At Illustrate, we have a couple of introverts, a couple of extroverts and quite a few “in-betweens”. However, there’s no doubt about where I fit on the scale: I’m absolutely crazy about people. I want to meet everyone, hear their story and spend time with them. It energises me and that’s exactly why I love being our Account Manager.
It’s no secret that I used to be a tree surgeon, before I moved to the UK and, having exchanged the woods of South Carolina for forests of code, I’ve learnt so much. Every day at Illustrate provides an opportunity to grow more, meet exciting new people and work on amazing projects. Whilst no two days are the same, I normally spend my time on some similar themes:
Communicating a client’s needs to our team.
It’s totally impractical for a client to try and talk to multiple people within Illustrate. Things will get missed, goals will be unclear and chaos will reign (more than it already does!). By communicating their needs and expectations to one person, clients can be confident that instructions get through to the right member of the team.
Communicating our team’s need to a client.
Building a great website is a 2 way conversation. As much as the client needs to communicate their needs to us, part of our responsibility is to guide them throughout the process. It’s a responsibility that we take extremely seriously; we want the sites we create to have the best possible copy, photos and accurate details from the brand we’re working with. Navigating a web build requires lots of tweaks and adjustments and I get to be right in the middle of that communication.
Making new friends.
I love getting out of the office and networking. Whether it’s a business meeting, a breakfast club or a event put on by the WordPress community, I take every chance to evangelise about Illustrate and the opportunities that we provide for brands. WordPress users and developers have a high sense of community and I’m passionate about Illustrate being right in the mix of what is happening, both in the local Cardiff WordPress scene and nationally across the UK.
Project management.
I sometimes slip into a project manager role, particularly when we are nearer the end of a project. As “the voice” of a client in the room, I occasionally have to crack the whip to ensure that we hit the deadlines and markers that we’ve laid out for a project. Not a real whip though, that’d be way too extreme.
Building partnerships.
As well as clients, we have relationships with a range of partners. Part of my role is to foster and grow those connections to help them continue to be mutually beneficial. Whether it’s client leads, knowledge, advice or just good ole’ fashioned friendship, partnerships are central to who we are and the way we conduct business!
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