From time to time, we showcase a Dimensional Insight employee on our blog so you can meet some of the “best and brightest” who work here. Today, we introduce you to one of our support technicians based out of our Green Bay office.
If you are a Dimensional Insight customer, chances are good that you’ve talked to Michael Kostrewa before. The support Michael provides enables our customers make the most of our software, and therefore, gain the most valuable insights for their company. We recently sat down with Michael to learn more about his background, how he came to work at Dimensional Insight, and his ideas for the future.
What is your position at Dimensional Insight and what responsibilities does that role entail?
I’m currently a technical support specialist at Dimensional Insight. I provide support via email and phone to people installing, configuring and running Dimensional Insight products. I also provide internal technical hardware and software support. In addition, I support national pre-sales activity and provide post-sales support to Dimensional Insight’s nationwide customer base, including VARs and OEMs.
How did you come to work at Dimensional Insight?
I attended the University of Mary in Bismarck, North Dakota, where I earned a degree in information technology, with double minors in theology and philosophy. After graduating in 2012, I took a position with the local hospital in Devils Lake, North Dakota, where I was an interim IT contractor.
Once that contract was up, I decided to move back to my home state of Wisconsin to spend a bit of time with my family. That’s when I saw an ad for a technical support specialist position with Dimensional insight. After a few interviews, I was offered a position in the Green Bay office and I am happy to say this is the start of my 5th year with the company.
What was your experience working at a healthcare organization? What kinds of challenges do hospitals and health systems still face when it comes to leveraging data and technology?
I was the internal IT support at the hospital for all computer and client related issues along with user access and software upgrades. This was challenging since the systems didn’t always like to cooperate with one another, depending on the type of browser and operating system that was required in each department. From X-ray to OB, for example, requirements were completely different and could cause conflicts with other computer systems.
There were many meetings in which I saw management pouring through binders of data they brought with them. This was just to discuss the status of the departments and the current budget. Software like Dimensional Insight still needs to be adopted in many hospitals so they can compile all their data in minutes rather than days or weeks.
In addition, the hospital I worked for was part of a larger chain of hospitals. Even though we were a group of hospitals, most of us were individually set up to run with little business intelligence software that could help the whole organization function as one. After starting at Dimensional Insight, the first thing I thought was how nice it would have been for the CFO’s and CEO’s office to have had such robust software that could pinpoint data and provide expedient feedback for where the hospital needed guidance and where it didn’t.
The amount of time they would gain back with less paperwork would only improve performance from the bottom up. This would help the hospital’s bottom line by cutting down on overhead costs and more.
Are there resources we have at Dimensional Insight that you don’t think customers utilize enough?
I think the #1 most under-utilized product is DivePort.That’s a little frustrating to me since it is one of my favorite tools, as I love web design. I would like to see more customers embrace DivePort to build dashboards rather than not using it or using it as a Marker placeholder. DivePort is such a wonderful and useful tool for getting loads of information at your fingertips with the use of dashboards. Instead of seeing one set of metrics, it allows for the overall statistics to be seen at once, while still offering the ability to pinpoint target areas when needed.
How do you think our support team excels in servicing customers better than our competitors?
I think we excel because the customer always comes first and we work as a team with one central focus. That focus is providing the best customer service and going above and beyond to meet a customer’s needs.
We do this in a timely manner with speed and precision. All of that while giving 110%, going above and beyond the others. We provide support, guidance, training, technical troubleshooting, and more, all within one location. We also know our clients well enough that we show that dedication with each and every call. They know when they call in, a dedicated rep will work with them to resolve their issue.
What are some of the most innovative ways you’ve seen customers use Dimensional Insight products?
One of our customers is using the software to not only show the current department statistics, but they are also showing training videos on nearby pages so they can help improve on those statistics and learn new data.
Another customer created a custom map that shows the hospital rooms in the building. They then have a script running that colors those rooms depending on the patients’ pain level. This is then transmitted to the doctors’ iPads or iPhones, which allows them to see the data on their patients in real time. Effectively, this allows the patients’ doctors to see how they are doing with their pain level no matter where they are in the building.
What is one aspect of your job that you think might surprise others?
We are more like account managers as well as support. Our team is on the front line providing customer service, guidance, support, and more. Support is a one-stop hub to getting what you need with Dimensional Insight. We coordinate with the other offices to meet and exceed customer expectations. We also provide internal support to customers and assist with hosted clients as well.
When you’re not providing support to Dimensional Insight customers, what do you like to do in your free time?
In my free time, I like to go sightseeing, kayaking, and camping. I also love visiting adventure and water parks. One fun fact: I am actually afraid of heights; yet, I love the tall water slides. And I am usually the first one in the group to want the front seat in the roller coaster. I have been on many roller coasters at Six Flags Great America, in Gurnee, Illinois, as well as many adventure parks in Wisconsin Dells.
A fun trip I just did was this last November was to Orlando where we went to Treasure Island and spent a few hours on the beach. I’d like to give a shout out to Susan Mays (Dimensional Insight’s VP of customer services): thanks for the tip – that beach is awesome! From there we went to Universal Studios, Fun Spot, and SeaWorld’s water park. So now another favorite adventure place for me is Florida. I would love to live there someday – it would be an adventure every day!
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