Another exciting addition to Amarillo Technologies’ growing team
After the announcement of our $2.5 investment, the good news continues here at Amarillo as we welcome Steve Lewis to the team in the role of Technical Customer Support.
A key part of our plans to further roll out Fusion, help relieve even more people of their bordereaux data woes and make more productive business decisions, Steve brings a wealth of experience to the technical and development team.
As part of our 'Meet the Team' series, we sat down with him to find out more about how he came to join Amarillo and his excitement about the future.
Thanks for joining us on 'Meet the Team,' Steve. Tell us more about your role here and how you came to join Amarillo.
It’s great to be here. My role at Amarillo is Technical Customer Support which is the perfect combination of the two things that I absolutely love doing - solving technical problems and helping people.
I worked together with Zoe, Amarillo’s Managing Director and Steve Stacy, Product Owner for many years at another company. So when I heard of this role opening up at Amarillo and then heard more about really the exciting plans for the product and the company, I knew that this was going to be a fantastic opportunity and I couldn’t wait to join.
You’ve been in the industry a while - can you share a bit more about your professional background and experience before working with the team here?
Yes, I’ve been working in Insurtech for 17 years now. Whilst my background is networks and systems, I’ve also spent a long time working in software development and over half of my time in this sector has been working with bordereaux management software products, so this is an area I know really well.
It’s not just the software though. A lot of my time has actually been spent working with customers, understanding their problems and using the software tools to make their lives easier.
What are your specific responsibilities?
My role at Amarillo covers a number of areas and is really a mix of both technical consultant and customer support. On the technical side, I’m part of the team that tests Fusion and ensures it’s working how it should. As we start adding new features, I’ll also be taking on some of the project management too, keeping an eye on progress and making sure that updates and projects are being pushed through in a timely manner.
The other part of the job is that I get to work with customers, whether virtually or on-site visits, helping them implement Fusion and making sure it meets their needs. This is the part I’m really looking forward to as I love listening to and helping people.
What excites you the most about the team, and what motivated you to join Amarillo?
I’m so excited to be part of the talented team, working alongside innovative, forward thinking people. What’s struck me so far is how passionate everyone is about the company, the products and how clear their vision is in how to improve the industry for all. I can’t wait to be a part of it.
You clearly have a huge amount of experience. What would you say are some other strengths that you bring to the role?
I absolutely love challenging myself and I see problems as puzzles, and I really love puzzles. This means that I won’t stop until I get a solution. I love the fact that different customers bring unique challenges. It’s great!
It’s such an exciting time for you to arrive at the company. What motivated you to join Amarillo?
I’m passionate about innovation - about helping create things and processes that make people’s lives easier, quicker and less hassle, whether it's customers or ourselves. So I see this as a perfect fit with Amarillo’s product philosophy.
Also, I’m really excited to be working with a start-up mentality again. It’s great to be in an environment where everyone knows and is interested in what you are doing. To be able to make such an impact on the industry as a whole and individual customers makes it a really positive place to be. The company’s got such an exciting future and being a part of that is a privilege.
From a technical perspective, what has stood out to you the most about Amarillo’s products? What has impressed you?
What’s really stood out to me has been how simple and straight to the point the tools are. I know the frustrations customers feel with some software tools that appear simple but actually end up being very time consuming. With Fusion, it’s so straightforward and clear. Customers are able to see exactly what they need, exactly when they need to see it. This makes it really customer friendly - people can get up-and-running straight away.
What do you think is the feature that makes Fusion stand out in the market from the competition?
I think one of the biggest differentiators Fusion has in the market is the way validation occurs. The ability to validate incoming data, flag potential issues and still use the data is something we have always found to be a frustrating pain point for users. Constant query loops and blockages make the process really cumbersome, Without going into all the details, Fusion removes these barriers.
Now you’re here, how do you think Amarillo can make a splash and shape the future of the industry?
I do think that Fusion is a really unique proposition for the market - it sits early in the bordereaux management stream so data problems are solved at source and that means that all stakeholders in the system experience the time and resource benefits that Fusion delivers.
Also, it will integrate with existing systems, further reducing the amount of time needed to key or re-key data. It takes the data straight away and will feed it anywhere you need it to go, meaning you don’t need other products - Fusion can do it all.
Have you got a professional philosophy or mantra that you apply to your work life?
Well, I do think that as techies, we can sometimes get a bit caught up in that side of things and we can overlook what the customer sees or feels. Throughout my whole working life, I’ve always tried to view things from a customer perspective and explain or see things in a non-technical way that people would understand.
How do you like to spend your time outside of work?
I absolutely love playing board games with my wife and children. I just love the challenge. I also love puzzles and like nothing more than switching off everything and doing a sudoku.
Football is a big passion of mine, too. I qualified as a youth coach for Fulham in my earlier years and played Sunday league and 6-aside for years. I’ve been everything from manager to interim chairman of a team and am now the treasurer for a Sunday team. But I get most joy from supporting my son’s u10 team from the sidelines.
I also love keeping fit and make a mean curry based on my wife’s late nan, Nene’s recipe.
When I’m not doing any of that, I’m reading Japanese manga and anime.
Welcoming Steve to the team, Zoe Steele, Amarillo Technologies' Managing Director said: “Steve joining us is the latest development in some exciting things happening at Amarillo. Steve Stacy and I worked with Steve previously so know he has a skillset that further enhances the team and will really bolster both Fusion and the customer experience.“
Connect with Steve on LinkedIn.
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