IFS Customer Success Services all start and end with one key element: a global team of committed professionals. Antonio Serrano García, Client Service Specialist for IFS Customer Success, talks to us about his role, different aspects and benefits of consulting engagements, and what he enjoys most about the work.
You’re a Client Service Specialist for IFS Customer Success. What exactly do you do?
Essentially, I’m the architect behind creating and planning business outcomes for IFS customers. Based in Madrid, Spain, my role is to take a strategic Customer Success Plan that has been validated with the client, translate that plan into logical business outcomes, and then propose and align the specific IFS Success Services that will be needed to achieve those goals.
I am engaged throughout the sales and onboarding phases, typically 2-4 months (depending the type of customer and engagement level), to ensure the team is clear on requirements, before handing over to the Customer Success Manager to own and execute the plan.
Increasingly, one of the inputs we use to assess the scale of services a client might need is by running a Digital Business Value Assessment. It’s a dashboard framework that very rapidly (in 3-5 days) identifies a future vision that is commercially realizable, outlining the financial value of the improvement and investment required to make the changes. The output is a full business case report for review and approval.
Can you share some examples of engagement at work?
Normally when we are in the process of analyzing customer needs and building the Success Plan, we consider three challenge areas. Corporate milestones, for example new business initiatives that involve a change by the executive management team; strategic initiatives, for example process optimizations, new features and maybe a rollout plan; and ongoing operations, related to day-to-day support.
There are a lot of areas we need to analyze and consider when pulling together a Success Plan. I certainly need to analyze each customer carefully, especially if a systems integrator is also involved in implementing the IFS solution.
I also need to understand the customer’s internal IT team, as most have specific skills and tasks they can fulfil during the implementation and post-implementation phase. This informs what the operating model should look like, and which services are most suitable.
What personal characteristics make good teams within IFS Success?
I think collaboration is one of the main attributes we need to have because the IFS team and its customer base is truly global.
Another aspect I would highlight would be proactivity: the ability to really listen to a customer with the energy and the willingness to seek a robust solution as quickly and effectively as possible.
Lastly, transparency matters. It’s far better to be honest when a scenario is difficult or problematic because, at the end of the day, a customer must always have your trust. We work incredibly hard for every business, but we cannot deliver the impossible. And on those few occasions where a timeframe is unrealistic, we will always try and find another way forward with them.
How long have you been with IFS, and what have you done before?
I’ve been with IFS for four years now; as a Client Service Specialist with IFS Success Services for two years, and as an IFS Project Manager for two years before that.
As a mechanical engineer I previously worked with a Microsoft Partner in functional consultancy and project management. I spent a year in Argentina and two years in Colombia, selling and developing an add-on for construction and engineering companies, before returning to Spain and joining IFS.
What’s the most rewarding part about your job?
For me it’s when I know that the customer is truly valuing our services. It’s great when it’s clear we’re changing things for the better and bringing real value to the table through our engagement.
Every customer is different, but there are often common pieces in the jigsaw to solving business issues. It’s great to be able to bring that insight and experience in from other engagements and put it to work for them.
And passions outside the office?
These days I mainly enjoy music, reading and travelling – it’s an exciting world out there with something new always waiting to be discovered!
Learn more
To find out more about the services that deliver value through IFS Cloud, watch this video and read the Success Handbook:
Success Handbook | Success Info
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