Now that I’ve introduced the faces behind , I’m happy to have the opportunity to share some inside info about our Spanish support channel, . Back in October, I had a chance to chat with in our Dallas office about his experience working for the Spanish-speaking social support channels, and today, I’d like to introduce one of the original @AyudaBlackBerry analysts, Juan (^JL). Read on for some insider tips from Juan and to learn about his background and longtime love for technology.
HELP BLOG: Do you primarily respond in Spanish, or does @AyudaBlackBerry also see questions and requests written in English?
JUAN: Most of the time, we respond in Spanish. When we occasionally see a question in another language, we do our best to provide a response, even if it’s just to direct the user to another resource (@BlackBerryHelp, , etc).
How long have you been working for the Social Support Team?
I’ve been working for Research In Motion® (RIM®) since August 2008. I started as a phone support rep and transitioned to the social support team in August 2010. It’s been a wonderful four years working here and supporting our customers!
How has the BlackBerry Help community grown and developed since you first started?
When I started working for the social support team, there were only two analysts: John V. (aka ^JAV) and me. @AyudaBlackBerry had merely 3000 followers. There was a Spanish section of the support forums but user traffic was very low. Now, we have close to 300,000 followers on Twitter®, a dedicated Community Manager for our , and an increased presence on Facebook®. In addition to this, RIM has expanded its global Twitter presence with several handles in other countries that direct customers to the Spanish-speaking channels on a regular basis.
We’ve grown very fast since I started working here, which just goes to show that BlackBerry products have a strong presence in Latin America and Europe.
What is your favorite BlackBerry smartphone tip/trick?
Man, there are so many but I really love being able to quickly change the sound profile from normal (or whichever you happen to have) to vibrate by holding the “Q” key. I use this feature often, especially during meetings.
Tell us a little about yourself growing up and where you’re from.
I’m originally from Mexico and grew up in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, surrounded by lots of family. I have two sisters, a younger brother and several uncles and cousins. I also have family in Texas and have spent a lot of time with my relatives in Houston and Bryan. I’ve lived in Dallas since 1992.
I had a lot of exposure to technology growing up. I spent summers watching Japanese cartoons in Spanish (does anyone remember ROBOTECH??) and have always loved video games. I didn’t own a home console until college, but I was a big fan of video arcades (and sad that they’re practically extinct these days)!
I really started to develop my passion for technology in junior high while taking a course on general electricity. I attended college at the Instituto Tecnologico y Estudios Superios de Monterrey, one of the most prominent schools in Mexico. I’ll never forget my time there, especially since it’s where I met my future wife (we were both members of the campus Anime Club).
What type of music do you listen to? Do you listen to music at work? If so, what type of music do you prefer to listen to while you are working?
I don’t have one particular genre of preference. I grew up listening to Ranchero, Mexican folk and Tejano. I really like anything with a catchy rhythm! During the workday I like listening to because it exposes me to different songs and artists that I otherwise wouldn’t have known about. I also love how my playlist is always changing and growing as I add more friends on BBM.
Recently, I’ve been listening to a DJ that calls himself GirlTalk. He mixes classic rock and retro music with contemporary musicians.
Got a question for Juan? Leave a comment and let us know!