Welcome back to another edition of Inside Drift, where we introduce you to all of the people that make Drift such a great place to work.
So far you’ve met Shannon Donovan, Mary Mitchell, Catherine LaMacchia, Nadine Shaalan, Britnee Laughlin, Carolina Caprile, Michelle Ai, Frank Schepps, Tate Knapp, Zareena Javed, Stacy Chen, Lillian Frost, Miles Kane, Meghan Catucci, Josh Perk, Fiona Heaney, Moe Lawson, Richard Wright, and Andrew Jones.
Today we’re introducing you to Francisco Oller Garcia, a Customer Advocate based in Tampa, Florida. Francisco is well-known around Drift for his positive spirit, his can-do attitude, and curious mindset. He is the founder of one of our employee resource groups, PossAbilities (which you’ll learn more about later in this blog). When Francisco isn’t helping our customers remove friction and optimize their usage of Drift, you can find him reading, learning, and creating communities of empowerment.
Ready to meet Francisco? Let’s go ⚡
Editor’s note: The following has been edited and condensed for clarity.
Kaitlyn Martins: Hi Francisco, let’s do this! Can you tell me a bit about what you do at Drift?
Francisco: As a Customer Advocate at Drift, I have the pleasure of working hand-in-hand with our customers at every stage of the buying journey. This could mean anything from onboarding and support to user adoption and platform optimization. My job keeps me on my toes because every customer uses Drift differently, and I want to make it so that Drift is aligned with their use cases.
At other organizations my role might be considered “support,” but my work is much more strategic and proactive. I walk customers through building out playbooks, implementing Drift in their tech stack, and lead user trainings. My goal is always to remove friction for customers by guiding them towards best practices. That way, they can have an easier time (and more conversations) using Drift.
Kaitlyn: What does your day-to-day typically look like?
Francisco: There is never a dull day as a Customer Advocate 😁
Usually, my day involves product education, troubleshooting the sync between Drift and other systems, interfacing with customers, and collaborating internally. Because my aim is to remove friction, I am constantly learning the nuances of our product and creating resources so customers see a quicker time to value.
I love what I do because, every single day, I get to help others succeed, which you can imagine is incredibly fulfilling. I’m also currently going through Drift’s People Leadership cohort, Emerge, to prepare myself to be an effective people manager at Drift.
Kaitlyn: At Drift, our number one leadership principle is, “Put the customer at the center of everything you do.” As a Customer Advocate, what kind of impact does the work you do have on our customers?
Francisco: The work I do plays a huge role in the long-term success of our customers since I accompany them almost every step of the way: helping set up integrations, ensuring proper lead and contact flow, and connecting sales reps with their top target accounts using playbooks.
I’ve always thought of myself as the guide in someone’s hero’s journey — the idea being that I remove the barriers that stand in a person’s way. Because what my job really comes down to is empowering customers and making them self-sufficient by giving them the insights they need.
Kaitlyn: You started an employee resource group (ERG) — PossAbilities. Can you tell us a little bit about the ERG?
Francisco: One of the reasons I joined Drift was because of the way it embraced the uniqueness of the workforce. That struck me as special because, to me, life is about seeing all the possibilities around us. And I believe that when we combine possibilities and abilities, nothing is impossible.
As a person with a physical disability, I have always been proud of the experiences I have had and the challenges I have overcome. But it did take me a while to become comfortable sharing my journey with others. I created PossAbilities so that people of all abilities could connect more closely in a remote world and shed light on another dimension of inclusivity.
Kaitlyn: What is a fun fact that people might not know about you?
Francisco: I am always looking for ways to connect with others authentically and genuinely. This has led to some of the most amazing moments of my life — like being on National Public Radio when I was 18 or receiving a standing ovation from 10,000 people at my graduation from Providence College. Go, Friars!
Kaitlyn: When you aren’t working, what can we find you doing?
Francisco: I like to keep my brain active by reading, reflecting, or learning new things. Over the past year, I have read some standout books such as The Ride of a Lifetime by Bob Iger, The Making of a Manager by Julie Zhuo, and The Infinite Game by Simon Sinek. But I also love to watch superhero shows like The Flash, Arrow, and Legends of Tomorrow because they inspire me to be a real-life superhero.
Kaitlyn: Tell us a little bit about why you chose Drift and your journey to get here.
Francisco: On a personal level and as a Latino, it was my dream to work for Drift’s Latinx founders, Elias Torres and David Cancel. And when I saw how they were making it possible for people to have more personal and human experiences online, I knew I had to join.
Because I wanted to learn more about the company culture, I made it my mission to meet as many Drifters as I could before I applied — and I was further inspired by their kindness and willingness to help someone break into SaaS. I shared more about my journey to Drift on an episode of Elias’s American Dream podcast.
Kaitlyn: Finally, what advice do you have for prospective Drift candidates?
Francisco: Funny you ask because that is the same question I asked every Drifter I met before coming to work here.
The two best pieces of advice I received were to constantly seek feedback and find ways to deliver memorable experiences. A little curiosity can take you to places you never imagined and help you meet some pretty amazing people along the way. That has been true for me in getting to know fellow customer advocates, managers, customers, and management trainers who have all helped me be the best professional I can be.
So I would say just go for it — reach out, connect with Drifters, and see if the culture is right for you. Even though it can be a little uncomfortable, the outcomes are limitless 🚀 If you have any questions, I would be happy to chat on LinkedIn!
