Venn at Work: Marcus Jones, Integration Consultant

Written byMelissa Bell

August 17, 2021

Steve Micklewright Venn Integration Consultant sitting at his workspace

If you are Marcus, your day is full of problem solving, building integrations, and responding to support requests. Keep reading to find out how Marcus spends his time as an Integration Consultant at Venn Technology.

As an Integration Consultant for Venn Technology, Marcus’ main focus is building cloud-based integrations between siloed applications to streamline processes for greater efficiencies.

7:00 AM: I start my morning with a short devotional reading. It’s all about getting my mind right for the day. Then I have to have my french press coffee and spend a few minutes with my bulldog, Eva “The Diva,” before I head out the door.

8:00 AM: The first thing I do when I get into the office is check my email and Slack to see if anything needs my immediate attention, especially if it’s particularly urgent. Then I look at my calendar to prepare for any calls with clients.

Venn Technology Careers - Senior Integration Consultant

9:00 AM: Since I work with three to four clients at a time across different time zones, my meetings land anytime between 9:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. It really just depends on the complexity of the project and the client’s availability. Each project has its own set of requirements, and it’s refreshing to know that I’m doing something new with every new client that comes in the door

Each project has its own set of requirements, and it’s refreshing to know that I’m building something new with every client that comes in the door.

 

12:00 PM: I consider myself to be a good cook, so a lot of the time I bring leftovers from the night before for lunch the next day. If not, I’ll grab a quick bite to eat close to the office. My go-to spots are Subway and Popeyes.

1:00 PM: Once a project is handed over to me, I begin the Discovery Phase with the client. I need to understand what fields we are mapping data to, what data needs to be synced, and how often it needs to be synced. The majority of the time clients come to us to help them solve for, “How can I get my data from Salesforce into Sage Intacct, or vice versa?” We integrate a lot of different applications, but there’s usually one or both of those systems in the mix.

The majority of the time, the client came to us to help them solve for, ‘How can I get my data from Salesforce into Sage Intacct, or vice versa?

 

Ultimately, these integrations save time in data entry and enable them to be more accurate in their reporting. I never in a million years thought I’d be doing anything related to accounting, but it’s a new skill that is making me better as a consultant now and in the future.

2:00 PM: Once I have an integration built, it’s time to show the client a demo and collect feedback. I make edits to workflows within the recipes in Workato, which is the middleware tool we use to build integrations for our clients. I didn’t actually have any experience working with an iPaaS platform like Workato prior to joining Venn, but once I started I had access to all the training and certifications I needed to prepare me for my first project fast. Between leadership and the other integration consultants, everyone is more than willing to jump in and assist with any roadblocks that come up.

I didn’t actually have any experience working with an iPaaS platform like Workato prior to joining Venn but, once I started, I had access to all the training and certifications I needed to prepare me for my first project fast.

 

I’m also working toward my first Salesforce certification, which speaks to the growth opportunities available to you when you join Venn.

3:00 PM: Toward the end of a project, the work is all about finalizing the build and preparing for Go-Live. There are some projects that get out the door in six weeks but there are also others that run up to six months. It really depends on the complexity of the project and various parties involved such as other software vendors or consultants. In general, a typical project is about three months.

5:00 PM: I usually end my work day around 5:00 p.m. During the week, my evenings are usually spent cooking dinner and relaxing with my wife. On the weekends we enjoy being outside, going for bike rides, and checking out different walking trails.

Steve Micklewright posing with his Harley Davidson motorcycle

Marcus with his wife, Jasmine, during their 2019 Honeymoon in Costa Rica.

Traveling is also something that we love doing together. In fact, we went hiking and did a zip lining tour in Costa Rica for our Honeymoon. We’re looking forward to planning our next trip again soon!

 

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Melissa Bell

About the Author

Melissa Bell

Director of Sales & Marketing

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