Vidya Vasudevan
Life at Zoho
What is your current role within the company?
I manage the Zoho User Community initiative.
What were your expectations when you started and how have they changed over time?
I joined Zoho (formerly AdventNet) as a technical writer. Honestly, I had no big expectations as the domain was new to me. I wanted to be a good writer; someone who can explain complex processes in a simple language that laypeople would understand.
Having started as a technical writer writing user manuals, administration and developer documentation to migration guides, I’ve also handled customer support, training, and marketing. My focus for the last 7 years has been on building a thriving user community around our brands, strategizing user engagements to improve retention and adoption.
What role does Zoho’s company culture play in your identity and the work that you do?
Interesting that you should ask this. Everything we do now as part of user community building exercise, is a reflection of Zoho’s culture of transparency, learning, putting people first, experimentation, building relationships, failing fast, and keeping things simple. I can safely say that like so many of my peers in Zoho, my team and I have imbibed and internalized this culture and it feels right.
What does your work space currently look like?
At Work
Is there a project or an accomplishment at Zoho you’re proud of?
I’m proud of how far our team and I have come together to set up and nurture the Zoho User Community and how we’ve contributed to identifying our brand champions and establishing highly localized user groups with some groups being led by our power users.
Tell us about a time you overcame a challenge you didn’t think was possible?
I’d like to cite a small instance, but a very immensely gratifying experience for me. A security vulnerability in one of our on-premise products in the IT management suite was exposed and escalated in a third-party community by a user.
Coordinating with the team to fix the issue and also bringing the customer around was a great learning experience. I didn’t think that his perception of our brand would make an about turn like that! The user is now a leading champion for our brand in that community.
He advocates our solutions in relevant discussions and is also in personal touch over emails. My conviction is that customers would happily back a brand if they are treated well by the brand folks, no matter how many issues they face when using their products. This instance (and I’m sure there are several stories like this!) proved that.
Your most embarrassing blunder?
Hitting the wrong button on the clicker in a large conference and not realizing it until my session was over. Thankfully, the team manning the decks quickly figured out and navigated the deck backstage based on my narrative!
Getting Personal
Any memorable moments of your journey captured?
This must’ve been in 2003, I guess.
As a guest faculty during the induction program at Zoho Schools.
Picture of our gang that’s journeyed together for almost 21 years now.
Working with the ZS students and making them perform a skit in English, with Sridhar and Shailesh as the chief guests.
Are there any habits or routines you take part in, to refocus or to keep yourself motivated?
Yoga and walking are routines that really help me stay focused.
What are some of your favorite activities outside of work?
Reading, traveling, blogging, cooking, walking, practicing classical dance and yoga, are some of my favorite activities. I also like to catch up on select shows on the streaming services. These actually energize me and help me focus and enjoy my work more.
What are the top three books you recommend that everyone should read?
Ikigai, Purple Cow, Who Moved My Cheese, The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari are some of the books I keep going back to for the timeless nuggets they offer. I’m more into fictions and have several favorites. To Kill a Mocking Bird (Atticus Finch is my all-time hero), Animal Farm, The God of Small Things, Calvin and Hobbes series…I can go on! I like listening to TEDx SHORTS.
Words of Wisdom
Be more available and approachable to your colleagues and don’t hesitate to seek help from your peers and seniors.
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