Small beginnings, big impact: Terry Traina reflects on Masergy’s legacy

In celebration of Masergy’s 20th anniversary, we’re looking back at those employees who have made the company what it is today. Without question, Terry Traina makes the list. Currently serving as Masergy’s Chief Digital Officer, Traina has been with the company since the early years and has worn many hats in his 16-year tenure. Here’s Traina’s story.

Revolutionary shifts: Key opportunities for innovation consistently 18 months ahead

Traina found himself at Masergy’s doorstep in 2004, a time of mass potential in IT networking. “There were revolutionary shifts happening in the industry. Bandwidth-demanding applications like high-definition video and video conferencing were really resonating with enterprises expanding on the trends of globalization. Masergy had this incredible ability to anticipate those business needs, providing clients with near-perfect service delivery all across the world. We were consistently 18 months ahead of the curve, able to deliver new capabilities faster and with global reliability.”

As a key network engineer, Traina’s talent was instrumental in helping Masergy pioneer the industry with a pure software-defined network infrastructure, real-time bandwidth controls, and intelligent network analytics in an easy-to-use portal.

“In recent years, we’ve seen another revolutionary shift in the form of SD-WAN,” explained Traina, who added that Masergy had made its name during the first transformative phase, and now the company is again positioned for unique differentiation. “Just like before, Masergy is quickly gaining and maintaining market share by offering the industry’s best Managed SD-WAN solution. This adaptability and foresight, along with our culture of customer-first service, has kept us solidly ahead of the competition.”

Team approach to service spawns Masergy’s client-focused culture

Masergy has been customer-centric since the beginning, creating an always-on presence backed by an all-hands-on-deck approach. For example, in his earlier years as the Network Operations Center (NOC) Engineer, Traina recalled Masergy’s first office where about a dozen people–operations, engineering, and more–all worked in one small room to ensure the best possible customer experience.

“There was no IVR or automated phone system in the beginning,” he explained. “The executive team felt strongly in having every person answer the phones for customer service, so they could understand what it took to deliver high-quality service and create personal relationships with customers.”

That experience created lasting memories for Traina.

“I can tell you without a doubt. There were never any unhappy clients, because if a client called upset everyone knew about it–we were all in the same room! And that meant everyone was working to solve the client’s problem,” he explained.

As a 24×7 global service provider, these early days also meant that the NOC had to field service and support calls at night and on the weekends–when the office wasn’t open. Each night or weekend, one of the employees had to take the customer service cell phone home with them.

“When you got that phone for the weekend, you didn’t sleep. The phone rang around the clock,” Traina said. “Eventually, we were able to expand the team with a night/weekend shift. That was a game-changer.”

As it turns out, those small beginnings had a big impact. Traina believes this team-based approach to customer service was fundamental in forming Masergy’s broader corporate culture that even today is known for an undaunted commitment to the client. These days, the company leads the industry with 99% client retention rates and Net Promoter Scores that consistently eclipse competitors with ratings of 70+ versus scores in the mid 20s.

As Traina advanced through the ranks at Masergy, he has intentionally preserved these strategic priorities. Solving clients’ biggest business challenges and fostering meaningful partnerships have remained guiding principles particularly as he moved on to become the Director then S.V.P. of Network Engineering, and now Chief Digital Officer.

“From the beginning, there was a culture of delivering high-quality service and creating personal customer relationships. That was ingrained in us,” he said. “Even now, we always lead product development with the clients’ needs first.”

Looking ahead: Innovating for the next 20 years

Traina’s leadership was instrumental for Masergy’s biggest wins, from milestone sales deals with big-name banks to key alliances and acquisitions that enabled the company to continually expand with more services and technologies. Over the next 20 years, he’s convinced that the company will continue to stay ahead of the curve with more forward-leaning offerings.

“I’ve been with Masergy for nearly two decades. It’s been an incredible ride, and there’s still so much to come. This year marks an exciting new decade for us. We’ve got fresh new talent coming in to help take us to new heights. We have an incredible roadmap with key focus areas including autonomous networking and more security/network convergence. We’re excited to continue empowering businesses to achieve their digital ambition through our SD-WAN platform and unparalleled customer service.”