Oliver Goldapp has been working in pre-sales at Serviceware for 25 years - he’s critical, direct, and anything but easily impressed. That’s exactly why his story is credible: it’s about the point at which he hit a wall in his own work, about honest doubts, and about a product that reignited his enthusiasm.
Oliver Goldapp knows Serviceware’s products better than almost anyone else in the company. He’s been working in pre-sales for 25 years and is known as a critical thinker. He’s not the type to just shout “Hooray!” That’s exactly what makes his profile so special: We didn’t just ask him about his successes, but also about the point at which he hit a wall in his own work - and what brought him back.
A personal insight
Hi Oliver! As a pre-sales expert at a software company, what exactly do you do?
Oliver: I bring our software solutions to life for potential customers. On websites or in sales presentations, a lot of things sound good and look great at first. My job is to show customers during meetings how it will actually work later on. I implement specific use cases directly in our software so our customers can see what their processes might look like. This way, they understand how the software will function in their company even before it’s implemented.
25 Years in Pre-Sales at Serviceware: How It All Began
When did you realize that pre-sales at Serviceware is more than just a job?
Oliver: I previously worked in a field where it was exactly the same: emergency medical services. That feeling of working with focus under pressure and delivering the best possible result came back when we were preparing for our first CeBIT trade shows as a team. Sometimes we’d sit together in the office late into the evening, fine-tuning the last details because we were determined to shine at the trade show.
What makes for good pre-sales, and how does it differ from traditional sales?
Oliver: Good pre-sales means explaining complex things in a way that’s easy to understand. You have to be in love with your product and always be able to meet the challenge of “Explain it to me as if I were ten years old.” Sales keeps the bigger picture in mind and focuses on the overall sales process, while pre-sales brings the product expertise into the customer conversation. We get to dive really deep into this “love affair with the product” – and just like in any relationship, there are times of frustration, which we then try to resolve constructively.
How do you develop such extensive product knowledge over 25 years of professional experience?
Oliver: Through trial and error and teamwork. At Serviceware, I’m free to experiment with the products and try to solve problems on my own. At the same time, I always have a great, cross-departmental team behind me that I can turn to with any question. But sitting back and hoping that everything will be taught to you just doesn’t work. Without initiative and a willingness to make mistakes, you won’t get anywhere.
Honest Feedback and Company Culture at Serviceware
You’re considered a critical thinker at the company. Why is that?
Oliver: I’m always inclined not to just jump for joy right away, but to critically question things. I first evaluate them against my own set of values and then offer constructive criticism if something violates them.
Why did you want to talk about challenges in this interview, not just successes?
Oliver: Because that’s exactly how life works. You stumble, you fall, you get back up, you reflect, you adjust your crown, and you move on. Everyone knows that. Why should it be any different in professional life? Are there supposedly only success stories, and does everything that’s planned, decided, and implemented work perfectly right away? No one believes that.
How does Serviceware, as an employer, deal with criticism and headwinds?
Oliver: You’re allowed to question things, offer criticism, get annoyed sometimes, and let your emotions show. But you can’t expect every decision to be explained to you until you understand it - or even agree with it. At the end of the day, we’re a for-profit company, not a collective. Criticism and pushback are welcome, but at some point, decisions are made and the discussion is over. That’s okay.
Low Motivation at Work: When Enthusiasm Is Missing
Let’s talk about your loss of motivation at work. You said that at some point you lost your enthusiasm and ran out of ideas for the “Processes” product.
What was it like to experience a slump in motivation in your pre-sales role?
Oliver: It was a personal phase - not an assessment of the product at the time, which some customers still use successfully today. It was as if, while presenting, I was standing right behind myself, hearing myself talk, and thinking: “What are you actually saying? Does this even relate to the customer right now, or is this just a record you’re playing?”
At the very latest, when I looked at my calendar for the coming week and thought that a little cold would actually be just the thing right now, I realized I was in a slump. I no longer saw half a dozen exciting customer situations ahead of me, but rather - it felt like - the same old routine six times over. Put on a smile, get started, but inside, I was on autopilot.
What kept you at Serviceware during that difficult phase?
Oliver: The team and the knowledge of the opportunities available at Serviceware. I had a deep trust in the people in my immediate circle: they would let me know if my performance wasn’t up to par. At the same time, I’d seen often enough that at Serviceware, you can always find exciting new areas of responsibility when you want to try something different.
New Motivation Thanks to the Serviceware AI-Native Platform
When did you realize that the new platform had really reignited your enthusiasm?
Oliver: That was when we in pre-sales got our own test environments, even before the actual launch. Just by playing around with it, we were able to build functional processes in no time at all - at a speed I’d never seen before. And this was true for the whole team, even for colleagues with no experience in “processes” or process design. That was a real “Wow, how good is that?” moment.
You’re not the type to get excited easily. What did the Serviceware platform have to be able to do to get you fired up again?
Oliver: It had to deliver on the promise that customers would truly be able to do everything themselves within the solution. We wanted to convey that same promise with “Processes” as well. In practice, however, customers needed a lot of training and had to spend a great deal of time familiarizing themselves with the product. As a result, they often ended up relying on consulting services instead of doing it themselves. That never felt quite right to me..
What can you show customers with the platform today that wasn’t possible before?
Oliver: In “Processes,” we deliberately showed only one part of the process design: the BPMN processes. We only delved into the business process designer when we were dealing with truly experienced technicians. With the platform, I can go into any process, model a change in real time, and put it into effect immediately. And I don’t leave anyone in the audience behind, because it really works as easily as it looks on my screen.
How do you convince skeptical customers of the new Serviceware platform?
Oliver: Talk less, show more. These days, I no longer have to make theoretical arguments using phrases like “We could,” “We would,” or “We’d still have to check that.” I can show how we can actually implement it.
Pre-Sales and Artificial Intelligence: Everyday Work Today
What gives you the most energy in your day-to-day work as a pre-sales expert today?
Oliver: The variety between working in the office, working from home, attending trade shows, and on-site customer meetings - combined with the AI that’s used in so many areas and a product that inspires me anew every day.
How do 25 years of professional experience and an AI-native product complement each other?
Oliver: When you work in IT, you have to deal with the fact that knowledge has a short half-life. I don’t even know how many things I’ve learned over the past 25 years that I’ve since forgotten two or three years later. Above all, this teaches you how to learn and to keep embracing new things - even if they might eventually replace parts of your own job.
What part of your work with artificial intelligence would surprise outsiders?
Oliver: The fact that we develop some of our own tools using AI, rather than getting them ready-made from other departments. If we need demo videos or click-through demos for clients, we make them ourselves using AI. If we need a tool to respond to RFPs or content for our demo service portals, we develop it ourselves. This even extends to an agent that allows us to work directly with our platform’s AI functions.
Who Fits into the Team
What advice would you give to people thinking about joining the pre-sales team at Serviceware?
Oliver: You’re welcome! But be prepared to earn your place and develop your skills on your own. No one is going to come along and do it for you. There’s always support here, but no one is carried along.
What kind of personality is a good fit for a career in pre-sales at Serviceware?
Oliver: Self-deprecating, open-minded people who enjoy speaking in front of others. Stage fright isn’t a problem, but you should have a desire to take the stage. That’s something you can only learn to a certain extent. You should also have a passion for storytelling, an interest in AI, and a willingness to keep learning new things. What you definitely shouldn’t bring is any reservations about people. You can’t choose who’s sitting in the audience or what questions will be asked.
Why Employees Stay at Serviceware
Why have you stayed at Serviceware for 25 years?
Oliver: As long as it stays exciting, the tasks keep changing, the core culture of how we treat one another remains intact, and I can continue to grow, then I’m a very loyal person and employee. That’s why I’ve been with Serviceware for so long.
Was there ever a time when you considered changing jobs?
Oliver: Whenever I thought about leaving, it was more because of my own life circumstances - times when everything was in flux and the job didn’t seem like the right fit anymore. But even when I was dealing with those inner demons, Serviceware supported me - whether through coaching or simply by giving me time and patience.
Conclusion: What makes Serviceware special for Oliver
What anecdote best sums up the company culture at Serviceware?
Oliver: The team makes the music. Take, for example, the colleague in Switzerland who stopped by a train station on her way home to pick up my suitcase because I’d left it behind when I got off the train.
Is there anything else you’d like to say to wrap things up?
Be human! Despite everything that seems to divide us, humanity is what unites us.
Thank you so much for your time and, above all, for your honest insights into your day-to-day work!
