Maricel Cristobal: Climbing Her Way to the Top

Facing challenges is nothing new to Maricel, whether working with a new CRM platform, running marathons, or climbing mountains. Find out what motivates her to excel in everything she does, why she finds it fulfilling to work in Customer Service, and the mysterious mountain that she wants to climb!

1. Hi Maricel, could you tell us a bit about yourself? Outside of work, what do you enjoy doing? What are your hobbies and interests?

I’m a Customer Service Coordinator for Device Technologies (a client partner of ASW), and it’s been 2 years (started March 2021) since I joined ASW. Outside work, I enjoy joining marathons, mountain hiking, travel and food trips with my family and friends, and watching basketball games. I’m also part of a mountaineering club that takes care of the environment and helps poor communities.

2. What got you interested in mountaineering? Is there a particular mountain that you would like to climb some day?

I love nature. Climbing mountains until I reach the peak fascinates me. I want to climb Mt. San Cristobal. It is considered as “devil’s mountain” in Filipino folklore. Locals and visitors have creepy stories about that mountain, and I want to find out how mysterious it is.

3. You mentioned participating in outreach programs. Can you share with us a few details about the outreach project and your personal experiences during that time?

It was a 2-day activity that happened last December 2022 in Zambales. Our mountaineering club gave grocery items, clothes, and toys to the families and children. We also prepared food and played games with the kids. It’s really a great feeling that we were able to help them in our own little way; seeing their beautiful smiles brought us joy. And I’m happy that I am part of the tribe who shares the same values and passion of spreading love and kindness to humankind.

4. Mountaineering is a challenging activity. How do you motivate yourself to keep going? Is it something that you also apply at work?

My goal is to reach the top of the mountain and to achieve it, I need to persevere the long, vigorous walk, unpaved trails, and uneven terrain. Like at work, I face some challenges and failures, but these do not stop me to keep moving and reaching my goal. Even if it is just a tiny step every day, improving myself through continuous learning, hard work, and become more open to new discoveries, I believe that success will come my way.

5. What was your career like before you joined ASW? Can you tell us more about your role here at ASW?

Before ASW, I worked with different multinational companies on graveyard shift for many years which really exhausted me. When I saw the opportunity at ASW working for morning shift and a pioneer healthcare account, I grabbed it.

As a Customer Service Coordinator, I’m responsible for all emails, processing of orders in a timely and accurate manner using SAP, coordinating with other teams for customers’ concerns and enquiries, and investigate customer enquiries and respond to their requests.

6. What do you enjoy most about your work and what inspires you in this role?

Providing customer support without taking calls, and more on investigations are the things I enjoy most about my work as a Customer Service Coordinator. Even though I am not a medical graduate, giving customer support to different hospitals for their patients’ needs gives me pride and fulfillment.

7. What are the challenges that you usually encounter in CRM and how do you handle them?

We have a new Salesforce CRM that was only launched in January. Navigation was the main challenge as we didn’t have much training and only a quick overview of it. But with the help of all guidelines and procedure modules, self-navigation and exploration of CRM, and seeking help from the team made my work effective and efficient.

8. Congratulations on your Culture Champ Award last year! Can you share with us how this came about and how you reacted to the news?

Thank you! It was a big surprise for me. I was happy and blessed because I received this amazing recognition in just a short period of time. I am thankful to my team leader and to my teammates.

9. What do you consider your top 3 achievements (whether at ASW or in your personal life)?

The trust I gained from people inside and outside ASW, being fearless in handling challenges, and the Culture Champ Award I received from ASW.

10. Is there a personal or professional goal that you’ve always wanted to accomplish?

To be a well-rounded contributor working with different departments on large-scale projects that make a big difference both in the company and the global community.

11. Name one thing/aspect from your country that you’re proud to share with everyone.

Bayanihan is one thing that makes me proud of as a Filipino. We have communities from different parts of the Philippines that extend their hands in helping our fellow Filipinos especially during calamities. Covid-19 is a true testament to how Filipinos help one another to live and overcome this difficult time.

12. Thanks for your time! Before we go, what inspirational message or career advice would you like to share with your fellow ASW colleagues?

Appreciate what we have and start considering ourselves as good enough and yet open for more learning and improvement.