We’re the employees you would hire if you could. Responsive, helpful, and dedicated in ways automation simply can’t be. We’re your team.
Each month we recognize one of our Most Helpful Humans in Hosting.
Justin has been working in the Hosting Industry for just over four years, having started out with Rackspace as a 3rd shift Support Technician before moving to the Liquid Web Support Team. As a Support Technician, Justin helped our customers with troubleshooting and resolving technical issues for a few years, before achieving his career goal of becoming a Software Development Engineer with our Managed Applications Team. When not developing, Justin can be found creating amazing videos and articles for Liquid Web’s Knowledge Base and YouTube Channel (seriously, this guy is helpful).
We caught up with Justin to find out what motivates his enthusiasm at Liquid Web.
Why did you join Liquid Web?
Originally, I worked for Rackspace as a Support Technician on the Cloud Sites Team. When Liquid Web purchased Cloud Sites from Rackspace, I decided to stick with the team. I was happy to learn that the culture and leadership at Liquid Web empowered the Helpful Humans to provide the best customer experience possible for their customers. That’s exactly what we strived to do on our team at Rackspace, so I felt right at home immediately with Liquid Web.
Is there something specific at Liquid Web that you just love?
I love the atmosphere at Liquid Web. Even as a remote employee, I get a real sense of camaraderie with my colleagues. I’ve worked in other places where this was not the case for various reasons. It can be hard to do your best work if you don’t feel connected to your team. Likewise, it can be hard to stay motivated when the cultural values that are discussed are not actually part of the living culture of the workplace.
At Liquid Web, being Helpful isn’t just a catchphrase; it’s a lifestyle focused on helping customers that is embraced by myself, my team, and all those that call themselves the Most Helpful Humans in Hosting.
What’s your favorite part about the company culture at Liquid Web?
There is a concerted effort at Liquid Web to bring people together for fun events, both physically and virtually. Before social distancing, there was always an office potluck to participate in, or a charitable event to be part of (like Extra Life, an event that brings together gamers to raise funds and save children’s lives). And now during COVID-19, we have virtual team building activities, such as Netflix Parties, themed meetings, Happy Hour team meetings, and after-hours games. We aren’t just a company; we’re a family.
The culture at Liquid Web promotes us seeing our colleagues not only as coworkers, but as fellow humans and friends.
In your eyes, what’s the difference between Liquid Web and other employers?
Liquid Web is laser-focused on exceptional customer service and support. Encouraging employees to work hard to ensure that customers’ needs are met, despite the fact that it can sometimes be a time-consuming process, is commendable. That focus on the customer is something that sets us apart in the industry.
As a Support Technician, I was always encouraged by my managers to go above and beyond for our customers. I would take extra time to really understand an issue, and do my best to impart my knowledge to the customer so that not only was the issue resolved, but the customer gained insight and knowledge into how to resolve similar issues in the future.
What is the biggest milestone you’ve accomplished?
I started in the Hosting industry with the intention of becoming a Software Developer. In April of 2019, I achieved that goal, starting work as a Software Development Engineer with Liquid Web. My focus is on Quality Engineering and Automation for our Managed Applications. Becoming a developer was the culmination of years of effort and learning.
Tell us about a truly rewarding experience you’ve had with a customer.
During the data center migration of the Cloud Sites products from Rackspace to Liquid Web data centers, we had some issues with our MSSQL clusters. A long-time Cloud Sites customer called in with concern, as he was having some issues with his sites. I worked with members of our Operations team to help troubleshoot and resolve the issues. The entire process took about two hours, and I was on the phone with the customer during the complete process.
Once everything was back up and working as expected, the customer expressed how pleased they were that we were able to resolve their issues while providing exceptional customer service by phone support as well.
What is one thing you wish our customers knew about their hosting?
I hope that our customers understand the benefits of being on a platform like Cloud Sites or Nexcess. Cloud Sites and Nexcess are extremely robust, can handle a ton of traffic, and automatically handle most of the day-to-day maintenance, freeing up the customer to focus on what matters most to them.
Work aside, what are some of your hobbies?
I love just spending time with my wife and kids. I also enjoy playing video games when I can, with Tetris and Skyrim at the top of the list. While Skyrim is old, there’s something about that game that has fabulous replay value. Tetris is always satisfying. I currently hold the 87th spot on the PS4 leaderboards for the Master game mode on Tetris Effect.
What is your favorite TV show?
I love the 80’s ethos in Stranger Things, and it has a really fun and interesting story that is fantastically written, performed, and produced.
If you could have dinner with one famous person [dead or alive] who would it be?
I would love to have dinner with Groucho Marx. Groucho Marx was a comedian and actor who made comedy films with his brothers, the Marx Brothers, in the 1930’s and 1940’s. If you’ve ever seen those glasses with the bushy eyebrows and mustache attached, you know the iconic Groucho Marx look.
You can follow Justin Palmer on LinkedIn.
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