Profile of a Technical Support Manager: Dan Henderson
Calm in a crisis, king of the ticket queue, and Dungeon Master
Content Writing Manager Jai Hill interviewed our wonderful Technical Support Manager, Dan and found out all about his life and Blam Digital work. This is what he said…
What is your role at Blam Digital?
Dan Henderson is Blam Digital’s Technical Support Manager. His job title may sound straightforward, but the reality is far more involved. Dan supports both clients and internal teams with a wide range of technical issues.
From second-line support tickets to domain management and website publishing, he is the calm in the storm when things need fixing.
“On a basic level, I’m the tech support manager, of course. I have got my staff. I manage some tickets. But… I deal specifically with second line tickets. I deal with domain management, publish websites and export and import emails to new accounts.”
At the heart of Dan’s work is a deep commitment to solving problems. Problem-solving is his forte.
“Basically, I solve problems. That’s what I do. I am the problem solver… If there is a problem, 99 per cent of the time, given enough time and energy, it can be solved. It’s the 1 per cent that pains me and grieves me.”
How did you first discover Blam Digital, and what made you want to join the team?
Interestingly, Dan’s journey to Blam did not follow a conventional path. After two years of unemployment during the pandemic, he decided to put his CV out through an agency and see what came back. Blam walked into his career path. This is how it unfurled.
“It was kind of a situation where Grant found me rather than anything… I wasn’t looking for a specific IT job at the time. I just said, if I want a job, I want it to be a decent job. A job I like. A job I’ve trained for.”
The agency sent his CV far and wide, and the first interview with another company did not go well. But the next day, Dan got a call from Grant.
“He’s like, do you want an interview? I’m like, yeah, sure. Anything works. Don’t know what this is for. Let’s go for it.”
It was the right offer at exactly the right time, and thus, Dan’s Blam journey began. It was how we found our Geordie Technical Wizard.
Amazingly, before joining Blam, Dan worked in retail, including a stint at Lush in Birmingham. He embraced the pampering lifestyle with pride.
“I was the primary bath bomb salesman in Birmingham city centre… They were paying me to get massaged… It was brilliant.”
The image of Dan working in Lush is an absolute gem!
Can you walk us through a typical day in your life at Blam Digital?
Dan’s working day starts predictably with the unpredictable. Whether at home or in the office, it begins by triaging support tickets and identifying the most urgent cases.
“First thing I look at is just the support tickets. I look at high urgency ones. Is anyone using caps lock? If they’re using caps lock, deal with them first.”
Dan’s unerring sense of humour is one of the things that makes him a joy to work with. After that initial start to the day, comes email triage, ticket delegation, and reacting to real-time issues.
“By 11 am, I usually have several WhatsApp messages like, something’s on fire.”
Fortunately, Dan’s problem-solving mentality means he can put out ‘fires’ and put Partners’ minds at rest.
Next comes the production meeting. It is teamwork and communication at Blam Digital that keeps it slick, efficient and well organised.
Indeed, Dan is a core part of that machine dedicated to serving Partners and their clients.
What are your hobbies and interests outside of your role at Blam Digital?
Dan is one of several D&D geeks at Blam Digital (Alex and Jai being the other two), so in his downtime, being a Dungeon Master is his main love and joy. In fact, Dan runs three separate Dungeons and Dragons campaigns each week. It is a big part of his life outside work.
“I run a session three hours long… leading people through a wonderful fantasy land in which they get to kill goblins and all the like.”
Dan is also a huge fan of audiobooks, especially long-form epic fantasy.
“I’ve gone through the entirety of the Stormlight Archives by Brandon Sanderson… It’s some of the best literature I’ve ever read in my life. It's on par with Lord of the Rings.”
Tell me about your weekly habits as a Blam Digital team member
Monday is the most important day of the week for Dan. It starts with team leader meetings to align on strategy and progress across the departments.
“Monday’s always the big day for meetings… Touch base with all the other team leaders, Audronė, Alex, Grant… get an idea of the numbers for the coming week.”
Outside of work, Dan has committed to a consistent post-work routine that benefits both his health and mindset. 5.30 pm is when his self-care routine explodes into action…
“5:30 every day. I’ve got it set in my calendar. Stop work, even if you’re working overtime, and just exercise for a good 45 minutes. And I’ve been keeping to it, to be honest.”
When his week draws to a close, Dan turns to gaming for a release. It is all game pads and headsets galore when work is over. His game of choice is Helldivers 2.
“I love just being like, right, I’m going to kill some aliens. I will pretend they’re tickets and I will blow them up.”
He remains one of the most positive and resilient members of the team. Partners can rely on Dan to solve their week-to-week technical challenges.
What are three things you love most about your Blam Digital role?
Dan spoke openly and frankly about what he values in his work at Blam. The first was the team culture and the day-to-day camaraderie.
“My colleagues… Are they decent? Have they got good personalities? Do you have good banter? Blam always has that.”
The second is the leadership style, which makes a huge difference in the working atmosphere.
“Grant is a really good boss, to be honest… He just keeps that vibe running through the whole company, which is brilliant.”
The third is the freedom to act quickly and independently.
“I don’t have to wait for people. I can just be like, right, that needs doing. Do that. Get it done. Change the database, change the finance systems, change everywhere… that problem is solved.”
I could see that Dan really thrives at Blam Digital. Despite his busy role, he is happy with the company culture and the way things are run.
What advice would you give to someone thinking of becoming a Blam Digital Partner?
Forever candid and frank, Dan is clear about where new partners should focus their energy. It is not on the technical side…
“Don’t be intimidated about what you have to learn… You don’t need to hold all that technical stuff in your brain. That’s our job.”
Instead, Dan avidly encourages potential partners to focus on sales and communication, trusting that support is there whenever they need it.
“You don’t need to stress. You don’t need to rush. You have all the time in the world to learn everything on trial and get used to it. As long as you communicate with us, we can help you in any way possible.”
The backroom team at Blam Digital deals with all the technical side of things, leaving the Partner to focus on sales. This is a big reason why so many people have signed up to become Blam Partners without any previous experience in websites and marketing. Having a reliable and experienced team makes all the difference.
Thanks Dan for a hilarious and enjoyable interview!
If you would like to become a Blam Digital Partner, click the button below. Let’s Talk!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jamieson Lee Hill is the Content Manager for Blam Digital, having joined the franchise in January 2020. He is trained in all areas of Digital Marketing and has two Master’s level Diplomas in Business Management (DMS) and English Language Teaching (DELTA). He specialises in content/copywriting and content strategy.
Hill also has 26 years of experience as a teacher, lecturer, teacher trainer, curriculum designer and educational manager. In his free time, he explores the wonders of Istanbul and Turkiye, where he lives part of the year by the sea with his wife and 2 cats.
