5 minutes
with Gal El Al
Director of Customer Support
How long have you been at the company?
6 years
What did you study?
I didn’t actually get a degree. I started many different degrees but didn’t enjoy anything enough to continue – like medical engineering, construction engineering, and industrial engineering. And then eventually, I started my career at Bright Data.
Tell us about your time at Bright Data
I started in the deploy team for one year, and then I moved to the support team where I also stayed for another year. Then I moved to account management for one more year, and finally, I was promoted to be Director of Support (after 3 years at the company).
Why do you think you were chosen to be Director of Customer Support?
I’m very good with customers. I’m not the smartest guy in the room, or the most technical – but I am great with customers. I understand their pain points, and I always know how to solve their problems.
What do you look for in a support manager?
Independent thinkers, a killer instinct to solve customers’ problems, curiosity to look deeper and deeper into an issue, and the ability to read a very ‘generic’ customer complaint without much information and go and explore the issue – before going to ask the customer questions. You need to think outside the box and be hardworking.
Career advice for someone starting out in support, or how to get into the field?
The first thing I would suggest – sign up for the service/product of the company. See exactly what it is. You’ll probably be assigned a salesperson – ask them as many questions as you need. Use the product. Understand what you’re going into – how complicated/technical it is. If it is very technical, then learn the tools that will help get your knowledge to where it needs to be.
At Bright Data, for example, every support manager needs to know JavaScript. Even if you don’t know it when you first come, you will need to learn it by yourself during the process of your work. But it is a requirement.
Tips to get ahead in your career?
Do your work quietly – be responsible and become excellent at what you do – someone will eventually notice. Don’t let people/things get in the way. And don’t do things in order to ‘get promoted’ – if you work hard then you’ll get to where you need to be.
What is your management style?
I have 20 people on my team. I don’t really see myself as ‘managing’ them, as each person basically manages themselves – they have to be excellent and give incredible customer support as this is one of the most important things at the company – and if they’re not excellent, then they wouldn’t be on the team.
Favorite part about your job?
My team – they are amazing. They probably know even more than I do now. They are so responsible so they make it very easy to ‘manage’ them. They really support one another, and whenever someone new joins the team, they band together and teach them everything they need to know. They are so professional and I fully trust them.
What's kept you at Bright Data for 6 years?
The fact that I always have things to do. I am never bored – and probably the DNA as well above all. I really connect to it.
Future plans?
I always look for new things within the company, so I assume eventually I will move into something else within Bright Data. I am very happy here so I see no reason to leave.
