If you’re an Indonesian-speaking customer who has ever called Agoda’s Indonesian hotline, you might be surprised to find out that the Customer Experience Specialists supporting you are actually based in Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur. With bookings from our Indonesian customers growing everyday, Agoda’s Indonesian language team in Bangkok is hiring and willing to relocate qualified Indonesian-speaking customer service professionals to join the team.
So what’s it like to be an Indonesian living in Thailand? In this article, two of our Indonesian Customer Experience Specialists, Daniel and Vivi, who moved from Indonesia to Thailand to join Agoda’s ever-growing team share their lives in Bangkok.
Turning backpacking trip into career
Daniel, a Customer Experience Specialist in Agoda Thailand, at Agoda Annual Staff Party 2017.
Originally from Tangerang, a suburban area of Jakarta, Daniel Allen joined Agoda’s Customer Experience Group two years ago to support Indonesian-speaking customers at Agoda. Although he’s been living in Thailand ever since, Daniel shares that he was without any initial intent to settle in when he first stepped his foot in Thailand. “After three years of working as an Education Consultant in Indonesia, I went on hiatus to travel around Thailand and Singapore. While backpacking from Phuket to Bangkok to Chiang Mai, I unexpectedly fell in love with Thai culture and hospitality and had thought during my entire stay that it’d be really nice to live and work here,” says Daniel.
“Bangkok resembles Jakarta in many ways, but there are subtle differences that intrigue me. For example, drivers here rarely honk even in the middle of the traffic jam while it’s common to honk in Jakarta. Also, Thai food is a lot spicier than Indo food, which troubled my stomach in my early days,” chuckles Daniel. “I like how everything feels so familiar but foreign at the same time.”
But Daniel says that the perks of working at Agoda Thailand go far beyond the work location itself. “Agoda is where the efforts and performances are recognized. Working at Agoda, I’ve been able to develop myself and learn to be the best. I also find it rewarding that I can help ensure a smooth travel of our customers; because I really like traveling myself.”
From Indonesia to Malaysia to Thailand
Vivi, a Customer Experience Specialist in Agoda Thailand, in Agoda Bangkok office.
For Vivi Rizki Oktaviani, a Customer Experience Specialist from Indonesia who joined Agoda Thailand a year ago, moving to a new city wasn’t worrisome at all. “I’ve been living away from home since college; I moved from Surabaya to Penang to study and then to Kuala Lumpur to work as a Consultant Analyst. I saw a big opportunity in working at Agoda, so I was rather excited about embarking a new journey in Thailand,” recalls Vivi.
As a Muslim, however, Vivi wasn’t without concerns before moving to Bangkok. “I thought it’d be difficult to find halal food because Thailand, unlike Indonesia and Malaysia, is a predominantly Buddhist country. Halal restaurants are indeed relatively fewer here than in Indonesia, but all the food that I’ve tried in Thailand so far is so good! I’ve been also learning how to cook, so I wouldn’t say the environment is challenging. It’s actually the opposite.”
Vivi further shares that what completes her life in Bangkok is her life at Agoda. “The best thing about working in Agoda’s Customer Experience Group is that I can turn our customers’ concerns into happiness. Complimentary words from the customers I supported keep me happy and motivated all the time.”
Inspired to grow your career in an international environment like Daniel and Vivi? Join our Customer Experience Group in Thailand now!
