Liz joined the ApostleTech team in 2020 as a Client Manager and was quickly promoted to Manager of Client Services. She’s spent more than a decade working in sales operations, training, and project management and six years working with Salesforce. Liz previously worked in the energy industry where she was first introduced to the CRM platform and discovered how it can help companies transform, drive business and build high-performing teams.  She is a graduate of Trinity University where she earned her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Economics. Liz also holds a Master Certification in Business Process Management from Villanova.   We sat down with Liz recently to learn more.   

What does your job as Manager of Client Services entail?

As Manager of Client Services at ApostleTech, I have the opportunity to lead a team of amazing Client Managers while also working directly with some of the company’s largest clients to support their business needs. My role is to ensure that all our projects are running on time and within budget while deliverables are being met. Our team provides strategic guidance as well as extensive project management experience but, most importantly, we build long-term relationships with our clients.  

What are some of the biggest challenges your clients face and how do you help them overcome those challenges?

As is true for most organizations, change management is oftentimes one of the biggest hurdles our clients face when implementing their new or updated CRM system. New user adoption is difficult regardless of whether there are five or 500 users involved. Helping alleviate some of those stressors for our clients by assisting with strategic roll-out plans, super user groups, feedback sessions, and training is one of my favorite parts of this job!   

When should a company consider adding a CRM solution?

A CRM solution is an excellent way to provide improved pipeline management, real-time data insights, faster contracting, automated marketing journeys, and increased operational efficiency while also improving both the user and customer experience. Companies that are just starting out and want to grow their pipelines or established companies that want to improve how they do business can all benefit from the implementation of a CRM solution. For Homebuilders in particular, a specialized solution such as HCP CRM can be a game-changer to the way they do business.  

What are three key factors that contribute to a successful CRM implementation and why? 

While there are many factors that impact a CRM implementation, three of the biggest drivers of success are scope, resources and training.   Scope:  It’s important to make sure that everyone understands from the outset what the team is trying to achieve, what is included, and what isn’t. One of the main factors that prompt an increase in a project’s budget and/or timeline is when a customer requests additional items be added to the list for a Go-Live or when users decide to use the CRM project to completely change their entire process.   Resources:  It is critical to make sure that the right people are involved at the right time for a project to be successful. When this doesn’t happen, requirements can be missed or functionality that is needed can be overlooked.  Either scenario can have a detrimental impact on the outcome of the project.   Training:  It doesn’t make sense to spend time designing, developing, and testing a solution, and then not make sure the users are trained and prepared for launch on day one. Oftentimes, companies are more focused on hitting the Go-Live date and they overlook what happens to the rest of the business after the new CRM is launched. Devoting time and resources to training users is critical to successful user adoption.   What do you enjoy most about working at ApostleTech? The people! The team we have here at ApostleTech, as well as the clients we work with daily, make this a wonderful place to work. I’m looking forward to being able to spend more time with everyone in person instead of via Zoom calls!   When you are not working, where would we find you/what do you enjoy doing? When I’m not working, I’m typically playing with my husband and 2 children in the backyard or trying to fit in a quick spin class on my bike. I love to cook and recently finished baking my way through an entire bread-baking cookbook as one of my ‘pandemic projects’. I also love to hike and travel and can’t wait to go exploring again soon!   If you are interested in learning more about sales and marketing tools built on the Salesforce or HubSpot platform, and how Liz and her team can help, visit our website or contact us today.