If you are Daniel, your day is full of integrating Sage Intacct with other apps using mad skills in Workato. Keep reading to find out how Daniel spends his time as an Integration Consultant at Venn Technology.
8:45 AM: Every morning starts with a standing call with the project managers and integration consultants. We use this time to report what we’re working on that day and if we have any blockers that need to be escalated.
9:00 AM: Following the project stand-up meeting, I check my email and Slack notifications, then my calendar. I want to be able to show something new in every interaction with a client, so my meetings usually drive the types of activities I prioritize.
11:00 AM: For any new projects, I like to see a diagram of what we agreed to build for the client. This helps me get oriented with the workflow and applications I’m integrating. And, depending on the type of integration, I like to get login credentials from the client at least a week before the initial Kick-Off call. This way I can get familiar with their sandbox environment which is what our team uses for building and demoing the integration. It’s also the environment the client uses to test what we’ve built before Go-Live.
Meetings are more productive when the client sees progress and can deliver feedback in real time. This also helps us as consultants dig deeper into their process and ensure we deliver exactly what they need for them to be more efficient in their day-to-day.
The transition from sales to delivery includes reviewing the client integration diagram. This provides a high level understanding of the workflow, including field mappings, objects, and modules being integrated.
12:00 PM: If I don’t bring my own lunch, then In-N-Out is where you’ll find me. My go-to order is a Double-Double with raw and grilled onions with fries and a chocolate shake. I really like animal style fries too, but you can’t eat that and a Double-Double every time. #balance
1:00 PM: All new projects begin with a Kick-Off call. The larger projects are driven by one of our project managers, whereas the smaller ones are managed by each individual Integration Consultant. Either way, the Kick-Off call serves as a hand-off between sales and the delivery team to meet the client and validate the solution that they’re expecting us to deliver. This works well when the project timeline is aligned to the different objects being integrated - i.e. Payments, Invoice, Refunds.
Big or small, there’s knowledge transfer that needs to happen between the time we close a deal until the project kicks off. This means meeting with the sales team to understand:
1. What apps are we integrating? We have a handful of pre-built integrations where we’re connecting Sage Intacct to some other app such as Salesforce.
2. What is the primary workflow? Are we focusing on the order-to-cash or another business process? Or, are we integrating through the Contracts or Order Entry module?These are all important decision points for a successful project.
3. What is the timeline for the project? I.e. 3-months from kick-off to go-live
2:00 PM: In between meetings, I’m basically building the integration object by object and demoing it for feedback until all changes are incorporated and it does what the team agreed to in the original scope. This process can take anywhere from two to four months depending on the complexity of the project.
The biggest challenge any Integration Consultant faces is understanding what the client actually needs. My job is to figure out why they’re asking for it.
It’s not uncommon to uncover additional requirements after the sales team books a project. I’m always asking myself the question, “Is there a better solution than what they’re actually asking for?” It’s going above and beyond for our clients that’s earned Venn the reputation it has today.
We care about relationships with the client. I know for me, I would struggle a lot if someone were to say, "Project is over now whether it’s right or not." If it’s not right, we’re going to fix it.
4:00 PM: None of my days are ever really the same, and that’s because the work changes a lot. I’ve had seasons where the majority of my projects are Stripe to Sage Intacct, but then we add a new pre-built integration to our portfolio (i.e. Shopify) and that opens new doors for the next season. Even though we work with a lot of the same integrations, we don’t make the same thing over and over. Clients want different stuff every time which keeps it interesting.
Daniel and his wife, Julianne, enjoy going for walks around Lake Grapevine with their two children, Enoch and Elora.
5:00 PM: When I’m not building out integrations for clients, I’m spending time with my wife and two kids. One of our favorite things to do as a family is hike around Lake Grapevine. I also have a background in music production, so when I’m not binging the whole album of my favorite artists, I write my own stuff.
Check out the song that Daniel wrote that earned Venn Technology the 2021 Workato Public Voice award >> Listen to “Integrate. Automate. Be Free.”
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