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Data-driven support executive with 20 years of experience building and scaling global…
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Aliya Rakimgulova posted thisIf you have missed me and my incredibly deep and life-changing insights here on LinkedIn, don’t worry. I am still posting just not here. :) I’m just experimenting with a new format on Instagram - less work related. More me and my mindset. Not quite ready to expose that side of me to my entire professional network. But if you’re curious, DM me and I’ll consider sending you the link. ;) privacy you know.
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Aliya Rakimgulova posted thisI watch Better call Saul and love how creative and resourceful Jimmy is :) I am just on season 2 so no spoilers. Watching it i am laughing “no AI can replace people like Jimmy”. He sees opportunities, he finds unusual solutions. Sometimes you need to act not by book, not by “what’s right” , sometimes you need to have a “feeling” and test your most crazy hypothesis - now I am talking about #techsupport. This hunter feeling is what you get with experience and observing. I wonder when AI will replace that but I am sure it will :) Just not today!
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Aliya Rakimgulova posted thisWe had our 15th year anniversary yesterday and this wedding could never happen... This story is called “perfect is the enemy of good”. The night before our wedding, I was emotional and told my future husband that I wasn’t 100% sure we should get married. Not because I didn’t love him. But because I thought we had too many contradictions and not solved issues. Things that, in my mind, needed to be figured out before we got married. So we stayed up until 3am talking through them, trying to put a plan for everything. My husband took a napkin to write things down for me. “Look, we will plan this, we will address it this way etc”. And in the morning, we went and got married. A couple of years ago, we remembered that night and started going through the list of all those “critical” issues we absolutely had to resolve. And realized that most of them we never did. 15 years later, we’re still very different people. We still disagree. Some contradictions are still contradictions that we could find the way to live with and be happy. I think there’s a lesson in there that goes far beyond marriage. We spend a lot of time trying to get everything perfectly aligned before we commit: to a person, a decision, a job, a strategy. But maybe not everything is a “big issue” that needs to be resolved. Sometimes things don’t have to be perfect to be really, really good.
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Aliya Rakimgulova posted thisI’ve worked through multiple company acquisitions, several tech solution acquisitions, and consulted startups on building and scaling their support operations. Across all of them, one question keeps coming up: How do you scale support without scaling unnecessary complexity with it? Early-stage support often works great because it’s close to the customer. Engineers jump in. People know the product deeply. Decisions happen quickly. There are very few handoffs. Context travels through people fast. Those are strengths clearly and not problems to fix :) But as the company grows, some of that needs to become repeatable. The tricky part is knowing what. When I assess a support organization that is preparing for growth, I tend to look at a few things: • Where does expertise live today: people or the system? • Which issues unnecessarily require senior people to get involved? • Can we replicate the expertise if we hire more people, do we have right tools/documentation for that? • Where do we need consistency and where do we need to keep flexibility? • What should we deliberately NOT operationalize yet? The goal isn’t to make a startup operate like a large enterprise. It’s to add enough structure to support growth without losing what already works. Design two steps ahead. Add complexity one step at a time. #growth #techsupport #mna #scaling #saas #operations
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Aliya Rakimgulova posted thisInspired by customer feedback and recent escalations review: We all need to start tracking not just customer effort, but avoidable customer effort. Not every customer activity is engagement. Follow-ups. Handoffs. Repeating the same context. Chasing the right team. Clarifying something we should have made clear the first time. Each one looks small but it accumulates. And that friction is rarely owned by one team. It is usually created somewhere across CS, Product, Operations, Education, Support. That is why CS and Support data matters beyond their teams. It shows where we are making clients work harder than they should. #customersuccess #techsupport #customerexperience
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Aliya Rakimgulova posted thisOne of the unexpected joys of having kids nine years apart is watching them play together. My 20m old daughter copies almost everything my son does: if he is playing hockey, she wants a stick too. If he is throwing a ball, she's right there asking “throw me a ball” in her language. Watching her learn from him is fascinating and what surprised me is that it doesn't only work one way. My son not only tries watching at the world with her eyes but he has become genuinely curious about who he was at her age. He keeps asking us to show him old videos. And I see how my daughter is helping him reconnect with a version of himself he had forgotten. It made me think about mentorship at work. We often pair senior and junior employees because we expect the junior person to learn from the more experienced one. And they do, but I am sure senior person gets a lot in return too. Working with someone earlier in their career forces you to explain things you've been doing on autopilot for years. It challenges assumptions you no longer realize you're making. It reminds you what it's like to ask basic questions and how to get excited over things that are routine now. Perhaps the best mentoring relationships aren not one-way street. Both people leave a little different than they came in. I'd love to hear if you've experienced this from either side of the mentoring relationship. #mentorship #leadership #parenting #workingmom #womenintech
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Aliya Rakimgulova posted thisThe best leadership teams don't spend time deciding whose fault it is when customers have a poor experience. They work together to understand where the customer journey broke down. I bet you have seen organizations invest in AI, new platforms, additional headcount, and training only to discover that the biggest source of customer frustration hadn't changed. Think of customer experience! A poor implementation becomes a Support ticket. A confusing product becomes a Support ticket. Poor documentation becomes a Support ticket. An unresolved defect becomes a Support ticket. Tech Support is often where customer frustration becomes visible … but not necessarily where it was created. That's why improving customer experience is not just about asking one team to work harder. It's about helping every function understand how its decisions shape the customer journey and most importantlycreating feedback loops that turn customer pain into product, process, and operational improvements. The best organizations don't optimize departments. They optimize the customer journey. !! I've found that the quality of customer experience is rarely determined by the strength of one function. It's determined by how well the functions work together. !! #techsupport #customerexperience #operationalexcellence #customerjourney
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Aliya Rakimgulova posted thisMost companies measure Support by how efficiently it resolves tickets. Not enough... CSAT, SLAs, and Time to Resolution are important operational metrics. Every support leader should care about them. But they don't tell you whether your business is getting better. What I care about the most: why did the customer have to contact Support in the first place? Could/Can I prevent it. Every ticket is a signal: your product is too complex. A workflow isn't intuitive. That documentation is not clear. This bug should have been fixed earlier. The most strategic support organizations do much more than just closing tickets. They systematically eliminate the reasons those tickets exist. This becomes even more important in AI era. AI will continue to reduce the cost of answering questions and resolving routine issues. That alone is valuable but not enough. The companies that win won't necessarily have the largest support organizations or the fastest response times. They'll build products so intuitive, automated, their engineering teams addresses areas that require attention to the point that customers rarely need support at all. Yes, Support organizations should be measured by how fast it resolve issues but more importantly how much it helps eliminate them at all. #techsupport
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Aliya Rakimgulova posted thisI finally watched The devil wears Prada 2 and have some thoughts to share. Would love your input as well! I loved the fashion, familiar faces and the drama. But as a business leader my eye caught smth else. To me this movie was about how Miranda was handling the change. She already knows that people are not reading magazines as before and the worlds is changing but she chooses not to adopt to this change: she manages here empire the same way as she did 20y ago. The world makes her to change though and now she has to adopt to hanging her own coat, but believe it or not she is struggling even with this minor change. When capitalism comes for her magazine she does not reinvent the business or offer any changes. She just finds bigger source of capital! And she understands that she is just buying herself more time. The ending left me with mixed feelings. Miranda is an example of a leader who is not willing to change when the world is changing. But she found resources to stay and manage the big empire the old way... Is it a happy end? #thedevilwearsprada2 #leadership
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Aliya Rakimgulova liked thisAliya Rakimgulova liked thisWe're proud to share several recent recognitions that highlight our commitment to customer success, innovation, and responsible business practices: • G2: Ranked No. 1 in 10 Fall 2026 reports and among the top three in 40 reports, based on customer reviews. • EcoVadis: Earned a 2026 Silver Medal, reflecting continued progress in sustainability. • Inc. Magazine: Named to the 2026 Inc. Power Partners list, recognizing B2B companies that help other businesses grow. Thank you to our customers, partners, and team for being part of these achievements! Read the full announcement: https://lnkd.in/dySzdghfAcumatica Called Out for Industry Leadership in Customer Satisfaction, Business Impact, and SustainabilityAcumatica Called Out for Industry Leadership in Customer Satisfaction, Business Impact, and Sustainability
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Aliya Rakimgulova liked thisAliya Rakimgulova liked thisWish I knew then, what I know now basically describes all of my early efforts in software implementation. I feel like in this industry you can never know enough. But also, you can't possibly know everything all the time. This job is just hard. This is article 8 of my 10 part series on the 10 Laws of Customer Success.Wish I Knew Then, What I Know Now. Customer Success Law #8: Deeply Understand Your Customer MetricsWish I Knew Then, What I Know Now. Customer Success Law #8: Deeply Understand Your Customer Metrics
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Aliya Rakimgulova liked thisAliya Rakimgulova liked thisFriends and former colleagues come to me from time to time with small IT questions, things I can fix in one evening. Last week some friends asked me to add a "donate by card" button to their website (they run a small non-profit that helps kids). The button was easy. But by evening I was still working on that site: it's on a Wix-like site builder, and I tidied up the design, added the menu to every page, fixed the colors, the links, that kind of thing. My wife saw this, laughed and said: "People hire a handyman for an hour. You're my IT guy for an hour." I thought about it… and yeah, that's exactly what I am. So I built it.sopov.org in one evening: Hugo, Cloudflare Pages, PageSpeed 100 on every score. It lists what people usually ask me for: a website, email on your own domain, payments, a server you hear about first when it's down. Of course, I had doubts: should I even post about this? Maybe a senior engineer shouldn't be fixing small websites. But I think there are no small jobs. At big companies I built backups for millions of users and payments for games. Useful, but it's business: millions of copies, millions of transactions, and you don't see the people behind them. Here it's just a small button, but it pays for kids' school supplies and a Christmas play. That I understand. And I like it. So my wife is right. Your own IT guy, an hour at a time. P.S. The only people who scare me are the ones who say: "Leonid, let's build a website / a game / a business, we'll make millions and help millions of people. I bring the idea, you bring the code." I say no to those right away.
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Aliya Rakimgulova liked thisAliya Rakimgulova liked thisEven the tiniest enterprise needs a proper categorization, accounting, and reporting on their ventures.
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Aliya Rakimgulova liked thisI’m South African but was born in Kenya. Talanta Stadium in Nairobi pictured below is an example of how Africa is changing and growing into the world’s next powerhouse. Amazing things are being developed and with AI, the global playing fields are being levelled. Africa has the most amazing people, resources and most importantly, unspoilt natural beauty. No wonder our national anthem begins with the words “God Bless Africa”Aliya Rakimgulova liked thisHosting football giants Bayern Munich and Ajax Amsterdam at Talanta Stadium should not be viewed merely as a KSh 10 billion expenditure. It should also be seen as a potential long-term economic investment and an opportunity to position Kenya on the global stage. Beyond the football spectacle, such an event could deliver significant benefits: 1. **Tourism growth:** Increased visitors would boost hotels, restaurants, transport and tour operators. 2. **Global exposure:** Millions of football fans worldwide would get an opportunity to see Nairobi and Kenya. 3. **Foreign exchange:** International visitors would inject foreign currency into the economy. 4. **Job creation:** Hospitality, security, logistics, media and entertainment sectors would benefit. 5. **Investment attraction:** International business executives and sponsors could be introduced to opportunities in Kenya. 6. **Sports development:** Local football academies, coaches and young talents could benefit from international partnerships. 7. **SME growth:** Local suppliers, traders and service providers would enjoy increased business. 8. **Infrastructure development:** Improvements in transport, connectivity and stadium facilities could serve the country long after the event. 9. **Youth empowerment:** Football clinics, talent exchanges and coaching partnerships could create lasting opportunities. 10. **Global positioning:** Nairobi could strengthen its reputation as a destination for major international sporting and business events. Kenya should go beyond hosting a match and turn it into a national economic campaign by combining football with tourism packages, investment forums, international sponsorships and youth development programmes. Of course, KSh 10 billion is substantial public money, and transparency, commercial returns and measurable economic benefits must be demonstrated. My point is simple: Let us not evaluate such an undertaking by expenditure alone. Let us also examine the tourism, investment, employment, foreign exchange and international visibility it could generate for Kenya over the next decade. Connect with me @ CMO Ronny Mutuma #kenyaeconomics #kenyasports # Ambassador Christopher Kirigua, MBS OGW
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Aliya Rakimgulova liked thisAliya Rakimgulova liked thisOne more position I’m hiring. Payments GTM. https://lnkd.in/gZeXRVPW
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Aliya Rakimgulova reacted on thisAliya Rakimgulova reacted on this- I know of multiple Value-Added Reseller (VAR) practices that have added a Managed Service Provider (MSP) practice for outsourced IT services - This allows the VAR to service both the ERP and the General IT infrastructure for their clients - So wouldn’t it make sense to expand the MSP to a Managed Intelligence Practice (MIP) for Managed AI? - Let’s find out what i-Tech is doing with their offering of AI education and Unified LLM technology ErpSeal - Mid-Market ERP Learning for Acumatica, Aptean, CMiC, Deltek, ECI, Epicor, IFS, Infor, Jonas, Microsoft Dynamics, Odoo, Oracle NetSuite, Plex, QAD, Rootstock, Sage, SAP, SYSPRO, Trimble, Viewpoint, and others
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Aliya Rakimgulova liked thisAliya Rakimgulova liked this200 students reached with cyber safety education in Romania! 🔐 Through two engaging sessions led by Bianca Ceocea, students in grades 5-8 gained essential cyber safety skills and digital best practices. The enthusiasm of the participants underscores the value of bringing cyber protection education directly to young learners. 👏💙 Together, we continue to foster safer digital communities worldwide. 👉 Curious to learn more? https://lnkd.in/ea-CPVZC #AcronisCyberFoundationProgram
Experience & Education
Licenses & Certifications
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COPC Registered Coordinator
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Publications
Honors & Awards
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Silver Medal - Customer Service Team of the Year – Recovery Situation
The Stevie Awards
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Silver medal - Best Use of Technology in Customer Service - Computer Software and Services
The Stevie Awards
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Diamond Prize for Customer Satisfaction
European Society for Quality Research (ESQR)
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Top Ranking Performers Awards EMEA 2012
ContactCenterWorld
Ranked 1st and Gold Medal Best Help Desk,
2nd place and Silver Medal for “Best Small Call center”,
Ranked 3rd and Bronze Medal – Best Use of Self-Service category -
Russian and CIS Call Center Award, 2012 Best Call Center (under 50 agents category)
Crystal Headset
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Global Call Center of the Year Award – Silver Award for Strategic Value
ICMI
Languages
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English
Native or bilingual proficiency
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German
Limited working proficiency
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Russian
Native or bilingual proficiency
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