spotlight | October
Marianne Hernandez
CAM, Sr. Consultant, Mfg. Solutions
This month's recommendations from Marianne are:
Movie
Across the Universe
2007 | PG-13 | 2h 13min
Music
In this new edition of our spotlight series, we are excited to introduce our CAM and Sr. Consultant for Manufacturing Solutions, Marianne Hernández. She acts as the middle woman between our company and the customer. She is in constant communication with our clients, building relationships, coordinating teams, resolving complaints, and preventing any issues by improving processes.
Her knowledge, one-on-one guidance, and support with her accounts make the projects a great success, by ensuring that both the customer and the company have clear expectations for the transaction and determining whether the product or service fits their current needs, in order to provide the most effective solutions. She’s all about a positive customer experience.
Professional
She was born in Guadalajara but grew up in Culiacán with her family, this is where she studied for her bachelor’s degree in Industrial and Systems Engineering. Before graduating she was invited to an EmpleaTec job fair and applied to several companies. In 2012, she moved to Monterrey to start working as a Support Analyst and later Senior Analyst at Epicor, where she learned a lot about the system and its products. She became part of the Mayan Technologies team in 2016, as our team and services expanded, our customers started to require a more specialized service in the operational space of our Epicor Services team.
What do you do at Mayan Technologies?
I have two roles at MayanTechs - Customer Account Manager (CAM) and Sr. Manufacturing Consultant. As a CAM, my role is more administrative, my job is to be the connection between our customers and the development team to make sure the customer accounts assigned to me are happy with our work, to deliver in a timely manner, and make sure we are supporting our clients to continue to grow.
As a Sr. Manufacturing Consultant, I provide consulting to our clients: from training, functional consulting, design, etc. Whatever they need.
Describe a time you lost or almost lost a client because of a mistake on your end. What did you learn from the experience?
There have been occasions when clients are not entirely satisfied with our work due to miscommunications. What I have learned from these cases is the importance of assertive and effective communication. Whether we are working on-site or remotely, which is most of the time in our case, we need to be very clear and assertive in how we communicate with our clients, so they feel appreciated and heard on our part. At the end of the day, that’s what matters the most: the client is satisfied with our work and relationship. You could be doing a very good job, but if you don't communicate it well or if you don't follow up with your client, if you don't make them a priority, then there are likely to be problems. I strongly believe there has to be a balance between both parties.
I remember one project specifically where we worked with a difficult client and were not going to be able to meet a deadline previously agreed upon and there was a miscommunication on both ends. On their end, they were not able to cover what was expected from them in order for us to do our end, and neither party communicated enough with the other to let them know what was going on to help keep the project on track. I learned to improve my communication skills to better explain our work; if we’re missing information from their side, if we aren’t going to be able to meet a deadline, and yes, they probably won’t like it, but they will be able to understand and make necessary adjustments to their plans.
What has been your biggest professional accomplishment?
My biggest accomplishment so far has been making a career and life in a new city, Monterrey. I was raised in Culiacan Sinaloa and had doubts about whether my husband and I would be able to build a new life in a new city, but I think that venturing into this adventure was a good thing and it has been an amazing experience.
How do you measure success?
To me, success is measured in how well I can bring and balance success within all aspects of my life. That is, bringing success into both my personal and professional life, continuing to grow and learn as a person, taking care of myself, by exercising, eating healthy, looking after myself mentally and emotionally, and just loving myself.
How do you build good client relationships?
I think building good client relationships goes hand in hand with what I have learned through my experience working in this field, it is important to build effective communication and trust between you and your clients. I believe that as long as you have a good work ethic and can talk to them and effectively explain what is going on with their projects, what will be delivered on which dates, keep them informed and do what you say you’re going to do, makes their trust in us grow and that is key. There are times when things are going to be delayed or something may go wrong or we will make an honest mistake, but as long as we can communicate effectively, the client can continue to trust us knowing we will always let them know about anything that might affect the outcome and be sure we will do everything possible to keep their projects on track. Only then, a good client relationship can develop.
How do you assess the needs of an organization?
The Customer Account Managers (CAMs) are the organization’s front-line and face of the company, therefore my job requires a lot of interaction with our clients. When I introduce myself to someone, I always remind myself that I am representing the whole team. There are cases where I don’t particularly like the project or account I am assigned to, however, I have to “level up” professionally as I am representing the entire team and the company. Always keep in mind that each project involves many teams, from development to marketing, and everyone plays a part in the company’s success, so when you are face-to-face with a client, all of Mayan is face-to-face with that client.
What type of projects would you like to work on or enjoy most?
I really enjoy designing new developments or solutions that clients request from us. The initial analysis stage where we gather the details of the project including the objective, conditions, and complete logic to then create what we call a functional design, is my favorite part of what I do.
Describe your impact in Mayan Technologies.
I think that the impact or what gives me the most satisfaction is seeing my accounts grow and knowing there are clients that I manage that have been with us for many years and continue to work with us. Also working on new accounts or receiving emails from happy customers saying that an implementation or project was successful also makes me very happy. But as I said before, to see the accounts that have been assigned to you grow is the most tangible sign that you are doing things right.
What do you think differentiates Mayan Technologies from its competitors?
I think the biggest differentiator is that we go above and beyond what many consulting firms do. There are times when projects are out of scope or we are asked to do what seems impossible, but our team is well-known for not giving no for an answer. Our initial reaction is to not say the word "no" to clients, but rather try to be innovative and give the client an alternative solution so that they can move forward with their original idea.
Preferences + Stats
Areas of Expertise -
Production Mgmt, Material Mgmt, CRM
Certifications -
Inventory Management (Epicor)
Sales Management (Epicor)
Manufacturing Business Consultant (Acumatica)
Inventory and Order Management (Acumatica)
Pre-Sales Engineer (Acumatica)
10+
6+
Years Experience
Customer Retention Rate (Years)
Expert in Epicor & Acumatica ERP
To me, success is measured in how well I can bring and balance success within all aspects of my life.
Personal
When she is not consulting and managing teams and projects, Marianne enjoys traveling, cooking, and spending time with her family and her dog. Our conversation began with some questions about her personal goals, how she sees herself, what she does in her free time and how she handles stress.
Could you tell us a little about your family?
I am the oldest of 3 siblings, I have 2 younger brothers, one of them studies in Monterrey, and the other lives in Culiacan with my mom and dad. I have been married for 4 years, my husband's name is Máximo and he is also from Culiacán. Together we have an Australian cattle dog named Güero, who has been with us for 4 years.
What are your top 3 personal core values?
The first one would be integrity, to do what you say you are going to do; the second one would be love, to have the love of my family, my partner, my friends, and mostly, to have it for myself, that is very important for me; and the last one would be discipline, although it is hard for me sometimes, but I like to give importance to be disciplined in all areas of my life.
What do you like to do for fun?
I enjoy watching tv series, I think it's what relaxes me most. I'm a big fan of watching new series and I am currently watching House of the Dragon. I also like to read. I try to read a new book every month, that's my goal, sometimes I don't achieve it, but I always try. This month I am reading "Ensayo sobre la Ceguera (Blindness)" by José Saramago. And since we have Güero, I like to go out with him on the weekends, on hikes or walks, all together as a family.
Is there a person who has really made a difference in your life?
Yes, it may sound a bit cliché, but I think my mom has been the most inspiring person for me, especially in the way she lives her life. She is the one who has taught me not to leave any area of life behind, to always balance everything, to find peace, and to have a nice attitude towards people and situations.
I think I have learned a lot from her. There will always be times when you don't feel like smiling or having a positive attitude, but you have to try to give the best of yourself always and find a good balance that works for you, and I think she is the one who has inspired me the most to do that.
What is your favorite childhood memory?
I have several good memories, but I think my favorite has to be going on vacations with my family, with my 2 brothers and my parents. We used to travel a lot by car and not so much by plane, so I think those road trips were always very special to me. We used to go a lot to Mazatlán and California in the United States.
What plans do you have for the future?
In my work life, I enjoy the area in which I am in, more on the administrative side. It has really grown on me. When I graduated from Industrial Engineering I didn’t want to focus so much on the engineering aspect, in fact, I did a specialization in Retail Commerce because I thought I would go into the commercial field, however, as it turns out I returned to what I had seen in engineering but now, with an administrative twist. I think that the combination is what I like.
My husband also works in IT, he is a programmer, so I think we have a lot in common there, and I enjoy being part of the IT world. In my personal life, I would like to explore the world as much as possible since my husband and I love to travel. I am excited about the idea of being able to travel and visit more countries.
How well do you handle stress?
I think I do get a lot of anxiety when there is a lot to do, sometimes it can get a bit overwhelming and stressful, but I just need a few hours to get organized, put it all on paper, divide it into lists, and afterward, I know that everything will work out fine. I like making lists and crossing them off when they are completed, that gives me a lot of peace. So, it’s just at first that things can feel overwhelming at times and I tend to stress out, but once I put it down into tangible steps and get organized, then it all flows seamlessly.
How would you describe yourself?
I think I would describe myself as an intense person, personally as well as professionally. I do feel that sometimes I can be very intense with some issues, but I have learned to balance my activities and stress. I try to remember to relax and let things run their course.
I do think it's good to be intense and passionate about things you care about and focus on, but it is also important to remember to have moments of relaxation. So, I do believe the word “intense” as an adjective would describe me well, but always trying to find balance more calmly.
How would you describe a perfect day?
For me the perfect day consists of getting up early to exercise, preparing a delicious breakfast at home, and relaxing. Lately, I have been paying more attention to things in nature, so I would also enjoy going out for a walk or hike that has a beautiful landscape or a river, and then coming back home and watching a movie or tv series and going to sleep early. That would be my perfect day.
Tips from Our Experts
We have the privilege of working with very talented experts, each in their area. Why not share some of that knowledge. Here are Marianne's best practices when it comes to project management.
No Small Projects– As Customer Account Managers (CAMs) you do a lot of project management, so in any project, I would suggest you bring an agenda or a project planner, even if in small projects, as it makes it easier to track progress and where we are going.
Define Milestones – It helps to have a clear checklist with defined milestones and deliverables, so that things don't get out of hand. I think it is something that I would recommend that we all do, not only if you are the owner of a project but in general. To be able to make your mini project plan and make sure you follow the correct steps, for me makes the success of a project much easier to obtain.
Use the Right Tools – Using the right project management tool is important. In our case we use Groopworks to assign tasks. However, there are times when a task is divided into several parts, so let's say you have a deliverable in a week, you have to get organized and prepare yourself to have a certain amount of things ready for Monday, and Tuesday something else, as well as for the rest of the week. Organizing your time is important and making sure you are on track is crucial.
Did You Know?
Here are three things you probably didn't know about Marianne Hernandez:
Marianne loves reading fantasy novels, especially the Harry Potter series
Marianne has a passion for cooking Italian and seafood.
One of Marianne’s least favorite things is driving.
Thank you for reading this month's Spotlight article, where featured team members provide insight into their job at Mayan Technologies and detail what their role encompasses while opening up about their personal life.
Stay tuned for our next Spotlight article about:
DORA CHAVARRIA
Enterprise Solutions Manager