Employee Spotlight: Meet Stefano Virgili, Tier 2 Escalations Specialist

Welcome to our employee spotlight series, featuring profiles on team members across our Bellevue, Boston, and UK offices, and field team. Learn more about the people behind the product and why Smartsheet is recognized as a great place to work!

My first introduction to Stefano was at our June All Hands meeting, where he was recognized with a Brightspot Award for living our Smartsheet values. 

A tier 2 escalations specialist by title, Stefano goes above and beyond his responsibilities to support the growing Edinburgh, Scotland office with IT help, including onboarding new hires. 

A little over a year in — 14 months to be exact — it’s clear that Stefano has already made a big impact at Smartsheet and on his colleagues. 

I connected with Stefano to learn more about his journey and the unique aspects of working at Smartsheet.

What’s your job and what does your typical day look like? 

My official title is tier 2 escalations specialist. My unofficial title is friendly IT guy. In the morning, I provide technical support for customers who call the helpline or put in a ticket, which often requires  partnering with other teams, including product marketing and engineering.

After 3 p.m. I metaphorically change suits and I become the friendly IT guy, which means lending a hand with IT issues and preparing machines for new hires, because Smartsheet keeps growing! Do you have an IT issue? After 3 p.m., I’m all yours (But first, try to turn the PC off and on. Often, it works).

How have you been able to learn and grow at Smartsheet? 

I could talk about APIs, office relationships, communication, and many other things, but the list would be too long and we all live busy lives. So, I’ll get straight to the point and say that at Smartsheet, every day is a learning day. And I really mean it!

What gets you out of bed in the morning? 

I love working with amazing people, who are supportive (one of our values) and keen to help in any way they can. 

We spend a lot of our lives at work and having the chance to be there with friends, instead of just colleagues, is really rewarding and it makes me wake up with a smile. A really big one.

How do you use Smartsheet in your daily work? What’s your favorite feature? 

I use Smartsheet to schedule and update my daily tasks, keep an eye on interesting tickets (especially using scheduled reminders), and to stay on top of all my IT duties. Smartsheet makes my job here easier and more effective. It also makes me look like I have a great memory. 

What’s the one piece of advice you have for someone looking to join Smartsheet? 

Be honest (another one of our values) and don’t be afraid of challenges. Thankfully, Smartsheet is full of supportive people who are willing to provide assistance and guidance through those challenges. As Dumbledore used to say, “Help will always be given at Hogwarts to those who ask for it,” Simply replace “Hogwarts” with “Smartsheet” and you’ll have an idea of what I’m talking about! 

You recently won a Smartsheet Brightspot Award, which recognizes employees who exemplify our six core values. What did that feel like?

“Unexpected” is the word that best describes winning this award and “touched” is the word that best describes what I felt. I honestly put in all the extra effort because I love what I do. 

I’m lucky to work with two amazing teams — the support team and the IT team — and pretty much everyone I work with on a daily basis. 

Who is someone you admire at Smartsheet and why? 

This is a really hard question. I know too many amazing people to give you just one name, but if I really have to, my first thought is Tony Lucas, director of product and our Edinburgh site director. He’s a brilliant guy who is able to enlighten you with a few words. You know when you’re stuck with an issue and you don’t know what to do? I’m quite sure (9 out of 10) Tony would know the solution.

Come work with Stefano! We’re looking for driven, supportive, and customer-obsessed individuals to join our growing team. Check out all our open roles!