Employee Spotlight – Ida Geiger

Welcome to the newest episode of our employee spotlight blog, where we introduce a member of the Vetstoria family to you all. This month we interviewed one of our fantastic Customer Success Managers, Ida Geiger.

Q: Could you give us an introduction to yourself?

I was born in Tajikistan and lived there for the first three years until my parents moved back to Germany. A little village in the Black Forest is what I call home, and I am taken with every aspect of it – the nature, the food, and the closeness to France and Switzerland. When I asked my friends to describe me, most of them said that I was a globetrotter. My love belongs to traveling and experiencing different cultures around the world. Whenever life offers me the opportunity to travel, I will take the invite with great pleasure.

Q: How long have you worked with Vetstoria, and what is your role in the company?

I started to work with Vetstoria at the end of 2020 as a Customer Success Manager. It has been eight months by now – time flies. My role includes building and maintaining relationships with veterinary professionals as the “go-to” advisor for requests and comments related to our product. The goal of our team is to drive revenue opportunities and provide customer value and service while working in cross-functional teams.

Q: What is one thing you are proud of achieving at Vetstoria?

Stepping out of my comfort zone and moving into uncharted territory – the veterinary world. I once read that getting out of one’s comfort zone creates positive stress, which increases focus, creativity, and drive. I would confirm that! Even though I have felt entirely lost in some internal meetings initially (and sometimes still do, lol), I am glad I took the journey with Vetstoria.

Q: What do you consider to be the best part of your daily role at Vetstoria?

The best part of my job is the various facets of the role – you can be a guide when leading customers to success, a student when the product team introduces the latest features, an auditor when receiving feedback, a communicator when sharing feedback with the relevant department, and an advisor when delivering information backed by data and experience. This position brings such a great variety into my daily role that no day equals the previous one.

Q: What does working within the veterinary industry mean to you?

In the beginning, a lot of googling. I was focused on technology solutions for consumer brands in my previous role – the veterinary world was completely unknown territory for me. I have to say, people in the veterinary industry are very caring and compassionate individuals who work extremely hard. Remarkably, companies like Vetstoria can help them free up their busy schedule from routine work to focus on more critical tasks.

Q: What do you like to do when you aren’t working?

If my day at work has been quite hectic, you will most likely find me outdoors enjoying a long walk, on my yoga mat, or somewhere secluded with a book. If my day has been relatively calm, you will find me amongst people – socializing and just having a good time. I am a libra – life is all about finding the balance (and enjoying long dinners with delicious food and interesting people).

Q: How have you been coping with the recent COVID situation, and do you have any words of advice for your fellow veterinary industry professionals who are struggling with it?

Covid-19 has decelerated the world and brought back appreciation for the simple things in life. It has made me realize how much we need social interaction, something as simple as a hug or a cup of coffee with a friend at your favorite café. You start to feel gratitude for something that was taken for granted. It also created another sense of togetherness – during the strictest period of the lockdown, our neighbors met on the balconies. A lady played old classics on her saxophone while everybody had a Spritz in their hands (Italians just can’t let go of their Aperitivo). I guess my advice would be not solely to focus on the sacrifices made during this challenging period but also to shift the attention to the little positive change it might have brought.

Q: In your view, what’s the most important thing someone should master when working remotely?

I am still trying to figure it out myself, but I would say, because work was put into this one device and became your constant companion, it is essential to schedule active breaks and set a frame for working hours. I try to go for a walk for my lunch break or meet remotely working friends for a quick lunch like in the good old days – I guess the trick is to be able to disconnect from work after it has been brought into your home space, which is easier said than done.

Q: If you could take only one animal with you to a desert island, what would it be?

If I could wish for one, it would be my cat – she thinks she is a tiger, and she would appear and fight with that confidence, lol. I guess she would be my unsurpassed guard and my closest cuddling buddy for the calmer moments.

Q: Words of advice for your fellow Vetstorians?

When life gives you lemons, make lemonade – lol! I honestly would not have any wisdom to share but a message: Thank you for being such great colleagues – kind, happy, and so incredibly supportive!

Q: What future developments are you excited about at Vetstoria?

Vetstoria is such a dynamic company that responds with advanced features to the feedback received from clients. Our latest innovations benefit the teams working in practices and improve the overall performance, boosting ROI. Working as a customer success manager for a company strongly driven by customer feedback is fantastic. We’ve paid colossal attention to actual veterinary practice pain points over the past months, and I am very excited about the solutions that are to come. We recently launched our Floating Button feature, which focuses on improving the pet-owner experience.