AiAllies – Britta Guldmann, Teneo.ai

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With a background in Philology and Anthropology and a keen interest in linguistics, Britta Guldmann didn’t envision a career in technology during her early professional journey. However, after a 15-year tenure with Artificial Solutions / Teneo.ai, it’s evident that a tech career was an ideal match for her.

“I had never imagined being part of this industry.” says Britta. 

“I didn’t even pursue a pathway into the sector, instead I was invited into it. And even then, I didn’t know what the job was that I was interviewing for when I spoke to Artificial Solutions / Teneo.ai.” 

However, if you had heard the job role ‘Conversational Designer’ 15 years ago, you may also struggle to answer what such a position would entail. But now, it’s a role in high demand across the tech sector. 

“I really liked how the job combined a mathematical element of linguistics as well as a sociological consideration when building and developing conversational flows. It’s like a puzzle and finding the right piece to fit has a mathematical and linguistic element, so it’s very interesting.” 

But what does that really mean?  

Becoming a Conversational AI Specialist

Starting out, Britta was responsible for building and designing highly complex conversational programs, that could engage, interact and support users through online experiences.  

In the past, terms like ‘machine learning’ were not part of our dialogue. It was a futuristic concept. Now, we’re working with highly sophisticated systems that handle the heavy lifting, with real machine learning and AI bolstering our work.”

Interestingly, Conversational Design teams in tech companies often have a higher proportion of women. This is due to more women graduating from fields like linguistics, sociology, and psychology, which are crucial for a Conversational Designer’s knowledge base.

“Our team was an exception, always brimming with women, while other teams were predominantly male. However, in the conversational domain, we maintained a healthy balance. We’ve now extended this balance to other teams, significantly benefiting the entire business.

An Industry for Women to Lead 

Sitting in a leadership position and having forged a successful career within a niche of the technology industry, Britta believes that the field can represent a major opportunity for women to enter the sector and thrive. 

“Nobody should be afraid of jumping in at the deep end. The sector is really accessible and our own platform, Teneo, is easy to get to grips with. You don’t need any coding skills to get started and more companies are hiring in-house Conversational Designers, so there will be an increasing demand for these kinds of roles in the future.” 

In her role as Customer Success Manager & Conversational AI Specialist, Britta works with clients and partners on different stages of their Conversational AI journey, sharing know-how about Teneo.

“I think customer success departments offer a great pathway into the sector, of course you need to understand the technology, but I think being able to work with big clients and having interesting didactical or strategical conversations appeals to women. Plus, communication skills are really important for training and community responsibilities, which I also think women excel at.” 

Finally, considering the importance of celebrating women in technology as well as International Women’s Day, Britta maintains there is work to be done. 

“We need to stay cognizant of these issues and keep on working to educate and support women in this sector because there are still gender imbalances at leadership level.” 

If you would like to learn more about starting a career as a Conversational Designer, get in touch with our team, here.

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