Written by Michelle Wong - Marketing Specialist
We sat down for a chat with Benj Sarmiento, one of Comet’s Technical Support Engineers who has been with the company since July 2024. This piece has been lightly edited for length and clarity.
What does a typical day look like for you as a technical support engineer?
My day is usually a combination of handling simple and complex issues raised by clients. I work closely with our Support Team Lead for any escalations, and I also coordinate with the dev teams to raise any issues with them, when needed, so I can deliver fixes to customers as quickly as possible.
You mentioned working with the developers. What does that collaboration look like?
Because not all issues can be fixed by the support team alone, sometimes we need the developers to apply patches or hot fixes. The devs recommend things we can do for the clients, which helps us resolve the issues faster. So instead of the clients waiting for solutions to come out in a future software release, sometimes we grab them directly from the devs to get clients support quickly.
Is that unique to Comet, or is it common in other software companies?
At Comet, it’s easy to approach the developers and I can reach out directly to who I need to talk to and get quick responses.
At other companies I’ve worked at, there were longer escalation processes or multiple steps before we could even get access to the developers. But at Comet, we have direct access to talk to the devs, so we can help our clients faster.
What do you like most about being technical support?
I've been doing technical support ever since I graduated from university and I still enjoy it. I get a lot of satisfaction and I’m happy when I get to help customers and fix their concerns, especially if they are facing complex issues. I like being able to solve problems and contribute to helping their business. It’s nice to get recognition from the clients when they thank us for the help.
Can you tell us a bit about your work history and background?
I graduated with a degree in information technology in the Philippines, where I’m originally from.
After graduating, I worked in the Philippines in technical support for a US based company, Verizon. We handled a lot of network issues and computer issues, and hardware and software issues. It was really complex because we were getting a lot of tickets per day, but I was able to manage handling those tickets. From there I really started to enjoy technical support.
I transferred to another company a few years later. There were times that I was offered to apply for Senior or Lead management positions. But I realized that I prefer working directly with customers and clients who use the product, which is why I decided to stay on the frontlines of technical support.
Do you have any tips for clients who are using Comet Backup?
The best advice for someone new using Comet would be to read the documentation and articles in our knowledge base. There are helpful answers to common questions.
What attracted you to work at Comet?
It's really the environment that I enjoy here. We have a flexible set up for our schedules, and I can work at my own pace, we aren’t micromanaged here. I pick up my own tickets and work on them.
The work culture is good, everyone is easy to talk to, like Mike, our support lead, and everyone else in the team are also very approachable.
What's your favorite thing about Comet?
My favorite thing about Comet is the product itself, because I’m always learning new things that allow me to help our clients more. Plus, I really like working with the people at Comet and the environment. I feel comfortable working at Comet, the culture is very welcoming.
How do you feel about CometCon, our internal company conference?
CometCon is great, especially for team bonding and spending time together. It’s nice because CometCon is a combination of work-related activities and learning from each other, but there’s also time for socializing with each other outside of our day-to-day work.
What do you like about living in Christchurch?
It’s quiet here, especially compared to back in the Philippines where it’s busy and noisy, and there’s less traffic here. If I want to relax, I’m finding time to relax in Christchurch. I can still enjoy my week aside from work, I can play basketball every week and hang out with my friends.
What are some of your interests and hobbies?
I’ve played basketball ball since I was seven years old, and I still play now. I also like gaming, including playing NBA and Tekken on the PS5 with my partner. Besides that, I love traveling, and back in the Philippines I liked riding motorcycles.
We know everyone at Comet loves food. What’s your favorite food?
Yeah, I love Italian food, like spaghetti, pasta, and pizza. That's the food that I always want.
