Jenny Yu

Customer Support Manager

What drew you to eChalk?


It was the summer of 2004 and I was a bright-eyed graduate student who had just completed my studies in Informatics, an interdisciplinary program that focused on the merging of people, communication and technology. I was excited about getting into the IT field and applying what I've learned in the classroom to real-life situations. When I learned eChalk was hiring and researched the solution it offered educators, I was eager for an opportunity to work for a company that's actually putting theory into action and becoming the hub where schools, communication and technology all merged.

Describe the eChalk culture. 

eChalk is the first company I’ve worked for where employees have left to pursue other opportunities and have come back! Everyone is friendly and incredibly knowledgeable, dedicated and driven because we all share the same goals and desire to see our product succeed. Did I mention that we have free snacks and a vintage coke machine?

What do you find most satisfying about working at eChalk?


I enjoy the process of learning and solving problems and I get to do that every day at eChalk. I hate being stumped by an issue and it's the best feeling in the world when the solution hits me and I get that "Ah Ha!" moment. It’s especially satisfying when the answer or solution I provide just made someone's day. Since working at eChalk, I've realized that many teachers do more than just teach in a classroom; they wear multiple hats and have a number of other responsibilities. Most even work through their lunch and prep periods to get things done, so I think the least I could do is make technology a little less frustrating, and even show them some time saving shortcuts!

How would you describe eChalk customers?

My role at eChalk is entirely client facing, so I work with clients on a daily basis. A major part of customer support is training and imparting best practices for using our application, but I think we learn just as much from our users. eChalk customers are inquisitive and always pushing the envelope in terms of using the system. I’m always amazed to discover all the ingenious ways they’ve come up with to incorporate eChalk into their instruction. Recently, a Site Manager in Texas came across a new tool for embedding PDFs into Web pages. She told me about it over the phone and then when I saw it working on her district's homepage I thought to myself, "Wow, that is so cool! I need to bookmark this!" 

Describe your fellow eChalkers.


Over the years I’ve noticed that eChalk attracts talent with a unique set of qualities. I work with a group of fun, dedicated and passionate people who inspire each other every day to go above and beyond the call of duty for our clients and do what it takes to make sure our schools and districts make the most out of eChalk. It’s not unusual to see eChalkers working after dark, late into the night. Some even have desk lamps that turn on when the lights in the office automatically shut off after 8PM!

Is there one event that stands out during the time you’ve worked at eChalk? 

eChalk had just released one of the biggest software updates at the time, in what was one of our busiest school years to date. The volume of support requests flowing in through email and phones seemed insurmountable and I was working nights and weekends just to keep up. We needed help and in typical above-and-beyond fashion, the Client Services Team really stepped up to the plate. Everyone on the team jumped in to help answer phones and emails and that enabled the Support Team to continue providing the level of service and support our customers have come to expect from us. Teamwork pulled us through that start of the school year. It was encouraging and inspiring to know that my colleagues are always behind me and ready to roll up their sleeves and pitch in to help our clients. 

How do you describe eChalk to your friends and family?


When people ask me what I do for a living, I tell them that I provide customer and technical support for an online learning environment and communication tool that's used by schools across the country! If they still look puzzled, I usually direct them to our fabulous website at www.echalk.com! 

What surprised you most about working at eChalk?

During the interview process at eChalk, I was quite surprised by the number of interviewers I spoke with; everyone from the CEO, to the President, to several Client Managers all met with me. I later learned from other colleagues that they had the same experience. I remember thinking how rigorous the hiring process was and that this is the kind of company I want to be a part of because everyone was hand-selected and you are guaranteed to be working with the cream of the crop.

Tell us what you look forward to most at eChalk. 

What I look forward to most is meeting the eChalk users who we correspond with regularly. As a member of the Customer Support Team, we're located in our New York City office assisting users remotely five days a week, so whenever clients come to visit us or we get an opportunity to meet them, it's always a treat! One of our Professional Learning Managers returned from the field and brought back a short video clip that a district's technology team had made for us so we could finally "meet" them and in return we sent them a video too! I hope to meet more of our users and put a face to the voice over the phone!