From architecture to technical support and AI automation.
I’m Silvia, an Italian architect who moved to the Netherlands after university and now works as a technical customer support specialist at ChannelEngine in Leiden. Here I’ve learned a new work culture, new languages and a new way of thinking. Architecture gave me the discipline to reach a goal, deliver on time and work well with people and clients. Today I use that to build AI and n8n automations that make support faster and more consistent.
Always curious about new projects, collaborations and ideas.
How I work
Technical support
I take technical questions from e-commerce clients, find the cause, and explain the fix in plain language.
Client relationships
Years in B2B and premium customer service taught me to listen for what people need, not only what they ask. I want to grow this into a customer success role.
AI and automation
I build workflows with n8n and AI tools, from a support chatbot that answers from a knowledge base to automations that save my team time. I document what works and what doesn’t.
Work
Automation projects, my architecture thesis and university work, and a few visual experiments.
AI and automation
Workflows I built to learn how automation and AI can make support work faster and more reliable.
AI support chatbot that knows when to hand over
A RAG chatbot that answers from a knowledge base and opens a Zendesk ticket when it can’t.
First workflow: Slack, Drive, Gmail
My first real automation, and the lesson that simpler is usually better.
Architecture
My thesis and a selection of university projects, from digital survey to urban design.
Silos Granari, Livorno: survey, masterplan and reuse
My master’s thesis: a full digital survey of a 1920s grain silo in the port of Livorno, a masterplan that opens it to the city, and a reuse as a wind tunnel and diving shafts.
Liberty facade: materials and decay mapping
A study of a historic building: which materials it is made of, and how each one is deteriorating.
Old City of Jerusalem: a link to the Western Wall
An urban project that connects the Old City with the Western Wall plaza.
Fan-shaped performance hall
Plans, elevations and a bold graphic perspective of a hall organised around a fan of seating.
Florence soundwalk
A walk through four places in Florence, drawn as a sound waveform along the route.
Visual experiments
Where I keep my design eye in practice.
About
I grew up drawn to how spaces make people feel. Architecture gave me the tools to think in systems, understand proportion and design for the person using the space. I apply the same instinct to technology and support.
My path has been non-linear, and I see that as a strength. Each step sharpened a different skill: spatial reasoning, client empathy, operational precision, and now experimenting with AI.
Since April 2026 I work in customer support at ChannelEngine, handling technical questions and client relationships while building automations with AI and n8n. I write about what I learn in the journal below.
- Based in
- Leiden, Netherlands
- Education
- Master’s in Architecture, Università degli Studi di Firenze
- Languages
- Italian, English, Dutch (learning)
- Interested in
- Customer success, technical support, AI automation
Experience
Technical Customer Support Specialist
Technical support and client relations for e-commerce clients. I build AI and n8n automations that make support faster and more consistent.
AI and automation
Building real workflows with n8n and low-code tools. Studying prompt design, AI-assisted visualisation, and how automation can improve support and creative work.
Customer Service Specialist
Premium clientele. Daily practice in empathetic communication, attention to detail and service precision in a luxury brand.
Operations and Client Relations
Managing B2B and B2C client relationships, resolving complex operational issues and keeping client satisfaction high through clear, systematic communication.
Master’s in Architecture
Seven years of spatial design and the relationship between built environments and wellbeing. Thesis on the Silos Granari in Livorno.
My team
I work in a support team at ChannelEngine in Leiden. A few moments from the office and from team days.
Learning
I keep studying alongside work. Right now that means Dutch, and AI and automation.
Dutch
I live in Leiden and study Dutch at the Academic Language Centre of Leiden University. I have completed three courses so far.
Dutch 1
Level A1.2 of the Common European Framework, covering speaking, listening, writing and reading. 48 contact hours.
Nederlands Module 2, intensive
Intensive course, completed successfully.
Nederlands Module 3, intensive
Level B1 1/3 of the Common European Framework.
AI and business automation
In February 2026 I completed the AI & Business Automation course of the Ready for IT programme, supported by Fondazione Italiana Accenture, in collaboration with Adecco, and run by Academy Rapido.
It is the formal side of what I practise every day with n8n and AI tools.
Journal
Notes on learning, AI and design while I build something new.
What is a Prompt Designer, and why it excites me
On learning to “talk” to AI, and the AUTOMAT framework I use to structure my prompts.
Architecture, AI and Cloud Dancer (PANTONE 11-4201)
Could a prompt really capture proportion, light and material? An architect’s experiment with the colour of 2026.
Learning with AI without losing your mind
On desirable difficulty, the two most common mistakes, and why curiosity is the real skill.
Contact
I’m curious about new projects and collaborations in customer success, technical support and AI automation, including freelance work. I reply to every message.
silviamarrasarch@gmail.com