Getting started at Flink
It’s now been one month since I started my new position as Head of Product Design at Flink, so I thought I’d share my journey so far.
Company orientation
Day one started with company orientation — a session where all new starters near and far were welcomed to the company by our co-founder, Julian Dames.
During the morning, we were introduced to the company, not just in terms of the impressive growth and ever increasing market share but in terms of how satisfied our customers are with the service. It was clear to see that creating an exceptional customer experience is at the forefront of this organisation, alongside another clear message — that we at Head Office are here to support the teams in our hubs and the riders on our streets so that they are able to provide the best experience to our customers.
As well as a fantastic morning being introduced to the company, I was welcomed to the team with a team lunch at a nearby restaurant and we spent our afternoon in a (3G, covid-safe) workshop defining our roles and responsibilities across disciplines and exploring the direction we want to take as a collective product team - an inspiring start!
My key takeaways:
- There’s an open, transparent and collaborative culture binding us all together
- Customer satisfaction is at the heart of everything we do
- Care for our hub teams and riders enables a stand-out service
Experiencing life in our hubs
As part of our company onboarding process, the People Team arrange for any new joiner to spend two days in their local hub — one as a picker and the next as a rider. This enables us learn quickly how the business operates on the ground and gain the valuable context that will help us in our roles.
During my time in the hubs, I was able to learn (and experience!) the full process from the initial ping of an order coming in all the way to personally handing the order to a customer. It was fascinating to observe the whole journey and spot opportunities for how we, in the product design team might help to optimise processes and improve experiences for our teams in the hubs and ultimately improve the experience for our customers.
Of course, the fact that items are picked from the hubs and delivered to customers is no surprise to anyone who knows the Flink business model. However, what you might not know is that our hubs also need to continually manage stock levels, quality and freshness, ensuring newly delivered items are available to customers as quickly as possible and that all products are delivered at the highest quality.
My key takeaways:
- Spending time in our hubs is immensely valuable for product and tech folks
- The work never stops — there’s always something to do or something to optimise
- Our hub colleagues are 100% focussed on offering the best customer service
Getting to know our teams
Our product and technology team is organised around the users we serve — our customers, our hub colleagues and our riders. Within each of these groups we call ‘tribes’, we are further divided into teams that we call ‘squads’ with a focus on a specific user behaviour or moment such as the ‘search and discovery’ squad. This squad’s mission for example is to help customers to quickly find what they are looking for and offer inspiration through our unique and local assortment of products. We are continually working on optimising topics such as these to improve experiences for our customers.
Throughout my first few weeks at Flink, I got to know the product design team in both one-to-one and group settings (and interviewed new folks to join us), reflecting on what’s going well and what could be improved. Connecting with the various product managers across our squads to introduce myself and learn more about their goals and current initiatives also provided a lot of context and insight into what’s coming up.
My key takeaways:
- Our product and tech organisation is organised around the value we bring to our users: customers, hub teams or riders.
- The product design team are all self-starters owning topics in their squads with autonomy, ambition and care.
- There’s a lot going on to improve experiences across our service suite.
Round-up
This welcome experience has allowed me to connect with the company’s mission, purpose and values. It has linked me personally to the people in our hubs and the riders on our streets which provided invaluable knowledge and insights that will only aid me as Head of Product Design at Flink. I’ve been welcomed to the team with excitement for the future and I can happily say that this is the role I’d hoped for — leading an ambitious team of designers, researchers and writers while remaining closely connected to the people we serve and creating experiences that enrich their lives.
Thanks for reading! 🙏 If you’re keen to find out more, or you’re interested in a product design role with us (design, research or writing), feel free to reach out to myself or ayra.dimaapi@goflink.com, our specialist recruitment lead or check out our available roles here!
