Usually, it is the sales team in a company that gets to combine business with travel. But at Suyati, our tech team seems to be doing more of it! As we grow by leaps and bounds, our technology evangelists are extending their service in style, right at the client’s office, across the world. In this blog, our traveling techies share some of the interesting snippets from their trips abroad.
Learning Kanji and the art of courtesy in Japan
Cross-culture communication is imperative for organizations seeking to create a global competitive advantage. Understanding the client’s culture helps refine communication and enhance customer delight. So weeks before his visit to Japan, Unni was seen practising the Japanese alphabets on every surface possible. He bored us to death with his knowledge of the Japanese tea ceremony. And this was even before he visited Japan.
I was impressed to see how meticulous Japanese are at their work. Though Suyati had sent our team to learn Japanese to personalize and understand our client’s needs, when I actually landed in Japan, I learnt that most of the display in public places was written in Kanji. The most notorious aspect of Kanji is that they are pronounced with the Japanese phonetic sounds but are written as characters. As you can imagine I got lost a couple of times, and had to resort to sign language to get back to my hotel safely! The Japanese are one of the most courteous people I have ever met. Looking forward to going back soon.
-Krishnan Unni, Solutions Architect
Multiple time zones, terrains, weather, cuisine – in the same country
Business trips are hectic with meetings lined-up every day across multiple cities. But if you are someone who can see the lighter side of things, you will have the time of your life. Our CTO elaborates on his travel to the USA.
The multi-city trip across different time zones and terrains in the US was an absolutely enthralling experience! I landed in New York (East coast), travelled to Vegas (Pacific coast), then to Utah – a Mountains region, back again to San Jose, which is in the Pacific and then to Austin and Dallas in the Central region, Albany in the East and Chicago in Central. There was this morning when I ate breakfast twice! I absolutely indulged in a variety of sumptuous cuisines ranging from Spanish, Italian, Thai, Chinese, Peruvian, Ethiopian, Mexican, American, and not to forget, some Indian too. Thumbs-up to the Peruvian food.
Next trip? Hawaii and Alaska. Working hard to find some business opportunities there.
-S Karthikeyan, CTO
As we sow, shall we reap – especially when visiting our clients
We believe in the concept of Atithi Devo Bhava and roll out the red carpet when we welcome our clients. Srini was thrilled when the clients responded with a redder carpet!
More than the hullabaloo at the Dreamforce or going sightseeing around the city of the Golden Gate Bridge, what I enjoyed is the heartfelt hospitality that our client reciprocated on our site visit to their office at Bloomington, Indiana. I was touched by the kind gesture extended by Romi Kovacs, Global Director of Author Solutions and his team. They accompanied us as we went around the city, watched a live football match, took us out for dinner, and even booked a room in our hotel next to us, just to drop us at the airport during the wee hours next day. I was truly touched.
–Srinivas B, Director, Technical Delivery
Suyatians dream, dare and do – and get married
Suyati values entrepreneurship, encourages innovative ideas, creates new frameworks or tools, and sponsors winners of prestigious competitions conducted by industry tech conferences like Dreamforce and Ascend. Both Abhishek and Arunraj had their wishes come true during one of these conferences.
I hit an important milestone in my life in 2014, when I was invited to present a paper at Dreamforce. As a Salesforce Evangelist, it is a dream come true for me to interact with Marc Benioff, Salesforce CEO and have Pat Patterson as my mentor. From having my first passport, going through the stern visa interview for US, the chilly breeze of Chicago, the organized traffic of the US, the chat with the armed officers outside the airport to the applauds at the Dreamforce, my first foreign trip sponsored by Suyati will undoubtedly remain the most cherished part of my life. Last, but not the least, my marriage got fixed very soon after my trip.
-Abhishek Siva Subramanian, Tech Lead
I did not anticipate a visit to my dreamland would be a reality so soon. The entire city of San Francisco was turned to a conference venue, and here I was, to present a paper at the world’s largest Salesforce event. For a moment, I felt that stage phobia was too mild a word for what I was feeling, but thanks to my active participation in Suyati’s cultural programs, I could present with confidence. I believe that all the achievements and appreciations that I received, and the opportunity to participate in Dreamforce as a speaker, happened because Suyati taught me to DREAM high, DARE the challenges and DO the best.
-Arunraj Pazherickal, Senior Software Developer
Hardwork pays – in Down Under
There are times when our clients invite our team to work onsite for certain key parts of a project. When that happens, customer delight is just one of the by-products.
We travelled to Sydney, Australia thrice to work on a project for SAI Global. For all the hard work we put in, we were happy when they adjudged Suyati as their ‘Best vendor for Digital E-commerce project.’
–Varun Phull, Project Manager
Related: Salesforce, Suyati and Australia – Three’s company!
I was lucky to have Varun as my travel partner, for he has excellent culinary skills.
We stayed in the Olympic park, played cricket with the client, saw a movie in the largest IMAX theatre, and during weekends went sightseeing – Jenolan caves was a wonder to see!
– Abhilash MS, Tech lead
Our Admin manager and his team have started complaining that they have way too many visas to process, airport drops and pickups, and tickets to book. They are actually demanding that we start a travel agency just to cater to Team Suyati’s travel needs.
Where to next? Our Salesforce developers – Pradeep and Aditya have reached Luxembourg. Aditya is ready with his Eurorail train pass and DSLR camera to explore Europe during his business trip there. We wish them au revoir and bon voyage!
If you are an exceptionally talented techie who loves travelling, Suyati is the place to be. Mail your resume to careers@suyati.com.
Related blogs:
- My Dream Journey to Dreamforce ’16 – An Unforgettable Episode of My Life
- Suyati Webinar: Social Sign-On with OpenID Connect – Salesforce
- Access your Apps Using Single Sign-on: Salesforce Identity
- Kerala’s on the up, down under
- Why should you send in your resume to Suyati Technologies?
