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.
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.
Leapfrogging through many projects while staying true to herself
Some say that career ladders at Cox are really more like career jungle-gyms, and Senior Technology Service Manager Jackie Callender has certainly found that to be the case. The path of this information technology service management (ITSM) leader has not been linear – rather, it has spanned many focus areas and business units, shaping her into a flexible leader.
“I started working with technology straight out of college, with a degree in Japanese language and literature, mind you; I had other plans,” Jackie laughed. “And for good reason, I have stuck with technology because of the joy, the challenge, and the satisfaction that it has brought to my life.”
Jackie has the unique career experience of working in technology for three Cox divisions – Cox Enterprises, Cox Media Group, and Cox Automotive – within just five years.
She began at Cox Enterprises’ Customer Support Center, providing management to Help Desk support teams. Next, she transferred to Cox Media Group, where she worked with leadership to help define and enforce ITSM processes and serve as a liaison to the Customer Support Center. She also worked to update processes related to change management, major incident management, problem management, and release and deployment management.
In late 2018, Jackie pursued a position on the automotive side of Cox.
“A position opened at Cox Automotive that would allow me to continue growing in ITSM and focus on change management,” Jackie said. “I had to pursue that opportunity.”
Behind the code and making an impact
Jackie is approaching her six-year anniversary with Cox, and she said that she loves her job as much as she did when she first began.
“Fast-forward to today and here I am, a change manager at Cox Automotive, supporting all Cox Auto business units, literally learning something new about our company, our industry, our products, or our support every single day. It keeps me on my toes!”
“Every tech project is meaningful to the business,” Jackie said. “Each one has a weight that it carries, and we should all be proud of each project we successfully complete.”
Not just a team – a family
Jackie and her work family are proof that tech gurus make plenty of time for fun and socializing.
“Technology is not a department full of introverts like many think,” she said. “We are people who are focused on our work, yes, and so at times we seem quiet; but we love fun, we love chatter, we love cracking jokes on each other, and hearing about our families’ latest accomplishments.”
Throughout her tech journey, Jackie has witnessed firsthand how the people at Cox make work culture truly special.
“My work families have all been amazing people that enjoy working hard and having fun while we do it, while also embracing each other’s differences and quirks – like letting me bust a move on the floor without any warning, or sing randomly while I run a Change Advisory Board meeting,” she said. “Every team I have worked with has had great people that I have enjoyed seeing every day.”
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.
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.
A heritage of innovation
Kevin Moore’s Cox story began earlier than most. He recalls seeing Cox vehicles driving around his hometown of Macon, GA as a child, and his family has strong roots in technology.
“My grandfather was the first black TV and radio repairman in middle Georgia,” said Kevin, a Lead Technical Analyst for Cox Communications’ service assurance team. “He not only provided the community with repairs for their electronic devices, but he also built and installed custom antennas so customers could watch over the air. I was with him on many of these installations from a very young age and always had an affinity for just how all of this TV stuff worked.”
Kevin’s father worked in sales for Cox Communications. When Kevin was in college, he carried on the tradition by getting a job as a Customer Service Associate. Later, he worked as a field technician for Comcast and moved through the ranks to become a Network Engineer.
“I always wanted to come back to Cox, and the opportunity presented itself for me to return,” he said. “I started as a Video Assurance Engineer in the Network Operation Center (NOC). After a little over a year, I was promoted to supervisor, supporting our technical subject matter experts with maintaining the resilience of our network and catalog of services such as video, voice, transport, and IP services nationwide.”
Behind the code and projecting positivity
Kevin always sees the buildings of Cox’s Atlanta campus on the horizon during his morning commute. Each time, it makes him smile.
“Every day, I take that same smile home with me, knowing that I gave my very best to a company that puts its employees as a high priority,” he added.
Kevin is such a fan of the company that he frequently talks about it outside of work.
“My wife says I’m the biggest recruiter – however, HR is not aware,” he joked.
Currently, Kevin is responsible for verifying incidents that affect internal and external customers.
“Once these incidents are identified, I work with the teams who were involved in finding out what was the root cause, if it could have been prevented, what the likelihood is of them happening again, and what we can do to keep them from happening again,” Kevin said.
Kevin manages content for a weekly Technology, Operations, Product, and Sales (TOPS) meeting, as well as for a weekly Maintenance Readiness Committee (MRC) forum. Both allow Kevin to interface with company leaders, learn about projects across the enterprise, and discuss emerging technology,
As much as he loves his work at Cox Communications, there’s one other role that makes him even happier.
“The job that brings me the most joy is usually never placed on your resume, and that’s being a husband and a father,” Kevin said.
A passion for influencing others
Outside of the office, Kevin serves with the Cox Chamblee Mentorship Program. This role is especially meaningful to him because it echoes advice his grandmother gave him.
“My grandmother was the single most influential person I’ve encountered to date, and she always told me to be the best version of yourself and help others who are searching for themselves if you can,” Kevin said. “This program has made my grandmother’s reference more important than I ever imagined, and I live each day trying to be my very best self and have passed on the same values to my mentees.”
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.
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.
The day that changed everything
When Julie Park was a college senior, she was assigned to a capstone project with Cox Communications’ video engineering team. She vividly recalls the pace of balancing two jobs, a full-time academic workload, and this capstone.
“I honestly lived on ‘Venti Americano with an extra shot of espresso on ice,’” Julie laughed. “I barely had time to sleep, but I gave my 100 percent to the project.”
Julie also remembers her nervousness before the presentation, which she would be giving to her professors and the video engineering leadership team.
“I was pacing back and forth outside the conference room asking myself ‘Is my proposal good enough? Are they going to like my deck?’”
It was, and they did. Julie said that day changed her life forever. She was offered a job as a video engineer, designing and developing the infrastructure for cable TV. She would later move on to a network engineering position.
Behind the code and leading the way
In her current role managing Cox Communications’ Integrated Network Planning (INP) team, Julie leads a group of engineers to build network capacity for customers.
“Our team looks at the network at the enterprise level to monitor bandwidth consumption rate and model out future growth requirements. In other words, we are looking at traffic trends and growth just like on highways and roads,” Julie explained. “At certain times of the day, you experience more traffic because there are more cars on the road. It’s the same with the network. At certain times of the day, more people use the internet, so it causes congestion. Our team tries to predict that congestion 12-18 months before it happens. We go and add enough capacity to the network, so our customers receive the best experience. We leverage the latest technologies to do this: automation, cloud computing, data analytics, and data modeling. It’s a very cool job.”
“Our team looks at the network to monitor bandwidth consumption rate and model out future growth requirements. Our team tries to predict that [bandwidth] congestion 12-18 months before it happens and leverage the latest technologies to do this: automation, cloud computing, data analytics, and data modeling. It’s a very cool job.”
Julie remarked that Cox has a wealth of tech careers outside of network engineering, too.
“From providing virtual cloud network and IT solutions to businesses, to providing reliable connections to support health informatics for doctors, there are so many amazing opportunities to choose from and develop your subject matter of expertise. SD-WAN, cloud service, AWS, machine learning…to name a few.”
To Julie, one thing that distinguishes Cox from other tech companies is its emphasis on investing in people.
“It is embedded in the company’s culture to develop and grow talent,” she said. “I am the prime example! Eight and half years ago, I was a young engineer with a fresh college degree trying to figure out my identity and purpose. Today, I am a strong leader working with the brightest minds building tomorrow’s network today. I am here today not only because Cox opened the door to me, but also gave me the opportunity to be mentored and taught by the most brilliant leaders in the industry.”
A legacy of kindness
Julie’s ambitions match well with Cox’s values: she wants to be remembered for making a positive impact in the lives of people around her, and she’s bucking misconceptions that technology has to be cold or impassive.
“I have a very ambitious dream to become a great leader who is not only influential, charismatic, and forward-thinking, but also empathetic, inclusive, and caring,” she added. “I want to be a leader who creates an environment where everyone feels valued and has an opportunity.”
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.
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