As a remote company at the forefront of translation technology, OnTheGoSystems is embracing AI tools to revolutionize our workflows and drive innovation.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been transforming the workplace for some time now. With the recent release of OpenAI’s ChatGPT, we are witnessing the transformative power of AI in our daily work.

Powered by a large language model, ChatGPT uses artificial intelligence to understand and generate human-like text. Ask it to write a story, tell you about rocket science, or for personal advice –  it always has an answer. And while ChatGPT has its limitations, the advancements in AI show us just how crucial it is to stay ahead of the curve. 

At OnTheGoSystems, we can’t (and won’t) deny that machines have evolved in their ability to plan, reason, communicate, and learn. Instead, we are choosing to leverage AI’s potential to work faster and better.

OnTheGoSystems’ Teams: Tapping into the Power of AI

In the last months, we’ve noticed that AI tools like ChatGPT have numerous advantages: 

Here’s a deeper look into how we’re using AI tools to improve the way we work across different teams.

Building Innovative Products – Development Team

Our developers have always been committed to building software that meets the needs of our clients. We use a combination of technologies to build our most popular products, WPML and Toolset, and our new software translation tool, PTC (Private Translation Cloud). 

Now, our software developers and AI are working hand-in-hand on our existing products and to bring big, meaningful ideas to life. 

They also use AI tools to help with everyday tasks, such as:

Of course, it’s important to note that our developers are highly knowledgeable and always check the code ChatGPT produces. This is essential, since AI tools like ChatGPT don’t always get it right. 

At the moment, our Head of Engineering, Eduard Martini is busy building a custom ChatGPT interface.

How OnTheGoSystems Works Remotely with AI Tools

The latest AI tools have transformed our development process, speeding up projects and automating mundane tasks.

For example, we now use ChatGPT to generate release notes by simply feeding it the comments from our commits, and it compiles meaningful summaries in no time. We’ve also built our own ChatGPT UI, making it more accessible and functional.

We’re researching AI tools to improve the quality of WPML’s machine translations. While this is still in its early research phase, we’ve made steady progress and are excited about the potential impact it could have on our services and the industry as a whole.

With the help of new AI tools, I am at least 20% more productive.

Eduard Martini

Head of Engineering

Navigating the Global Talent Pool – HR Team

OnTheGoSystems is a remote company with team members across 45 countries and 4 continents. For our teams, this is a huge benefit. We can learn from talented people with diverse backgrounds and skill sets. 

But for our HR professionals, building a global team comes with its own unique challenges. Our HR team members need to make sure that anyone joining us is a good fit for working remotely. They need to attract diverse talent while also maintaining a strong company culture and ensuring good collaboration among international team members.

Currently, our HR team is using AI to find the right person for each role, create a more engaging hiring experience, and take over time-consuming administrative tasks. Overall, we’ve found that AI tools actually help us keep the “human” in human resources. 

How OnTheGoSystems Works Remotely with AI Tools

While we don’t use AI as extensively as other teams, it does add value to our HR processes.

For example, we provide ChatGPT with job specifications and it helps us craft meaningful job ads. For each role we are recruiting for, it helps us generate the questions we can ask candidates and suggests how to assess technical capabilities for specific roles. We use ChatGPT to do research and proofread texts and emails.

Overall, AI tools like ChatGPT really streamline the recruitment process.

Laura de Figueiredo

HR Manager

Crafting Compelling Narratives – Content Team

Our content team creates a wide variety of content, including how-to guides, blog posts, tutorials, announcements, and more. This requires not only a high level of product knowledge, but also resources. Putting different types of content together takes time. From our team members, it also requires a fair share of research and a deep understanding of our products. 

For the most part, AI tools don’t have the understanding or knowledge needed to produce ready-to-use content. But, they are capable of generating ideas faster than humans can. 

Because of this, we use AI to help us produce high-quality content. With the right prompt, tools like ChatGPT provide outlines, headlines, and even first drafts for articles. We then carefully review what ChatGPT generates and add our personal touch to create better, well-rounded content in less time.

How OnTheGoSystems Works Remotely with AI Tools

ChatGPT and AI tools are proving to be a great help for the Content team. AI can’t replace our skilled writers, but it helps speed up the content creation process. It’s like having a writing assistant that helps us write outlines, headings, social media posts, and even whole drafts for blog posts and tutorials.

Once we’ll be able to train AI tools with our own data, the sky’s the limit.

Dario Jazbec Hrvatin

Content Manager

Enhancing User Experience – Support Team

The support team members for our WPML and Toolset plugins work tirelessly to provide our clients with answers to questions and solutions to issues. To be able to provide only the best user experiences, our supporters need to know our products inside out. They also need to know how to think outside the box and prioritize the tickets that come into the support forum.

Our support team is already using ChatGPT to craft summaries for resolved tickets. The advantages are twofold: 

Now, we’re looking to use AI to enhance these human interactions. We want to train ChatGPT to help our supporters with quick replies to frequently asked questions. This means developing an AI-powered chatbot.

How OnTheGoSystems Works Remotely with AI Tools

We’re building an AI-powered support chatbot to provide quick, first-tier support. The chatbot will try to resolve issues and provide clients with the most precise answers. Of course, AI tools are not always 100% accurate. One of the challenges is training the bot to know when to transfer conversations it can’t correctly answer to a human operator. 

We’re exploring new approaches, including those from Facebook/Meta, to stay up-to-date and efficient.

We are still in the research phase, but we’re determined to find a solution that meets our expectations

Andrea Sciammana

Developer on the Systems team

Looking Towards the AI-Driven Future

As a company that builds advanced translation technologies, OnTheGoSystems is always looking for ways to take the technology available to us to the next level. 

AI tools like ChatGPT play a significant role in this pursuit. While they can’t replace the knowledge and expertise of our team members, they can assist us in getting things done faster.

As we continue to explore new ways to leverage AI, we’re committed to fostering a work environment that embraces change and technological advancements. We’re excited to see how we can use AI to be a valuable asset for our team, our services, and the industry as a whole.

Star of the Month Shekhar Bhandari tells us about the importance of using an individual approach to each client and why even a 1% chance of success is more than enough.

Shekhar, tell us about yourself

I’m an extremely optimistic person, so you can call me “Optimistic Shekhar”! :) If you’re wondering why, it’s because I take on any challenge that comes my way, even if it seems like there’s only a 1% chance of succeeding. Although I have failed many times, it has never stopped me from continuing to be optimistic.

I was born in Morang, a far-east district of Nepal, and my native language is Nepali. Currently, I am living in Kathmandu, the capital city of Nepal. I am married and have a cute little daughter who is 4 now. My family and I consider ourselves to be a traditional Hindu family.  

When I am not working, I like to watch football and go out with friends. I am a huge Cristiano Ronaldo fan so – suiiii!

Shekhar and his family on a short trip to a nearby hill

What were you doing before joining OTGS?

Before joining OnTheGoSystems, I worked as a WordPress theme developer at Proshore Nepal. I started as a solo team member who was responsible for developing, documenting, and providing support. As the product grew and developed, so did the size of the team. At that point, I took on the role of leading the team.

How did you hear about the company? When did you join?

Since I was developing themes, I was well aware of WPML as a translation solution. I enjoyed my job at the time, but once I learned about working remotely, I thought of giving it a try. So, I started searching for remote jobs and found a few organizations, one of which was OnTheGoSystems. 

I applied for the role of “Supporter & Front-end Developer” and was hired as 1st tier supporter on November 2nd, 2015.

Shekhar enjoying a day spent in nature

Can you tell us more about what you do at OTGS?

Helping clients with both technical and non-technical issues is the main part of my job. On a daily basis, I work mostly with the Support team, but I also have to pass on any information regarding current issues, client feedback, and expectations to other relevant teams.

For this job, it’s important to know how WordPress and WPML work. But it’s equally important to have the desire and patience to help others.

When you are helping someone, you first need to know what type of help is needed and what exactly it is needed for. So, the first thing I try to do is clarify the issue at hand. Also, it’s impossible to remember every aspect of plugins, so I test the workflow myself. This helps me get a clear idea about what the client is doing, what the expected output is, and so on. 

What’s the most challenging part of your job, and how do you overcome it?

Different clients have different expectations and different ways of understanding and approaching things. Helping all these different types of clients in the same manner can be challenging. 

I do my best to observe the requests our clients make, ask for more details to understand each situation individually, and modify my responses accordingly to meet each client’s expectations.

Shekhar and his friends striking a pose at WordCamp Kathmandu

What’s a typical day like? How do you unwind at the end of a busy day?

My job requires me to interact with WPML users, so the larger portion of my day is spent on taking care of client requests.

I start each day by checking emails to see if there are any updates related to new issues, fixes, and improvements. After that, I check my team’s channel on Mattermost, which we use to communicate with one another, and the P2 platform for ATE-related questions from my colleagues. I then try to help them out as soon as possible.

Once the emails and P2 tasks are completed, I start taking tickets and chats, and this continues throughout the day. Of course, I continuously check chats on Mattermost throughout the day and try to help with any issues that arise as much as I can.

At the end of the day, I just do a quick rewind of the tasks I performed, and then take a walk with my friends for a tea break to unwind.

What led you to choose remote work?

The flexibility to work from home or any other place of my choice was quite exciting for me. But mainly, I was eager to avoid spending hours in traffic to reach a physical office location.

Shekhar spending time with some friends

In your experience, what are the best and most challenging things about working remotely? 

Being professional and having an awareness of time can be very challenging. It’s easy to lose track of time when you’re working from home, so you need to properly set your working hours. You also need to make sure your family understands your job and its demands. 

How do you stay focused on your tasks? 

I concentrate on a maximum of 1 or 2 tasks at the same time. If there is anything else in the queue, I keep it on hold and only start once the previous task is completed. 

I also make sure to set time boundaries accordingly and take a few small, 5-minute-breaks whenever I have a larger workload. In addition to this, I listen to music throughout the day.

Shekhar and his wife during a trip to Mustang, Nepal

Any hopes and plans for the future (personal or professional)?

I have been at OnTheGoSystems for a long time now, which comes with some additional benefits. I have a 1-month sabbatical available, so I’m hoping to purchase a vehicle and go for a month-long country tour with my family sometime soon. 

Here at OnTheGoSystems, we like to think of ourselves as a group of people working towards a shared mission and goal. As we’ve grown, we haven’t lost sight of the importance of providing only the highest quality of support.

Over the years, we’ve worked hard to create a strong set of values that not only binds us together, but also challenges us to continuously improve:

For our support team, putting these core values into practice on a daily basis is second nature. Our technical supporters serve our users, embrace innovation, and deliver on commitments – all while upholding exceptionally high standards of integrity.  

So, what does a technical supporter at OnTheGoSystems do, and what makes it different from other WordPress support roles?

What to Expect: Providing Support for the WPML Plugin

Challenge

Our flagship product, WPML, is a complex and evolving multilingual plugin. As WordPress grows and develops, so do we. For us, it’s important that WPML always remains easy to use and compatible with other plugins and themes in the WordPress ecosystem. This way, anyone can use WPML to create a multilingual site, even with zero coding and programming skills.

Variety

Our supporters perform a mix of two roles – customer service and technical support. WPML users contact us with a variety of questions. Some are simple and can be resolved by directing clients to our step-by-step FAQ and documentation pages. Others are complex and may require extra effort and a combination of out-of-the-box thinking, testing, and debugging. It’s fair to say no two days are the same, and there’s no one way to solve a problem.

Continuous Learning

Although we’re a remote workplace, you don’t have to worry about being left on your own. Training doesn’t start and end with onboarding. We don’t expect you to know everything, and we always communicate and collaborate with one another. Teams have daily virtual meetings to discuss tasks and raise issues. You can also use one of the many channels on Mattermost to ask your colleagues for advice. 

Our teammates are always available to lend a helping hand

Interesting Teammates

Because we’re a remote company, we have the privilege of being a global and diverse team. Our colleagues may have the same role, but they come from different cultures and professional backgrounds. 

Firsthand Account: Being a Technical Supporter 

A job ad can give you a general understanding of the position and day-to-day responsibilities, but there’s nothing like first-hand information. That’s why we asked some of our technical supporters to share their experiences with us.

What it’s Like to be a WordPress Technical Supporter for WPML

I’ve been at OnTheGoSystems for 5 and a half years now and I love it. Before joining WPML, I spent many years working at other companies as a Tech Supporter. The quality and level of support we provide at OTGS is quite high and different from what other companies in the WordPress ecosystem offer.

Our HR team and team leaders also ensure that the workload is sufficient for all team members. Every team member gets a few months of training before starting the actual tasks which is great – not every company offers that. Our management and team trust us which also enables us to deliver our best work.

We also receive frequent training about new features and pain points our clients face. In turn, we can assist our clients better. In other companies, this is often neglected.

The advancement and growth of WPML and the Advanced Translation Editor is one-of-a-kind.

Noman Mo

Support team member since December 2016 | Based in Pakistan

What it’s Like to be a WordPress Technical Supporter for WPML

I recently hit the 4-year mark with OnTheGoSystems. In the past, I worked for development and design agencies that weren’t strictly related to WordPress. I also worked as a freelancer. 

OnTheGoSystems has been in the WordPress business for a very long time. Our stats for the quality of support we are giving to our customers are pretty awesome – and we plan on keeping it that way!

The technical support position here is an amazing opportunity to help others, which I genuinely love to do. It’s also a great opportunity to learn new things on a daily basis. You can learn from other colleagues or from new issues and situations that you find out about in the support tickets or live chats. The opportunity to stay up to date with the industry and the latest updates in the WordPress community is also something that’s super important and brings me a lot of satisfaction. So I would say that this is a nice combination of two things that I love. 

The people here are super talented, always open to learning, and always eager to find new ways of doing things. At OTGS, everyone is treated well, there’s an amazing work-life balance, and great benefits that come together with this position.

This role is an amazing way to give back to the WordPress community.

Mihai Apetrei

Support team member since July 2018 | Based in Romania

What it’s Like to be a WordPress Technical Supporter for WPML

I’ve been with OnTheGoSystems for just over 6 months now.  

The company I worked for before used WordPress, but it was not our “product”. So, the support role I had was not directly related to the WordPress ecosystem. It was more of a customer support role focusing on sales. Compared to WPML, it was not technical at all, and you didn’t get to investigate and solve issues. It was more repetitive, like copy/pasting pre-sales answers or explaining some features and functionalities.

The supporter role for WPML exceeded my expectations. I was looking for something more challenging, where you have the opportunity to work hand in hand with clients to solve their issues. It’s only been six months but I feel I’ve learned a lot, not only about our product, WPML, but also about WordPress, PHP, Databases…

The amazing thing about OnTheGoSystems is that you can get involved in different projects and, with time, take more responsibilities and dedicate more time to work on compatibility issues and testing.

WordPress and WPML are always evolving. It’s really exciting to be a part of that.

Nicolas Viallet

Support team member since December 2021 | Based in Peru

What it’s Like to be a WordPress Technical Supporter for WPML

I have been with OnTheGoSystems since March 2022. 

I worked as a WordPress supporter for about one and a half years before joining OTGS. With the WPML plugin, I get to work with advanced or professional customers. WPML clients are mostly developers and advanced WordPress users who help you to push yourself farther with learning and testing new things. It is fun and rewarding to work with such clients.

I also “own” a ticket from the start to the resolution of the issue and I get to learn from each step.

The internal guides, documentation, and conversations with co-workers are very clear, detailed, and helpful. So while the learning curve may seem steep at the start, working with WPML is actually very easy.

Of course, it’s also fun to work remotely on our own schedule with people from different cultures. The helpful and friendly team at OTGS makes the work easy and enjoyable.

Helping clients is very interesting. But the opportunity to learn from the team and process while helping clients is what makes the role even better.

Subash Chandra Poudel

Support team member since March 2022 | Based in Nepal

Become a Member of the OTGS Team

At OnTheGoSystems, support isn’t an afterthought. We believe our support team is at the heart of what we do. 

Our technical supporters do more than just offer exceptional customer support. They’re also dedicated to making sure our plugin works as expected – and nothing slips through the cracks. 

As a supporter, you’ll guide people to the fullest use of our products. You’ll also have to roll your sleeves up and handle debugging, testing, and compatibility issues. 

You don’t have to be a developer, have years of WordPress support experience, or know WPML inside out to join the team. There’s more than one way of working with WordPress-related content, and you can always count on the team to help you develop your skills and knowledge. 

Otto Federico Wald has come a long way since joining OntheGoSystems in 2015! Here’s how he progressed in his career, in his own words.

Hanging around with my kids

Tell us a bit about yourself.

I am Otto :)

I have two kids: Juan and Mateo. I like to spend time hanging with them at home or going out to eat or to the club so we can do some sports and enjoy the fresh air.

I like to read. And I am also a constant learner, I enjoy studying and I am very curious.

What was your position when you started, and what is it now?

I started in 2015 as a first tier supporter. I helped our clients to build multilingual sites for almost 4 years. It was great, truly rewarding most of the time, and the team spirit is awesome.

Now I am the Compatibility Support team leader. We take the first look at escalated issues that involve a third party theme or plugin.

How did you grow into this role?

As I said, I am a constant learner so each time I had the chance to go deeper into a ticket I handled.

When I mentioned to Amit (our Support Manager) that I wanted to do something different, he offered me training in Compatibility. At that time David Garcia Watkins was mainly handling those issues, so I started working with him. Once the training was over I continued there with David as a mentor and slowly took over more and more complex issues. So, I became part of the Compatibility team.

After a while, Ahmed Mohammed (who was the team leader before me) left and Amit and Laura asked me to take over as David was already doing development work full time.

Otto’s computer setup

What really helped you get to this position?

My mentors :)

First, Pierre Sylvestre helped me to become a good supporter and know our products and WordPress deeply. Then, David helped me to level-up my debugging skills and programming knowledge. I am truly happy that I get to keep working closely with both, so I can keep learning.

Also Amit’s trust was really important. I am grateful for the opportunity and the confidence.

Are you content in your role now? What motivates you?

Yes, I am extremely happy. The role is challenging, you need to keep learning every day and I have the best environment to do it. My teammates are the best and that’s really important.

In short, what advice would you give someone who wants to grow within the company?

Keep learning, keep looking for opportunities, new things to do. And share and help as much as you can.