Lotta Urtamo’s career story: From a physiotherapist to a software expert

In this blog series, we share career stories from the Aurora Innovation team. Delivery Project Specialist Lotta Urtamo, a member of the Finnish team, enjoys problem-solving together with the clients. Her background in municipal healthcare helps her understand the client’s perspective on a deeper level.

Delivery Project Specialist Lotta Urtamo has an exceptionally varied background. Before starting at Aurora Innovation in November 2021, she has worked as an animal trainer, riding instructor and physiotherapist in the public sector.

“I’ve always been pretty good with computers. I also gained a lot of customer service experience from my earlier jobs. Before I joined Aurora Innovation, I worked as a physiotherapist with someone who is now my colleague. I heard about the company while working as a physiotherapist and got interested in the position,” says Lotta.

She joined Aurora Innovation at a challenging time and the start has not lacked speed. In November 2021, the coronavirus cases in Finland started rising sharply and just accelerated in December. The rush in healthcare centers impacted the work Aurorians do.

“My work experience has helped me improvise in tricky situations and handle surprises. Despite the hectic start, I’ve enjoyed my work,” Lotta says.

Experience from public healthcare is an asset in client work

In her work, Lotta helps Aurora Innovation’s clients with onboarding the system. She also trains clients on how to use teleQ – whether the client project is entirely new or it’s a matter of setting up new phone queues and training people to use them.

“Client support tasks are also part of my work days.”

Before becoming an Aurora teleQ trainer, Lotta has been the main user of the system on the public healthcare side.

“In my job, it really helps that I know the target group who uses our product. I know their work well, including the challenges and busy days that they face. Some are very skilled with computers, while others need a bit more time to learn new things. Understanding different needs helps me plan the training sessions and practical experience is useful in problem-solving,” elaborates Lotta.

She in particular likes discussions with clients – whether the topic is problem-solving or training.

“I do a lot of independent work on the computer, but it’s also nice to collaborate with others. Working on things and developing ideas are the best parts of my job. Remote work has gone well, and my weeks are nicely balanced between building phone queues and contact with other people.”

After only a few months’ experience, Lotta has identified a lot of strengths in her workplace.

“The work community is warm and it’s been easy becoming a part of it. Aurora Innovation is inspiring – there are a lot of things that we want to develop and everyone gets to participate. Being goal-oriented is also typical of Aurorians,” describes Lotta.

And what is Lotta like in her free time?

“I work in the garden a lot in the summers. Depending on the time of year, I like to be outdoors and exercise with my dogs. During winter, I go dog skiing with my two German Shepherds.”