Meet our team: Keifer

Being a father has taught Keifer how important it is to know your kids are in a place that prioritises their growth and development when it comes to education. This has made it easy for him to put himself in the shoes of other parents, and relate to what they are going through when managing school fees. Joining the Edstart team in 2022 as a Customer Success Associate, Keifer was given the opportunity to step up into a Team Lead role just 8 months later thanks to his strong work ethic and personable nature.

Growing up on NSW’s Central Coast, Keifer likes to spend his spare time at the beach surfing and spending time with his young family, as well as watching a healthy diet of sport with friends. We had a chat with Keifer to talk about what he likes about working at Edstart, what a regular work day looks like, and why education is so important to parents.

Hey Keifer. Thanks for having a chat with us. First of all, can you tell us what you do at Edstart?

I’m one of the team leaders in the Customer Success team. So at a base level, I’m leading and mentoring a small group of colleagues who are in direct contact with families, helping them be as effective as they can be in their role. As well as that, I’m handling more complex queries from schools and parents, helping with new applications, and assisting with the onboarding process.

What do you think makes you successful as a member of the Customer Success team?

Being a parent definitely helps. Being able to put myself in the shoes of who we're talking to and understanding how important education is to them. Understanding that the first priority is the children themselves and how they're going to learn and grow, being able to relate directly to that helps me do the best job I can.

Looking at the Customer Success team, what do you think makes you successful as a team?

Being there for the end-to-end journey, from a customer's first enquiry about opening up an account to what could be a multi-year stretch in their children’s educational journey. Having one team member with them throughout that whole journey really allows you to build strong relationships with customers and be as personable as possible.

What do you enjoy about working at Edstart?

Firstly, the people at Edstart, it's great having a tight knit group. We all share a common goal, and everyone has an awesome attitude which really helps when you’re working with people from different parts of the company. Being able to discuss work directly with the assessments team or the operations team and having everybody on the same page means everything is running smoothly and makes life easy.

And then secondly, the product is so good - we’re helping families with education, it's something that I feel like we are really making a difference. I'm not trying to force insurance on anybody!

Are there any achievements that you're particularly proud of since you started working at Edstart?

On a personal level moving into a team lead role in an eight month period was a great achievement. On top of that, each day, there's always a small achievement.

Whether it's helping a family open up a new account, or helping someone who’s had some sort of financial difficulty back on track. Closing down someone's account, settling it out when their kids have actually finished up their journey at school is always a good one. It's a big thing for parents when their kid’s been at school for 12 or 13 years and then they finally get that last invoice, it’s a weight lifted off their shoulders.

Do you have any advice for other parents that are putting their kids through education?

It’s so important to know that your child is with people that care about their structure, development and growth. So I think as a parent, just plan and prepare for the education journey as early as you can.

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