Captain Coordinators are the voice of FishingBooker. They help captains worldwide make the most of our platform, making sure everything runs smoothly from the initial sign-up to a successful trip. Today, Marina and Tanja give us an inside look into the Captain Coordinators team.
What does your job involve?
Marina: Being a captain coordinator is complex. We need to establish the first contact with the captains on our website and take care of that relationship, so we can all gain and develop our business further. We are here to introduce captains to our business model, show them the full potential of the website, and help them develop their business with our platform. Our team makes sure our policies are not breached and that we are aligned with travel industry standards so that we can provide the best possible customer experience.
Tanja: Coordinator’s position at FishingBooker is probably one of the most versatile positions in the company. We make sure that everything runs smoothly from the moment captains sign up to the moment their trips are successfully completed. My job is to guide the captains, present the new features, and show them how to use our tools and boost their business. On top of that, I am here to assist them with various requests, solve the issues they might have, and handle the critical situations as well.
What is the biggest challenge for a Coordinator?
Marina: Coordinating captains is challenging by all means. To find a solution to a potential problem, using common sense is not always enough. You need to have knowledge in different fields and integrate those bits so that you can help captains understand how some aspects of the platform work and how they can use it to their advantage. To improve your own work, you need constant education and you need to keep expanding your expertise by working with other teams and getting a deeper understanding of the product and industry.
Tanja: Well, our tasks keep changing and evolving constantly, so I guess that the biggest challenge is keeping up with that pace and improving the quality of the service at the same time.
What has been your biggest learning working as a Captain Coordinator?
Marina: When it comes to specific fields, I would say I have learned the most about digital marketing, B2B sales techniques, and e-commerce in general. But the biggest insight I have had is the fact that when you understand the entire company culture and the way every team organizes its work and goals – you understand how important your role is and how you can contribute and improve the business.
Tanja: Everything (laugh). I come from a completely different background. I have been teaching in schools all my life and FishingBooker is far from the setting I was used to. During almost two years here, I have improved my critical thinking and soft skills, learned a lot about data analysis, developed a problem-solving attitude, and acquired sales skills.
What are your team’s principles?
Marina: Our team has grown so much in the last few months and every new team member has something to offer. We all have an impact on the team culture and values. What we nourish is teamwork. We believe we are here to bring value to the company by giving our best and also supporting other team members if they face a difficulty. We try to assign people those tasks that suit them the best in order to achieve the best results. The core principle is to think outside the box, find new approaches when solving problems, and always challenge the status quo, by coming up with fresh and innovative ideas.
Tanja: We take pride in the fact that we work as a team and that all the decisions are made in agreement with other team members.
What advice would you give to someone who wants to join the team?
Marina: The best advice would be to be yourself and show what you can do. We value individuality and unique people who can contribute to the team by giving something new – a new perspective on how we can tackle some tasks, or a different educational background and culture. We believe in hard work, but even more, we believe in people who can find more productive ways to handle everyday tasks.
Tanja: You do not need any previous experience, but you do need willingness and determination to do your best and be a part of the team.
What qualities do you need to be good at this role?
Marina: First you need to have good work ethics – we need to be able to trust you that you will do the job assigned and that we can count on you. You should also be assertive – you should be able to explain how FishingBooker works and what captains can expect from us. That’s not always an easy task. Wrong expectations can lead to potentially difficult conversations where it’s important to be firm, yet professional in order to find the common ground. But the most important thing of all is to be hungry for knowledge. The ways in which we tackle tasks can change quickly and the person who would like to be part of the team needs to react quickly – you need to learn and find a way to keep up.
Tanja: I already mentioned that previous experience is not a must, but you should be eager to learn and develop so that you would be able to keep up with the tasks. However, the nature of the job is such that good communication skills and proficiency in English are a prerequisite for the position. Being a techie is a plus!
What does an average day look like in your team?
Marina: That’s hard to say. Our daily tasks often change, but they usually consist of writing emails, speaking to captains, and doing research. One thing’s for sure – it’s dynamic around here, as our daily tasks change depending on the time of the year, current projects, assignments, and, of course, personal preferences when it comes to organizing your day.
Tanja: Oh, well, there are a lot of things to do! We have different schedules, so each week is different depending on the tasks you are working on. For example, this week I am working on onboardings, which means that I am in charge of welcoming newly published captains and helping them understand how the platform works.
What do you like the best about working at FishingBooker?
Marina: The best thing about FishingBooker is the respect for each employee’s individuality. Although it’s important to follow some ground rules to achieve your goals, most of the time people can organize their work as they think is the best. That way you can achieve much more and you have greater satisfaction at work. The company also focuses on providing all kinds of educational materials. The fact that it supports the culture of constant improvement is something I really value. We are encouraged to go the extra mile and work towards the company goals, as we have excellent conditions and are happy and committed.
Tanja: Oh, this is easy – the FishingBooker brand! I joined this company when there were only 17 or 18 of us, and I fell in love with the atmosphere and people who made that working environment and the whole background story of how FishingBooker came to be. Still loving it and still enjoying bragging about where I work to others.