My Next Home: Why DialogTech?

In my last post, I wrote about why I was making a change. I started in January at Ifbyphone’s Cleveland office. This week, we rebranded to DialogTech. In my opinion, a much better name.

We have software-as-a-service products (SAAS, Cloud-based, however you want to say that) around managing analytics, specifically geared towards marketing efforts. Anyone with much SEO/SEM experience knows that tracking lead sources, ad effectiveness, and other ROI indicators is key to marketing. For a lot of businesses, however, there is a real problem in that large amounts of their customers research online, but want to talk to someone before buying. Today, that is often via a telephone call, but consider the future impact of WebRTC (think Amazon Mayday on the web), Skype, Hangouts, etc. Those channels can be a blind spot for folks trying to analyze marketing effectiveness.

Our software helps businesses continue to gather intelligence across those channels. We also have software that improves the customer experience by intelligently routing customers directly to the right call agents, etc.

So why do I want to work here? A couple of reasons. First, I was looking mostly at product companies that work in either marketing or healthcare, because I believe those areas are the furthest along in terms of understanding how data science and modern tools can assist. And they have a lot of data to deal with.

Within the companies that fit that bill, I was looking for a growing opportunity where I had opportunity to make an impact. DialogTech is in a rapid expansion mode, but big enough to be stable. The company is already providing a lot of insight to our customers, but I believe there is a lot more we can do with our data. We also do a fair amount of integration and custom work, and that is a nice fit with my consulting background.

More than anything, my final qualifications were cultural. Does the team care about success, and do the leaders and owners represent a leadership I can work for. In both cases, I have been extremely happy with what I found here. The enthusiasm of a startup, mixed with the warm personalities of the midwest (Chicago and Cleveland). There is a genuine enthusiasm, without a lot of bravado and hyperbole. We are helping other businesses connect with their customers and potential customers better. Period.

Finally, via experience I have learned to take a hard look at the owners and Senior managers of a company, and see what I can perceive of their character. It may sounds naive, but I really believe it. Environments where people are solely focused on their individual success, hold open disdain for the company or their peers, these things are toxic and the company cannot overcome them. Particularly if they are present near the top.

Fortunately, I didn’t have to make many mistakes in my career in terms of direct employment. Consulting exposes you to a lot of businesses and leaders. I consulted for some great places, and some toxic places. I don’t see a need to dwell on the cost of the negative places, most people understand that. I’d rather emphasize the simplicity and support that great leaders provide that is easy to underestimate. Value it, and seek it out when you look for a job. And if you are willing to show some loyalty and sacrifice in return, you’ll form meaningful relationships with the type of people you want to work for. That will pay off more in the long-run. It’s like the compound interest of a career.

Needless to say, I liked what I saw when I took a look at our leadership here. I’m anxious to see what we can build in the coming years.