“Deaf people are calling me, design an accessible service” – an interview with Marta Bączkowska

Once again, we supported Perspektywy Women in Tech Summit 2023 - a unique meeting of women of science, business, and technology organized by Fundacja Edukacyjna Perspektywy. Among the 150 great speakers and people involved in the preparation of 60 workshops and over 500 individual mentoring sessions, there was a chance to meet Allegro employees.

We talked with Marta Bączkowska (Senior Leader, Group CX Social Media), who led a workshop during the conference.

What was the atmosphere during the conference Perspektywy Women in Tech Summit?

It was my first time at the Perspektywy Women in Tech Summit. I was very surprised by the crowds at the event :) I could feel that it was huge! Due to my role as a speaker, during the event I focused on the last touches and preparations, but among the participants there was a lot of curiosity, commitment, and willingness to exchange experiences.

What was your role at the Women in Tech conference?

I was a trainer conducting the workshop "Deaf people are calling me - design an accessible service".

Could you give more details about what was covered during your workshop?

Currently, to use the Migam Translator service on the Allegro platform, all you need to do is select the appropriate tab in the contact form or - in the case of One Box by Allegro parcel locker - scan the QR code located under the screen of the machine. Since 2021, this channel of contact with Allegro for the Deaf allows online consultations with a Polish Sign Language Interpreter. These are further innovations that make online shopping even more accessible.

But where did the idea for such solutions come from? How to define, design, and implement them step by step? In this workshop, we focused on designing accessible services.

Did everything turn out the way you expected?

I was preparing for the workshop with the thought "I want to be well prepared and share my knowledge and it would be nice to also inspire someone else". Taking these criteria into account - yes, it went well :) A few things such as a larger number of participants than anticipated or a temporary projector malfunction are simply the beauty of live events. We are not able to predict everything, but we always want to keep calm and professional.

Do you recommend attending such conferences? 

Of course!

Marta Bączkowska - Senior Leader, Group CX Social Media

At Allegro since 2018, she started as a moderator. For 3 years, she has been leading the CX Social Media team, recently on an international scale. She is responsible for customer and partner communication through "one to many" channels. Additionally, she coordinates projects, including the implementation of a customer hotline for Deaf people. A graduate of the Poznań University of Economics. Privately, she's a fan of dogs, pizza, and the Eurovision Song Contest.