By Getting Close to Customers, Account Executive Helps Clients Communicate.
By Sarah Smith
The most obvious job choice for Danielle Hudzinski, following her graduation from college in 2004 with a degree in psychology, may not have been an account executive at Infinite Conferencing. But it turns out, the position, which allows her to do what she likes to do best—work closely with people—fits her like a glove.
“I love it,” she says of the work. “I like being able to pinpoint a client’s actual needs, and then provide them with the right solution.”
The right solution, of course, depends on the particular client: What kind of event do they want to create? How many people will be involved? What kind of invitations and registration will they require? But Hudzinski enjoys going through all of the nitty-gritty details to determine exactly the kind of conference the client is looking for
“I just like to help my clients communicate effectively with their clients,” she explains, “and to just make sure that if they need something, I can deliver it to them, or at least try my best to help everyone out.”
Hudzinski, who started working for the Millburn, N.J.,-based company last September, says that while the majority of her time is spent managing her current accounts, she likes to continue to recruit new clients through cold calling.
“It’s a matter of getting on the phone every day and trying to find the decision-maker within a company or organization,” she says, adding that she then tries to get a feel for what kinds of services would work best for that potential client. “Then with my existing accounts, I keep working with them and helping them out, and they’ll send referrals, which is another way of building the account base.”
The most important aspect of her job, she says, is to keep people happy, and to “make them feel comfortable trusting you.” This is integral to the customer relationship because “they have a lot riding on these events,” she explains. “If their event isn’t successful, it won’t look good for their company and could hurt their reputation.”
With this in mind, another key aspect of her work is making sure customers are trained in the service and understand what’s going on. Between strong training, Infinite’s technical support, and letting clients know “I’m doing everything I can do from my end,” Hudzinski can then assure them that their webinar will go smoothly.
This commitment to helping a customer through the whole technical process of a Web conference is one way Infinite is unique, she says. “Usually with larger Web conferencing and phone conferencing companies, they just sign you up and you’re on your own. With us, we’ll walk you through everything, and we’re here for you no matter what, from beginning to end.”
She says that personally helping a client in this way leads to strong customer relationships. “My customers call me up and say, ‘Hi Danielle, how was your weekend?’” she says. “They don’t just call needing help, not knowing who to talk to.”
And though being a psychology major did leave her with a bit of a technological challenge at the beginning, she says she’s now up to speed and tries to answer all the technical questions she can for her customers. Plus, her knowledge of psychology can help her get to know her clients. “It helps me read people,” she says. “I can kind of pick up what kind of personality they have and work with them from there.”
She says her favorite type of call is when a customer’s issue has been resolved and they thank her for all of her help. “That’s what makes it worth it,” she says. “People appreciate it when you go out of your way to help them out…I don’t hang up until everyone is 100-percent comfortable and happy.”
“That’s what keeps your account base growing,” she adds. “People say, ‘Not only is the Web conferencing tool great, but we have an account manager who’s really helpful.’ That’s what I like best.”
About the Author
Sarah Smith is a contributor to ConferencingNews. Based in Los Angeles, Sarah has reported and written for leading telecommunications and technology publications. She may be reached at sarah.s@betuitive.com.
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