-question interview with our TigerCare team!
Question 1: Your name, where you’re from, and a fun fact about you.
David Underwood
Where you’re from: California, United States
Fun fact about you: I have lived and worked in Korea, China, Ukraine, Russia, and now Chile.
Sandrina Brummelhuis
Where you’re from: the Netherlands
Fun fact about you: I can watch Mr. Bean for hours. Especially the episode where he makes a sandwich in the park.
Vladimir Musatov
Where you’re from: Russia
Fun fact about you: I like IT, but most of my life I worked in construction. You might think there is nothing in common, but I’d say there are things that apply to both, logic, need in architecture and building blocks.
James Dillon
Where you’re from: Melbourne, Australia
Fun fact about you: I once met Dave Grohl from the Foo Fighters, but it went terribly. So I avoid famous people at all costs now.
Ekaterina Blokhina
Where you’re from: Yekaterinburg, Russia
Fun fact about you: I’m in love with blue cheese flavored ice-cream
José Reimy
Where you’re from: Falcón, Venezuela
Fun fact about you: I like to watch the entire LOTR trilogy on Christmas day
Gjergji Gjeci
Where you’re from: Tirana, Albania
Fun fact about you: I am more funny than people think.
Question 2: What is a typical day like for you working at Tourism Tiger?
David: I don’t really have a “normal day” because every day is different, and that’s one of the things I really like about the job. But usually, I check my tickets and implement their requests, which could be anything from a small change or building entirely new pages.
Sandrina: 80% of the time I’m working on tickets; making edits on websites or solving problems or meetings and training with the team.
Vladimir: The team is always implementing new features or discovering bugs. Once the team implements something new I need to make sure it goes wherever it needs to be. A typical day for me consists of check, update, recheck and repeat.
James: Well, every day is different, because we have a variety of clients, each with their own kind of business, and each with different requirements. But I usually start off answering emails that have come in overnight, and then I work through fixing any problems that have come up or changing text or images on websites, depending on clients requests.
I might also have to integrate booking software, look at analytics data, or incorporate a new feature into a website. Plus I have regular meetings with the developers and with clients.
Ekaterina: My typical day starts with coffee and checking emails, updating my to-do list with new tasks and then working on it until lunchtime. Client’s requests usually define the day, same things can be different for each client, so there are always new things to learn! Since my timezone is different from everyone in the office, by the time my lunch is over it’s the beginning of a new day for my colleagues, so I have a couple of hours to discuss things with them before clocking out!
José: A typical day for me starts replying to the clients, after that, I delegate any work that I need some help with, and I spend the rest of the day working with the client’s request and having meetings with the clients or my team.
Gjergji: Working remotely presents a valuable privilege as it eliminates the need for commuting to an office and thus saves considerable time. I can start my day with a refreshing run and enjoy a wholesome breakfast before promptly jumping on my computer at 9 am to start work.
With careful planning and diligent efforts, I’m able to complete my assignments ahead of time, allowing me to cater to new tasks and urgent matters with ample time and dedication. During my lunch break, I have the luxury of cooking a delicious meal from the comfort of my home, further enhancing my productivity and overall work experience.
Question 3: What is the biggest misconception about your role?
David: I think that people think that we are coding using HTML, CSS, Javascript, or another language. But the reality is that I sometimes use HTML and CSS, but just for basic things. And if I need something more difficult, I will ask the developers, who are the real coders.
Sandrina: Hmm, I didn’t hear about any misconception so far. Maybe that people outside this sector think that you need to code when you work for a web development company?
Vladimir: Nothing comes to mind.
James: I guess a lot of people think we do a lot of coding, but as we use WordPress we don’t really need to write much raw code
Ekaterina: Sometimes people think we can change things on a site with one click, which is unfortunately not true! There are some things that may seem easy – like adding new reviews, but since we manually create and add them, it takes some time to create, add content, update, wait until updated and add to the page (updating the page takes a while, especially if it’s full of images, videos and other things). Funnily enough, sometimes our clients expect some things to take lots of time when in practice it’s way faster!
José: That we handle our client’s SEO and Marketing, some clients usually are confused about the services we do, but after you explain to them the things that we do they are okay with this, and create a smoothly relationship
Gjergji: From time to time, I find myself overthinking and reminiscing about the enjoyable moments that can be shared with colleagues in a physical office setting. However, the team has consistently shown me their support and appreciation, and our team meetings serve as a pleasant reminder of our shared goals and camaraderie. Through these positive experiences, I have come to understand that my contribution is valued and that I am an integral part of the team, which has helped me overcome any fears of being overlooked or underappreciated.
Question 4: Why do you think web maintenance is so important to a tour company’s success?
David: We need to make sure that the site is working as well as it can. As well as updating it and making sure it represents what the client wants and needs.
Sandrina: I think it is pretty obvious that to serve your customer best you want your website to be updated with the newest tour details, dates, prices, USP’s, pictures to sell the experience they are going to receive. Imagine the possible disappointment of the customer when you sell a different experience on your website than the reality shows!
Vladimir: Internet and the web never stay the same for long. They are always developing, improving, so should the websites. We need to make sure they are up-to-date and our clients are satisfied with their websites in this competitive world.
James: Tour companies are often adding new activities to their websites, or making frequent changes such as where to meet, prices, and starting times. I think by taking care of content changes, as well as looking after stability, security, hosting and booking software, we can help our clients to focus on what they do best, which is offering fun and interesting activities around the world.
Ekaterina: As a tourist myself, I prefer a site that looks modern, is speedy and secure. I also expect the content to match the actual tour offering, so maintainig relevant information is very important to win clients trust!
José: The tech industry changes a lot and rapidly so that is why it is so important to maintain your site up to date with the current features or trends that are being used around the world. If a client does not do this they are going to always be behind their competition, a modern site gets more clients!!!
Gjergji: In today’s digital age, a company’s website serves as the core of its services, providing a platform to showcase offerings, promote the business, and communicate with potential customers. It is, therefore, crucial to ensure that the website stays up-to-date with the latest features and functionalities to maintain its effectiveness and remain competitive in the market. This is where web maintenance comes into play, and TourismTiger has recognized the importance of providing reliable and efficient maintenance services to its clients to ensure that their websites continue to function seamlessly.
Question 5: What is your favorite part about working at Tourism Tiger?
David: It’s fun after the pandemic to be in an office! Also, I can learn new concepts from my co-workers, like SEO, which I never really thought about before.
Sandrina: Our talks about cultural differences between Chile and the countries we are from; like the foods, school systems we were raised in.. and I like the fact that I can uplevel my English from my Anglophone colleagues and clients.
Vladimir: The experience, the environment, the vibe.
James: The best thing about working here is being surrounded by a diverse, enthusiastic and talented team of colleagues who are passionate about their jobs and always happy to share their experience and knowledge.
Ekaterina: Meeting amazing people (hi team!), getting new experiences and overcoming challenges. It’s scary to do new things at first, but completing a project that looked impossible feels really great!
José: I love to work with different clients’ projects because it keeps the creativity flow going.
Gjergji: One aspect that I truly value and appreciate about working with TourismTiger is the exceptional opportunity they have given me to continually grow and evolve both professionally and personally.
Despite the number of years I have worked here, the time has flown by, a testament to the positive and enriching experience that I have had working with such an outstanding company.
So there you have it! You now know our diverse and talented team of individuals that make up our TigerCare team. If you’re interested in checking out more of some of the brilliant websites our TigerCare team keeps in tip-top form, check out our portfolio(opens in a new tab) or better yet, contact us today for a no-obligation quote!(opens in a new tab)
