Meet Our People: Laura, Applications Engineer

Laura Mirto joined Zuken in 2019, after working in the automotive wire harness design industry. She is an Applications Engineer on the customer support team who wears many hats every day, not the least of which is that of a valued member of the Zuken family. Based in her home office in Gilbert, Arizona, Laura recently talked with me and shared her story.

From the Motor City to the Grand Canyon State

My career started back in the Motor City after graduating with a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering. There I worked on automotive wire harness designs. However, I needed a break from living in the cold and snowy Midwest, so I moved to Arizona with my husband and started looking for a new job. When I interviewed for my position at Zuken, I knew this was an opportunity not to pass up. Boy, am I glad that I ended up here! Working from my home office allows me to make the dream of living in Arizona a reality–and I have found a job and company that I genuinely enjoy working for.

The Many Hats of an Applications Engineer

As part of the customer support team, my job title is applications engineer, which includes a pretty broad range of functions. Some of you may have already met me virtually while on a hotline call or an online community chat. These are both excellent ways for me and my other team members to get to know our customers and understand the work they’re doing. Another part of my job includes functioning as the E3.series New Customer Concierge. When new customers are just getting started with the E3.series, I work with them through the onboarding process. Zuken has this program in place to ensure that new customers are successful from the start. I never want the customer to leave the onboarding process thinking they are only getting the software. I want them to feel that the Zuken staff will be there for them when they need help, and I enjoy being part of their success.

When working with our more experienced users, it’s fun to help them work out more complex issues or teach them something new about E3.series. It’s a great feeling when I can help the customer find a solution to a problem that has been a pain for them. Even though they might not see my face on the other side of the call, I can’t help but smile as if I’m talking to them in person.

Working as an AE for the customer support team allows me to meet and talk to many different customers. It’s interesting to learn how they utilize the tool differently depending on the project or industry application. It also encourages me to stay on my toes and come up with creative solutions.

An Exciting New Project

There is no typical day as an applications engineer. I can go from an empty calendar to six back-to-back customer meetings. On an average day, you’d find me answering hotline calls and community chats, responding to emails, and helping new customers with software installations. To keep it interesting, I get involved with customer training sessions, software testing, and creating new content to post on the Zuken Americas Community. I even worked on several projects with the marketing team for a few months!

Speaking of projects, an exciting new project I’m working on is creating new e-training content for E3.series. Like any training course, it includes updates to keep pace with the latest software release. But the exciting part is that we’re completely revamping the format, breaking it down into subject-specific modules. This change will give customers the flexibility to create learning paths that best suit their needs.

The Best Team

One of the best parts about working on the Zuken team is my colleagues. The company’s culture is entirely different from anything I have experienced before. Everyone is positive and uplifting. On the customer support team, most of our work is independent. However, if I ever need help from a coworker, I have no doubt they will be there for me. This is true outside of my direct team as well. It’s  the little things like having great coworkers that make going upstairs to work every day enjoyable.

Hiking, Glass Blowing, Home Improvements, and More

When I’m not working, I enjoy being outdoors and going hiking. I also enjoy playing with my cats and dog and doing different projects with painting, crafting, baking, and home improvements. Last winter, I started taking glass blowing classes, something I’ve wanted to learn for years. With everything that’s going on right now, I’ve had to put this activity on hold, but I am looking forward to when I can start it back up again! If I want to relax, I am always up for a movie and popcorn with my husband and our furry friends.

What’s next?

If you enjoyed reading this post and are interested in learning more about my role as an applications engineer, be sure to check out my Employee Takeover on Zuken’s Facebook and Instagram accounts later this week.