Dhinesh Khanna - Humans of Zoho

Life at Zoho

What does your work space currently look like?

What role does Zoho’s company culture play in your identity and the work that you do?

As a Technical Support Engineer, if your competency and expertise in a particular domain are recognized by your customer, then you have achieved your first goal. I happened to get that recognition during the early phases of my career with Zoho. I then moved on to a different challenge to prove myself and again learned through the whole process, adding more feathers to my cap.

I would say the level of experience and expertise I have gained through this consistent learning process Zoho offered me is what I have to contribute back to the company. That would be my greatest impact.

Describe your current role in the organization.

I remember entering the interview room at noon and walking out with my job offer by sunset. I'm currently managing the Global Customer Success team at Zoho. We handle all the technical queries and implementation. We also assist customers during onboarding to increase product usage and make their journey easy. Smile is the formula I follow to make the customers happy.

At Work

Is there a project or an accomplishment at Zoho you’re proud of?

Our team bagged a massive deal from a government healthcare firm in Saudi Arabia. This was the biggest deal from the Middle East region and one of the biggest deals globally.

It was implemented with the support of our partner and reseller based in that region, along with assistance from several product teams.

Overall, it resulted from the collaborated efforts of the ManageEngine team, reseller, and partner teams.

Your most embarrassing blunder?

After having spent over two decades in the industry, I don't see a mistake as an 'embarrassing' moment. I view it as another learning milestone in life.

Tell us about a time you overcame a challenge you didn’t think was possible?

Every day is a new day, and I look forward to taking up new challenges. In my opinion, the thought of maintaining the harmony of a team with 500+ people was far-fetched, but it is possible now!

Getting Personal

What are some of your favorite activities outside of work?

Cooking and playing badminton. But shopping with my better half is extraordinary!

What are the top three books/podcasts that you recommend?

Biography of Abdul Kalam: He is one of my biggest role models.

Podcast—Actor Vivekh: I sincerely admire his efforts in the conservation of our environment.
R Parthiban: His simple and easy-to-understand way of writing Tamil is unique. I got inspired by him and started writing poems.

Good to be a leader: I don’t want to be a boss; better to be a leader. Only a leader can empathize with and motivate the team.

Words of Wisdom

Every day is a new day and filled with more opportunities.

Never give up on learning, and always have the urge to learn new skills.

Be humble, and most importantly, spend quality time with your family and dear ones because there is always someone to replace you at the workplace but not with the family.