Stacey Latham, Key Account Manager

Stacey Latham  

Job Title: Key Account Manager 

Location: St Neots 

Start Date: July 2021 

How did your career journey begin at Xperience?  

I originally joined  Riverlite  in 2021 as an Account Manager. I had a few years of MSP experience behind me, and this role was to manage some of the larger key customers, drive their IT strategies and achieve their objectives.  

In February 2022, Riverlite were acquired by Xperience who had a similar mind to Riverlite which was reassuring – very customer-centric, a relaxed culture for the staff, and big ambitions for growth. The Xperience team have shown that they value their people and have invested in us through reward, recognition and culture. 

What does a typical day look like in your current role?  

My days are always so varied in this role – I could be in the office, on the road visiting clients or working from home – no two weeks are the same. On Monday mornings, we’re usually in the office to have our weekly Sales meeting where we share our stories and discuss important updates. I’ll build my to-do list for the week and start prepping for any meetings coming up to make sure I have everything I need.  

So much of my job involves collaborating with other people in the business, which could be the Service Desk, the Technical Architects or Procurement, so there’s always several conversations going on at once! If I have a client meeting on-site, I’ll plan my day around that and make sure I have enough time for travel (and potentially bad traffic!) – while I’m in the car, it’s usually a good time to catch up any phone calls that I need to make. I take lots of notes during the meeting and circulate them as soon as possible whilst it’s still fresh in our minds – I find this helps keep the momentum especially when we’re driving forward projects. When I’ve got some time to do my admin, I’ll catch up on emails and follow up on any quotes or proposals that are pending. Finally, I’ll head home and pray that the A1 is clear! 

What skills are needed to be a successful Key Account Manager? 

An Account Manager wears many different hats – it’s a role that requires solid multi-tasking skills because there’s always a tonne of things going on across your client base. You need good commercial acumen – ultimately we want to win business to make profit and meet our targets. However, you need to be an advocate for your client and make sure they get everything they need. For me, maintaining a long-term relationship with a client will always take priority over short-term transactions and you must know when to make that call.  

Time management is also useful in this job, the weeks and months fly by so fast that deadlines creep up rapidly. Being able to organise and prioritise your time will make sure you stay ahead.  

Finally, communication is key. Account managers are the conduit between the business and the client, and there’s always several different conversations going back and forth. It’s so important that everyone is kept in the know.  

What do you like most about working for Xperience?  

Being a parent, hybrid working is really valuable to me. I manage my own diary so I’m able to juggle work and home when I need to, which takes a lot of the pressure off. I do however try to come into the office as much as possible – it helps me in so many ways to be amongst the team, whether it’s to share ideas or just have some friendly conversation. The offices have recently been refurbished and are really nice surroundings to spend your day in.  

Why would you recommend Xperience as a great place to work? 

The people here are what make us – everyone is happy to help and we all look out for each other as best as we can. There’s so much that goes on behind the scenes, supporting our clients really is a team effort and I couldn’t do my job without everyone else around me. Also, things can be changed if you need them to. Many times I’ve made suggestions when something hasn’t worked out and I’ve been listened to, which shows that our voice is heard and valued by the management team. We also don’t have a culture of clock-watching or micro-managing. We treat everyone with value and respect, and getting the job done well is what matters. 

What are your expectations for the future at Xperience?  

There’s so much we will achieve in the next few years, our plans to be the leading IT provider across East Anglia are very exciting. We are already on a great trajectory, and I hope I can be a part of it for many years to come!