A Conversation with Maija Dunder, Head of Global Community

In our latest interview with thought leaders from inside and outside of Questback, we got to talk to Maija Dunder, who looks after our Global Community. Maija reminds us of the importance of role models (spoiler alert: her grandma), community spirit and that we’re never too old to learn. 

Where was the last place you went on holiday?

I went to New York for a short break not so long ago. My best friend moved there last summer, which was the main reason for my visit, but I’ve been there many times. With such a fantastic mix of architecture, food, and culture, it has to be my favorite city in the world.

Apart from exploring amazing places, what motivates you each day?

It has to be the opportunity to learn something new; whether that’s overcoming a new challenge, solving an issue for a customer or just helping colleagues. To me, each of those presents a chance to learn. I have to admit; I have a ‘let’s get this done’ attitude rather than navel-gazing for too long. I suspect that’s part of my Finnish nature to get going and let events and projects take shape from there.

In your opinion what makes an organization great, its people or its products?

It’s people without a doubt because everything starts with people. Of course, to be successful, we need to have the right products as well, but I’d argue that product development and innovation also starts with people. Collectively, our customers have a massive impact on the depth and quality of our products. By sharing their insight on what works, what doesn’t or what they’d like to see in a product, we’re able to refine our products and technology to meet current (or latent) demand.

Who has the most power to be disruptive, customers or competitors?  

When it comes to competitors, I would say that we shouldn’t pay too much attention to them because when we know who we are, what we’re doing and where we’re going, those are what define us, not the competition.

Who has been the biggest role model in your life?

That would have to be my grandma. She taught me always to stay positive, trust yourself and that challenges are made to overcome. And, most importantly, to never lose your smile!

What excites you about the future of work?

It’s hard to choose one single thing as technology is enabling many changes in the ways we work, but more collaborative, flexible and remote ways of working are probably top of my list. If I think about my situation: I now work in Budapest, but I actually started with Questback in the Finnish office. That’s a perfect example of where technology enables our team to be borderless and agile.

Can you tell us about the importance of community?

I think this continues the theme of technology and the big world of digitization. Customer behavior, needs, and wants are changing. People want ease and simplicity, and that’s from where the idea of our customer community grew. We wanted to serve our customers better, at a time and place that suited them. With our community, we’ve created a place where our customers can find help, product information, feedback and survey inspiration as well as meet other like-minded people (and all on their own terms). In a very short space of time, we’ve grown our community to over 5,500 active users. Today we’re all virtual, but soon we’d like to experiment with a physical aspect as well as gamification.  

How has the feedback landscape changed in recent years?

The most significant change has been in the growing number of ways to give and receive feedback. Today, it’s more common to ask for feedback and to give feedback – and much more frequently. It’s no longer enough to ask your employees or your customers once a year if they like your products or services.

Does that mean you need to do more to act on what you hear?

The biggest thing with feedback is that if you ask, you need to be prepared to act on what you hear, even if you can’t make the changes that are being asked of you. That’s what the person giving the feedback expects and trusts you to do. Feedback has shifted to be a two-way dialogue, not a one-way street.

How long have you been with Questback and what drew you to us in the first place?

I have been here for seven years or so, but before I joined, I worked in event management where we used a Questback solution. I was curious to find out more about Questback, and while I was researching them, I noticed they were hiring, and so I applied for a marketing role and, fortunately, landed the job! From that point onwards, it’s been an exciting journey from marketing to customer success and now to the Community.

About the Author

Maija Dunder | Head of Global Community at Questback

Maija is the Head of Global Community here at Questback. She’s laser-focused on the needs of our customers and a digital and CX enthusiast. Maija has dedicated her career to marketing and customer communications. Now, she spends her days innovating our multi-channel, customer communications programme.