Making breakthrough discoveries is a way of life.
Throughout the month of March, we will be exploring the people and projects who drive Cox technology forward in our Behind the Code technology series. Read below to learn how Cox is creating tomorrow’s tech solutions, today.
Diving headfirst into data science and analytics
Analytics Engineer Ben Vijayakumar loves teaming up with other top-notch tech experts to transform digital experiences. Oh, and to win Halloween costume contests.
Ben graduated with double master’s degrees in Management Information Systems (MIS) and Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Arizona in December 2018. After completing internships in California, he moved to Atlanta, GA for a job at Cox Communications.
On his second day of work, Ben jumped into working on raw JSON files that hadn’t been touched by anyone else yet.
“That’s how fast-paced and engaging my work has been to date, and I enjoy every minute of it,” he said.
Of course, working in the Analytics Center of Excellence (ACoE) requires people who are up for new challenges at every turn. The efforts of this team not only inform business decisions, but are also crucial in ensuring that customers have seamless experiences.
“Working at Cox Communications has given me a new perspective on serving customers as an always-connected service provider,” Ben said.
Behind the code and anticipating challenges
Ben is tasked with analyzing chat, SMS, and app interactions on Cox Communications’ customer care digital platform.
“Our efforts are focused on proactive customer engagement using predictive analytics, where we are trying to solve issues before the customer faces the problem,” Ben said. “Leveraging the power of data using advanced analytics has been the key reason for customer service improvement in this era of a constantly connected world.”
Ben performs text analytics, including Natural Language Processing (NLP), to understand interactions with customers, identify friction points in the messaging platform, and recommend solutions.
“I’ve grown to leverage new tools and platforms, including advanced NLP in the cloud using AWS,” he said. “My work has been exceptionally rewarding. The ACoE’s collaborative structure has given me the opportunity to work with an NLP expert, with whom I can grow my own technical skills when it comes to NLP, AI, and machine learning.”
Bringing the team together
Every group needs true “team players,” and Ben definitely fits the bill.
“The most enjoyable moments of my work are team brainstorming sessions,” he said.
In these sessions, the group ponders areas of improvement for customer care. The goal of the session isn’t simply to generate hypotheses about what could be better – it’s also about converting predictions into actionable analyses.
“We do our best when we play, knead, and wrangle with data to extract meaningful and exciting insights,” Ben said. “Our findings are delivered to the business and technology partners who leverage this data-driven approach to make strategic decisions.”
When he’s not coding or analyzing results, Ben leads and participates in team activities that engage his group and lead to better productivity.
“I am the Scrum Master of our new agile methodology-focused analytics team,” Ben said. “I am also an Organizational Maturity Champion within the ACoE, where I am leading initiatives around team communication and culture such as the ACoE TV. I’ve hosted our 2019 annual cornhole tournament and we as a team won the 2019 Halloween contest.”
Be it in cornhole or coding, Ben is excited to see the new missions his team will undertake in the future.
Interested in learning more about the people who make innovation happen at Cox? Check out the rest of our Behind the Code series here, and follow along on social using #BehindTheCode. Ready to explore a career here? Search for a new role today.