Altec

Getting to Know Altec – Bobby McDonald


As part of our Getting to Know Altec blog series, we decided to highlight one of the newest team members to our growing client success team. Help us welcome Bobby McDonald, Client Success Associate. Based out of our Laguna Hills headquarters, Bobby will be focusing on helping customers navigate maintenance renewals, access the customer portal, get started on training and discuss additional DocLink needs. He’s spent a good part of his life in the pool, playing and coaching water polo, and is finding interesting similarities between being a team member in the water and at Altec! Keep reading to get to know more about him!

What did you do before landing at Altec?

First, I was born and raised in Southern California where I’ve played water polo since I was a kid, both in high school and on club teams. I got my first job when I was 15, working as a recreational leader at a local community center with my two older sisters. It wasn’t a typical teenager job like fast food since I worked in an office managing the front desk and scheduling meetings. But it really helped me learn proper office etiquette. Trust me my sisters kept me in check and taught me how to behave professionally!

My next stop was UC Irvine (Zot Zot!) where I played water polo all four years and graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Economics and minors in Math and Education. Straight out of school, I was offered the opportunity to be the assistant coach of the water polo team at Concordia University and was able to earn my MBA there at the same time. And then my former UCI coach recruited me to come back and be his assistant for the team.

What made you want to go into sales, and what attracted you to Altec?

While coaching at UCI, I started studying for the actuarial exams with a goal to pursue a career in the business world. It just so happens during my recent job search I learned of this position with Altec from one of the team’s salespeople, Tony Choquehuanca, who has been closely connected to UCI and the water polo team for years. Going into sales was one of several opportunities I was reviewing, and everything I learned about Altec during the interview process really sold me on this path. I like the company’s vision and the growth opportunities that were laid out to me. I could see that the sales team was filled with good people I could learn a lot from. Having been a part of a successful water polo team for so many years, being happy with the people you work with is so important and I got a good feeling that the Altec team would parallel the positive experiences I’ve had with water polo. I’ve been here a short time but I am really enjoying being part of the sales group and learning the business from this expert team.

What are your responsibilities at Altec?

As a part of the customer success team I am focusing on reaching out to customers to help them with their maintenance renewals. But doing that definitely spurns great conversations about how they like DocLink or what issues they might be having. I’m really enjoying engaging and creating relationships with customers, helping them to get the answers they need.

What’s your most interesting customer interaction you’ve had so far?

I spoke with a customer whose company is on the front lines distributing Covid vaccines so he was quite busy. But I mentioned DocLink and he easily spent 10-15 minutes telling me about all the things they’ve been able to do with it. They initially started in AP but eventually rolled DocLink out to several other departments in the company and it’s helped immensely by increasing employee efficiency throughout. It was just so great to hear a customer talk about everything we always promote about DocLink.

What do you like to do outside of work?

I still play water polo in the 30-and-under masters team through UCI, participating in several tournaments per year. But I’ve also expanded to activities outside of the water, playing pickup games of soccer and basketball. I’m continuing to study for the actuary exams and I also really enjoy cooking complex dishes. I recently cooked a gumbo which requires hours of prep and slow cooking and it turned out great!

If you could live anywhere else, where would it be?

I’ve always lived in Southern California but spent some months in Tennessee with friends and it’s beautiful. I’ve also always wanted to go to Japan. I really like the culture and I am an anime fan.

What 3 words or phrases would you use to describe yourself?

  1. Open minded
  2. Team orientated
  3. Understanding

What is your favorite food to eat?

It’s a very Southern California answer but definitely tacos, really any Mexican food.

What’s the top 3 most used apps on your phone?

  1. YouTube
  2. Robin Hood
  3. Post Mates

What’s the last show you binge watched?

The Office. It’s always on and so funny!

Welcome to Altec Bobby, we are excited to have you as part of the team!