Who are these people that support you?

Large corporations are inherently complex, and these complexities create unique challenges, especially when it comes to technology. Numerous legacy systems, multiple service providers and an ever-growing number of applications are just a few of the things their IT teams face on any given day.

These challenges are just a few of the reasons why Spectrum Business provides clients with account teams familiar with the issues big businesses face. These teams are dedicated to delivering the personal, responsive service large corporations require and expect.

I am part of one such team at Spectrum Business. As an account manager, I rely on my team to help large corporations reach their IT and business goals. I’m often asked three questions: Who is on my team? Why is the team important? What challenges are we helping enterprises solve? Here are the answers.

Who makes up my dedicated team?

While there are many people that make up my team, my core team members are a client services manager (CSM), sales engineer (SE) and project manager. I am the main point of contact for clients; they can reach out to me for anything. The CSM conducts operational business reviews with me, ensures any service-related issues are resolved in a timely manner, performs periodic billing reviews and handles billing inquiries. 

SEs are important because they speak the client’s language. I always bring my SE when I first meet with prospective clients. Some people don’t think you need a sales engineer on a first meeting, but I say they’re wrong. If there isn’t someone for the client to talk to about their network, it will be a long, hard road ahead.

The project manager plays a very major role. When you’re dealing with multiple sites there are many moving parts, and they help set the proper expectations and communicate updates to the client so the client will truly have a great experience. 

Why is it important to have one?

It’s important for large companies to have teams like this that collaborate to provide great service because they have enough on their plate without worrying about whether or not their technology provider is going to respond when they have an urgent issue, or even just a question. I frequently hear how companies aren’t able to reach their account reps, or that they don’t even know who their rep is. 

There’s nothing like a personal connection, and establishing those connections and relationships is something we’ve embraced at Spectrum Business. If someone really wants a true partner, I can honestly look them in the eyes and say I am that partner. 

Another major reason a dedicated team is important is that it helps clients avoid many of the pitfalls associated with complex IT projects. Clients have the benefit of working with a team of people who have numerous years of collective experience, and that draw upon their experience to ensure the smoothest deployment possible.

What’s a common challenge you’re helping enterprises solve?

There are a lot of companies out there that are what I call “piecemealing.” They have several different technology providers, and they’re trying to patch the different systems together. I say, “What would you do if I told you that you don't have to do that anymore?" I love showing them how we can solve that issue for them by providing them with everything they need, no matter where their offices are. 

For example, one of my clients has over 30 locations, two data centers, and numerous different service providers. They truly thought that was the best they could do. I told them, “Let’s consolidate this. If you have an outage, it’s going to be painful because you’re going to be calling multiple providers trying to figure everything out.” So now we’re in the process of installing Ethernet and Fiber Internet Access services for all their locations and both data centers. 

Dedication to helping clients overcome challenges is what matters. For me, it's not a sales job. I truly do care about them, and take great pride in helping them solve their challenges.

Learn how Christine helped equipment dealer Ohio CAT solve some of their biggest IT challenges.