Building Something New: Maria’s Journey in Customer Success

Maria Ogando joined Framery in early 2020, as an After Sales Coordinator, administrating dealer claims and processing spare part orders for previous generation pods. That role was crucial in developing a deep understanding of Framery’s products and customer needs.

Today, she’s a Customer Success Manager working with Framery’s smart office solutions, supporting clients around the world in adopting and integrating digital tools that change the way offices work. But the path here wasn’t a straight line, and that’s part of what makes it powerful.

Finding a Fit and Creating It

Maria holds a degree in marketing and brought international experience with her before joining Framery. She describes her career as truly taking off in Finland, with roles that spanned customer-facing work, sales, and account management.

In 2019, she came across a job opening at Framery for an After Sales Coordinator. She applied, and shortly after got the role. “I’ll never forget receiving that first phone call,” she says. “Everything just fell into place.”

That initial role gave her hands-on experience supporting Framery’s physical pod products. When COVID hit and the company shifted to remote work, Maria was tapped to join a temporary three-person team focused on preparing for the launch of Framery One. That team—known informally as SWAT—eventually laid the foundation for a new team altogether: Customer Success, which today operates within the broader Customer Operations function.

By late 2020, Maria stepped into a role that hadn’t existed before at Framery: Customer Success Manager.

“There was no job description, no playbook. We were building it all: roles, processes, vision, everything from the ground up,” she says. “It was fast-paced and challenging, but also incredibly energizing. We lived and breathed Customer Success.”

Working out of a previous generation 2Q pod, the “SWAT team” mapped out processes on the whiteboard walls and used the pod as their home base before expanding into what eventually became the Customer Success team’s first shared workspace. “We started small, but had big ambition. We were using our own products to help build something new. It was a true startup moment inside Framery.”

Building a Role, Growing a Team

What started with three people has now grown into a global team of 13, with multiple sub-teams and specialized roles – including some based outside of Finland. Maria speaks with deep pride about how far the Customer Success team has come, and the milestones they’ve reached together.

“We were really starting with a blank canvas,” she recalls. “Back then, there were only plywoods pods with no smart features yet. Today, we support a portfolio of digital solutions and have helped define a new category of service at Framery.”

The CSM role itself has evolved dramatically. Initially focused on activation and onboarding, it now spans the entire customer lifecycle. This includes piloting features, nurturing long-term relationships, ensuring adoption, supporting feature expansion, and continuing to close deals on Framery Plus subscriptions – allowing customers to further benefit from the value of Framery’s smart office solutions.

Maria emphasizes that being a CSM at Framery isn’t your typical job. “We are everywhere. No two days are the same. We meet with new customers, support existing ones, and sometimes even join presale conversations to help add value.”

“One of the most rewarding parts is being able to speak directly with our customers, whether it’s C-level stakeholders or smaller teams.” She adds, “It’s also our job to make customers aware of what’s possible. When someone buys a Framery smart pod, they might not even know what’s included. We make those digital layers visible, valuable, and easy to adopt.”

The role of a CSM is more than just about customer contact. Her work is deeply cross-functional, collaborating with sales, product, operations, and development to ensure the service continues to evolve and meet real needs.

She also insists on giving credit where it’s due: to her team. “Everything we’ve achieved has been a team effort. We’re a group of people with different strengths and roles, but we move together. That’s what makes it work.”

A Culture of Trust, Energy, and Growth

Maria often reflects on the sense of trust she felt early on. “The trust given to you from day one was empowering.” She also emphasizes the team’s collaborative spirit, saying “To succeed here, you have to be a team player. We work closely within the Customer Success team and across other teams. The energy and attitude you bring really shape the experience.”

Maria credits Framery’s culture of curiosity for keeping things dynamic. “There’s always a new challenge to tackle.” The variety of interactions and evolving customer needs push her to stay sharp.

Moments That Mattered

Two moments stand out for Maria. The first was stepping into the Customer Success Manager role. The second was closing the very first Framery Plus subscription deal.

“That deal was extra special. I’d built a close relationship with the customer, worked through several interactions and meetings. I was determined to bring it home, even though at the time, we were in the early phases of the Framery smart office solutions.”

“I remember clearly the moment when I received the customer’s initial written yes and how it took a minute to actually understand the great deal that moment was for all of us at Framery—We were selling digital services!”

What Comes Next

The digital offering at Framery is evolving fast, and Maria is excited to be part of what’s ahead. She looks forward to deepening her involvement with the growing digital service business, welcoming in new customers, and continuing to play an active role in shaping the next phase of the smart office experience.

“We used to say ‘one day…’ like it was just a mirage. Now we can look back and say, we did that. We built this. And we’ve only just begun.”

careers, culture

November 7, 2025