AN INTERVIEW WITH
Miljan Tanić
Customer Care Center Team Lead, joined NCR in 2018
AN INTERVIEW WITH
Miljan Tanić
Customer Care Center Team Lead, joined NCR in 2018
Tell us a little about your career journey. What is your role at NCR and what led you here?
I knew many people working at NCR when it first came to Belgrade. I knew I wanted to go back to working in an office when I felt unproductive and unmotivated at my then-current company where I was working from home. In 2017, I accepted a position with NCR Serbia and felt reconnected and motivated with the people around me and having a clear separation between my workspace and living space.
My current role is Customer Care Center (CCC) team lead for the German incident management team. I’ve been on this team since I started with NCR—first as an agent, then senior agent and now as a team lead. I love my team; the people I work with are great and I wouldn’t change any of it.
“I love my team; the people I work with are great and I wouldn’t change any of it.”
How do you engage the LGBTQIA+ community?
I engage at NCR through its business resource group United and just being myself. As you might have noticed, the NCR logo in my signature is rainbow-colored all year long. My reasoning behind it is – I’m not gay just in June, I’m gay for life. And that’s my subtle way to make a statement. In terms of LGBTQIA+ community engagement, it’s again kind of the same – I tend to be myself – actually, to be the best possible version of myself. I love taking part in campaigns like “It gets better” because I think it is very important to support young adults. Young adults often can’t cope with being different in an environment where being different is very much discouraged. Telling them that it does get better with time, that there are people who went through the same thing and they will be there for you along the way, to help you and guide you, if you need it.
“As you might have noticed, the NCR logo in my signature is rainbow-colored all year long. My reasoning behind it is – I’m not gay just in June, I’m gay for life.”
What does Pride mean to you?
Pride to me is not being ashamed or afraid of who I am, and understanding that being different doesn’t mean that we’re not equal. On the contrary, it means accepting and being accepted, not “tolerating” or being “tolerated”. It’s not the distancing “live and let live” premise of tolerating but rather understanding that we’re all human and that we’re in this together. We all have the same pains and fears and joys in life, And I think the COVID-19 pandemic showed it best—nature doesn’t discriminate. To survive and thrive, we have to understand that we’re all the same.
“Pride to me is not being ashamed or afraid of who I am, and understanding that being different doesn’t mean that we’re not equal. On the contrary, it means accepting and being accepted, not “tolerating” or being “tolerated”.”
How do you bring Pride into your daily job?
I’d like to think that by being my authentic, honest self, without “straight acting” (or “str8 acting” as it used to be called back in the day) and by giving my best at work, I create the feeling of confidence in my colleagues and customers. They know they can rely on me and that we will do what is needed for business success, together. Also, by being open, I hope to encourage colleagues who are also part of the community, but afraid to come out, to understand that you do not have to live in fear and that you can be free and thrive, just as I’ve thrived in my job and life in general. Also, when on a break at work and talking about everyday stuff—my life, my partner and everything just like everyone else around me—this shows that we all have the same everyday issues in life, regardless of how we identify. I hope to change the perception of those who might be on the fence about LGBTQIA+ rights and equality.
“By being open, I hope to encourage colleagues who are also part of the community, but afraid to come out, to understand that you do not have to live in fear.”
How are you helping NCR to transform, connect and run the business in your role?
The incident management team works on the front line of business. We are the first point of contact for the customers for anything, and we have to have responses and solutions ready to go. That means representing the company externally and advocating for the customer and their needs and concerns internally. I like to think that we are the ones who maintain a balance, both to affirm the reputation of NCR as a customer-centric company and to be helpful, forthcoming and able to solve customer issues as they arise. I see that as the best way to help the company transform, connect and run the business—by working hard in your specific role and connecting with the customer to keep them happy. Through this, we can maintain what we have, grow and thrive.