Translator between business and IT departments

Swisscom Job

"In my Specialised Sales role, I act as a translator between the business and IT departments of a company"

Once IT, always IT. At least that seems to be the case for Markus Wyrsch, who has been fascinated by IT since he was a child. And so his career path took him from one IT-related role to the next until he joined Swisscom as a Specialised Sales Cloud in 2022. Since March of this year, he has been working to find sustainable solutions to the mostly complex technical challenges of his customers. A multi-faceted challenge that requires a high level of technical affinity and is best achieved as part of a team.

By Marion Gloor, Product & Technical Communication Manager

Marion:

Dear Markus, your path brought you to Swisscom in the spring of this year. Would you like to take a look back and tell us what brought you here?

Markus:

IT has been a constant companion in my life for as long as I can remember. I have fond memories of my first encounters with computers; I was fascinated by the technology and its remarkably rapid development from an early age. After my apprenticeship as an electronics technician, I was taken on by IBM as part of an outsourcing programme and worked there for around 15 years in various roles. During my time at IBM, I also completed a part-time degree in business informatics. This was followed by a stint as a key account manager in the document management and processing industry, where after a few years I decided that I wanted to go back, or rather deeper, into IT. Knowing that Swisscom plays a leading role in the Swiss IT market and is also known for its modern and open working culture, I seized the opportunity when I discovered the position of Specialised Sales for the Cloud product line.

Marion:

An IT specialist through and through. And what does it mean to work as Specialised Sales for the Cloud product line, or how can I imagine your day-to-day work?

Markus:

In addition to the Key Account Manager - for us this is the person with "customer ownership" - as Specialised Sales I am responsible for the offer within the scope of an opportunity. This means that I determine the dedicated customer requirements, qualify these with the customer and ensure that we fulfil the customer's needs and wishes with our offer. It is also my responsibility to involve the right people and departments, whether external, such as partners and suppliers, or internal. As Specialised Sales, I also have the task of breaking down the complex facts of an internal, technical solution in a way that is understandable and appropriate for the target group. Last but not least, my job also involves supporting the account manager in lead generation, understanding the cloud portfolio in detail and supporting the project from the first lead through to contract conclusion.

Marion:

So it's a very broad playing field that you're operating in. As Specialised Sales, do you spend as much time with customers as an Account Manager does?

Markus:

No, my work is a little different. My work is very case-specific. This means that the actual time spent with the customer differs significantly per case. But that shouldn't come as a surprise, because a large part of our job as Specialised Sales consists of processing specific customer cases and enquiries. If we receive these in the form of a tender, we may well work for several weeks without having any contact with the customer. In a recently launched project, we worked on the response to a tender for around three weeks and were then invited to make a presentation on the basis of a good offer, which naturally makes me very happy.

Marion:

And what happens if a customer then decides against Swisscom?

Markus:

(smiles) Occupational risk - that's just part of the job - sometimes the customer decides in favour of Swisscom, sometimes not. In such a case, I naturally want to understand what we can do better next time. Generally speaking, I think it's important that we first fully understand the customer's situation in order to be able to submit a suitable, high-quality offer, then the chances of the customer deciding in favour of Swisscom are also higher.

Marion:

You're right, of course. Let me summarise: A lot of research, desk and preparation work, relatively little time on site with customers. But you were aware of that, or rather that's the daily routine of a Specialised Sales. I assume that's why you like getting up in the morning?

Markus:

(smiles) Yes, but your wording makes it sound a bit boring. I like getting up in the morning because I know how to actively help solve our customers' complex challenges. An enquiry often seems simple at first glance, but it's usually not. This results in complex projects, and that's what I enjoy.

I also like the working model at Swisscom: With the exception of on-site customer appointments, I almost always decide where I work from. It's a flexibility that I wouldn't want to do without. And I want to be honest: Of course I also like getting up because I get paid for my work (laughs).

Marion:

(smiles) I dare say that the latter applies to all of us. Before we finish, why don't you tell us a bit about one of your most recent customer projects?

Markus:

One of my last projects involved an enquiry from a Swiss university, which was put out to tender as part of a formal process. This university was looking for a consulting partner to accompany them on their journey to the cloud. According to the tender, the university would like to approach the relocation of its existing infrastructure step by step, and this is precisely why it is reliant on appropriate expertise and established methodologies. The university has also set itself the goal of connecting several public cloud providers at the same time. Such a multi-cloud environment, combined with existing on-premises infrastructure, presents the university (and companies in Switzerland as a whole) with major challenges, as they will then have to manage all of this. Not only that, but internal IT must also have the expertise in terms of the public cloud, processes must be adapted accordingly and legal aspects such as data protection must be taken into account. This is where we came into play - because as Swisscom, we understand precisely these needs and can meet the customer where they are - technically, linguistically and also culturally.

Marion:

One of the things that certainly sets us apart from international consulting firms is that we are really close to our clients here in Switzerland, not just geographically but also culturally and linguistically.
Do you have any tips that you would like to share with potential future colleagues?

Markus:

Ultimately, you have to be aware of what you are looking for: Large corporation, SME, start-up. National, international. Each company size brings a different culture and different processes to the table and not everything will appeal to you. Swisscom stands for the values of trustworthiness, commitment and curiosity. These are also tried and tested Swiss values that we uphold both within Swisscom and with our customers. For those who can identify with these values, Swisscom is certainly an exciting employer. In addition, although we work in sales, we are only successful as a team. We exchange ideas, help each other and benefit from each other's knowledge. I would therefore recommend all applicants to come and have a coffee with us before applying for a job. This gives you a feel for whether you would like to work with us on projects. I look forward to it!

Marion:

Dear Markus, thank you very much for your time and valuable insights into your job as a Specialised Sales Cloud.

Would you like to find out more or even join us? Then take a look at our vacancies. We look forward to hearing from you.

Marion Gloor

Marion Gloor

Product & Technical Communication Manager

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