Meet the Team: Jeff Bergeland, Director of Client Success

March 17, 2015

 

p931420820-6At ChargeItSpot, we’re proud of our eclectic backgrounds. Assembled from musicians, foodies, football coaches and even a guy who claims to be from Canada, the ChargeItSpot team consists of a delightfully quirky blend of brilliant minds tirelessly working together to put an end to low battery anxiety.

Today, we’d like you to meet a key member of our executive team, our Director of Client Success: Jeff Bergeland. Jeff is our resident jack-of-all-trades: a University of Colorado alum, a retail industry veteran and an avid outdoor enthusiast.

Find out what makes Jeff tick, and why he’s so passionate about our thriving startup. 

Q: How did you come to join ChargeItSpot?

A: Before ChargeItSpot, I spent over 10 years at Urban Outfitters.  I started out folding T-shirts as a sales associate, and eventually worked at HQ as the Senior Store Operations Manager. At the corporate office, I was involved in the creation of tools and processes that brick and mortar stores utilized on a daily basis – from customer-facing technology, to internal reporting and efficiencies for store teams.

One of the projects that I had personally become really invested in was ChargeItSpot. Initially, ChargeItSpot approached me to set up an introductory meeting.  When I first saw the cell phone charging kiosk at that meeting, my mind immediately began stirring with the potential value that the unit had.  I knew that both the customers and the stores would truly benefit from a locking charging station, so I went full speed on the project.  I ran my own ROI to prove that it was something worthwhile and presented it to my bosses to get the initial pilot going. Eventually, I left UO and it wasn’t long after that ChargeItSpot CEO and founder Doug Baldasare approached me and asked if I would like to join his team.

Q: What’s your favorite part about working at ChargeItSpot?

A: I appreciate working in an environment where each member of the team is excited and knowledgeable about their respective disciplines, and our product overall.  When you work with an all-star team, it’s easy to assertively make business decisions and then immediately follow through.  The pace at ChargeItSpot is incredible, and I believe that we move quickly because we trust each other’s expertise.  We are improving upon our product, our strategy, and our relationships on a weekly basis.  It’s thrilling to be a part of something that you can feel actually shifting and changing constantly.  Oh – and our product is so cool!  What’s not to love?

Q: So what exactly does a Director of Client Success do?

A: The startup environment requires all of us to have somewhat flexible job duties, switching into whatever role we need to play at a moment’s notice. That being said, my primary responsibilities fall into design, data, communication and observation.  After a contract is signed, I bring clients onboard by initially working with them to decide placement and customization of the ChargeItSpot station.  This step of the process is always so inspiring because each client brings a different vision to the benefits of our charging units. It’s really a true collaboration.

Once the ChargeItSpot is launched, I support our clients by analyzing data and by cultivating grass-roots marketing campaigns. The concept of secure cell phone charging is spreading quickly, and our clients should be seen as pioneers in this progressive amenity. It’s my job to make sure our partners are recognized in the media and that customers know about the new free cell phone charging stations in their favorite retail establishments.

After a successful launch, I spend my time gathering feedback from the field and working with the ChargeItSpot team to continually upgrade our product.  I love being in the field, watching customers discover our charging stations for the first time!  I try to capture that moment and learn from the users’ reactions so that our experience is always exceeding our clients’ expectations.

Q: Where do you believe ChargeItSpot will be in five years?

A: Within five years, secure phone charging will be as common as Wi-Fi, and I expect to see ChargeItSpot as the leading provider of the service worldwide!

Q: Do you have any hobbies?

A: At my core, my hobbies can be summed up by a genre, which is “mountaineering.”  Climbing mountains, skiing, rock climbing or backpacking – I appreciate pretty much any activity in the mountains any time of the year.  Admittedly, since we moved away from the Rockies and we started having children, my hobbies have become much more child-centric. I swapped biking for climbing so I still get my outdoor fix, but building helicopters with my son and setting up lemonade stands with my daughters is more my pace now. These are my current hobbies and I’m loving every minute!

Quick Charge Questions 

iPhone or Android?

Oh definitely Android all the way

 What’s your favorite mobile app?

I’m pretty glued to the Instagram app.

When was the last time your phone battery died?

During this brutal 12 hour day installing units in NYC. I spent the last few hours of the day in radio silence.

 What’s your biggest cellphone pet peeve?

When a phone goes off right in the middle of writing an email. It’s almost like that’s the only time people ever call.

 What is the strangest place you’ve used your cellphone?

As a flashlight while camping on the roof.

 If you could look through anyone’s cell phone, who’s would it be? 

My daughter’s – when she gets a cellphone ☺

 What do you wish your cellphone could do?

Interact with me like a human – a personal assistant of sorts.  I want to be able to ask it to book my travel and edit my documents.  Voice recognition these days is still pretty laughable, which is why you don’t see people using things like Siri or Google Now in public.  I can’t tell you how many times I’ve asked my cell phone to search for something while I’m driving and the results that pull up are just bizarre.