Q&As With Two Global Communications Experts

Spearline present Q&As with two members of their team, as they discuss the importance of number testing and lots more.

Q&A with Liam Corkery

Spearline’s Head of Development, Liam Corkery, was one of the first employees at the rapidly growing tech company.

Where are you from?

I am originally from Blarney, Co Cork.

Did you relocate to Skibbereen for your role at Spearline?

I relocated to Skibbereen as a graduate for a role at Spearline in 2009.  I was hired as a software developer and it was my first job after college.

Apart from the co-founders, Kevin Buckley, CEO and Matthew Lawlor, CTO, I was one of the first employees of the company.

I liked the idea of working with a start-up as I was given more responsibility and a role with greater meaning.

What did you study at college?

I have a Computer Science degree from University College Cork (UCC).

What was your role before joining Spearline?

I was working in a completely different area – as a labourer in the building industry before going back to college.

Why did you change careers?

I always had a big interest in computers and programming and the endless possibilities that computers, the internet and IT present.

Briefly describe your role at Spearline

A large part of my role is to delegate to and coordinate a team that is curious about future possibilities.

I am responsible for designing new solutions for the future as well as the upkeep of existing software products.

I also oversee and develop the team across three offices – in Ireland, India and Romania.

What is the most interesting part of your role?

It’s hard to beat the satisfaction you get from coming up with a new solution to novel problems.

Watching those ideas turn into solutions after developing them is a unique experience every time because you’re always dealing with something new and different.

We start with an idea, analyse it, design a solution to a problem, build and then implement it.

My role is to play a continuous part in the process from inception to conclusion.

Q&A with Mike Palmer

Spearline’s Chief Marketing Officer (CMO), Mike Palmer, was one of its first customers.

How did you become involved with Spearline?

I first met the founders when they were involved in the Linux desktop market and when they later transitioned to open-source PBX solutions, I was working in the teleconferencing sector.

There was some clear opportunity to collaborate and Spearline did some project work to help us with business continuity and also with load testing.

During some of these project interventions, Matt and Kevin heard lots about the challenges and frustrations we faced, not least of which was the provisioning and testing of international toll-free phone numbers.

Spearline listened and explored, and then they proposed a solution.  A wonderful solution!

Did you relocate to Skibbereen for your role at Spearline?

I did not. I live about an hour commute from the Spearline offices. It is not a bad commute as I am heading away from Cork City while most commuter traffic is heading into the city.

That said, I split my time doing home office some days and travelling to the office on other days.

Our Spearline customer base consists of contact centres who are embracing remote-agent teleworking, and communication service providers who enable remote collaboration, so for Spearline teleworking is a natural fit.

We make sure any remote staff have network services that support good conversation, of course, to make sure we have productive experiences!

Briefly describe your role at Spearline.

We have a fantastic product offering at Spearline and it really does bring incredible value to our customers.

My role is to generate awareness in the marketplace. So many network operations managers, CX professionals, and telecoms teams struggle with call connectivity, call quality and more.

Our Spearline Marketing Team has an obligation to let these people know there is a solution.

How does your career history complement your role at Spearline?

I studied engineering and most of my career has been in voice and data communications.

Prior to my marketing role at Spearline, I was responsible for network operations.

I experienced the late-night escalations, the transient call problems, and the change control events that did not go as planned.

I have an appreciation for the challenges our customers face.

What is the most interesting part of your role?

I like the creative side of things and I like learning from the talented team of marketing professionals here.

I also enjoy the technical side of things as we build very interesting processes around our marketing automation tools, our website, and more. There is a nice balance.

Any other comments?

It is fascinating to see how our world is evolving. Customer interaction has changed and will continue to change, but it seems humans like talking. The traditional conversation is alive and well.

Mike Palmer

Businesses are leveraging new technologies to enhance our customer journeys, and this new tech includes things like voice biometrics, voice analytics, and voice user interfaces.

Voice has a growing role to play, and whether we are talking to another human or to a voice assistant, the quality of the communication channel is critically important.

Author: Robyn Coppell