Life at Six & Flow: Why Dean Joined

Through our Life at Six & Flow blog series, we'll be introducing the folks that have joined our team in the last year or so. Everyone has the chance to tell the story of why they joined in their own words. First up, we have Dean, one of our Customer Success Managers.

The recruitment process at Six & Flow 

I applied for the Customer Success Manager role at Six & Flow after seeing an ad on LinkedIn. During this time, I was on furlough for 5-6 months and this left me a lot of time to think and reflect on what I actually wanted to do with my career.

During 2020, people had the benefit of time again-in some way-to stop, think, reflect, and analyse what it was that they wanted to do. The media painted a gloomy picture of jobs being lost due to COVID-19. So to see a glowing, positive recruitment post on LinkedIn cut through the mire of negativity.

I had been in my previous role for nine years. Thinking back on all the roles that I had been given, I decided that I needed to take the plunge and learn new skills in an entirely new sector.

The interview process began in August and I was hired at the end of November. I hadn't had a job interview for a long time prior to this so was rather nervous about the process! The interview process was very thorough and hadn't known there to be so many stages, but appreciate that the level of detail required because the hiring company needed it to be right, too!

First impressions: LOVELY! Just a swell bunch. Impressions of the team are they are highly knowledgeable in their respective fields and know their stuff. They're very approachable when it comes to me asking questions about all the things that make the agency work.

The team encourages this to ensure I (and all new hires) get up to speed as quickly as possible. The point was not to rush, but to grow and take on board all the things I would need to hit the ground running. Given my lack of experience in customer success, they were very understanding and wanted to make sure I got to the level needed to perform.

Onboarding remotely

This has been a challenge for myself, as I am sure it has been for other people. I feel that businesses now were more ready than some thought with remote working but you do miss out on the little details day-to-day when working in the office.

Instant feedback can be one that someone may need whether it be a question about a client or to make sure that a process has been followed, you don't get that remotely. You do become self-sufficient and you need to drive your own activity. Some people work really well in this way already but for most, it'll be a new experience.

As part of my onboarding, I had to partake in some online certifications for our CRM provider, HubSpot. These were excellent in getting to grips with the platform but also seeing how we use it both internally and for our clients who use it for their Marketing and Sales teams.

One thing I found really beneficial was to make time for little catch-ups with everyone in the time, for 15 minutes at a time. Whilst working remotely and with the team growing, it's important to check in with those that you don't necessarily talk to on a regular basis in your area of work or group. Means everyone touches base and not all the conversation revolves around work you are working on and keeps topics fresh!

Looking back: First month at Six & Flow

Initially, I found it quite tough as I was learning everything from scratch and part of my onboarding was to take part in the HubSpot Academy Certifications for Inbound Marketing and Reporting. It was like going back to school! I went through a whole notepad in a week almost, with making notes. With words like 'exam' and 'pass rate' being bandied about it appeared quite daunting but with a bit of guidance from the team, I was able to pass that hurdle.

They are massively beneficial to undertake prior to getting started as it gives you a base to work from-HubSpot is a beast! So as well as learning, it was a stand-out moment to pass my certs in the first two weeks which left the rest of the month to be introduced on to client calls slowly.

Being on a client call from the very first handover from sales was a highlight as I am beginning this journey with them at the same time.

My role: Customer Success Manager 

After working in the same line of work for nine years, I wanted to speak to new people! Understanding what a CSM does resonated with me and I felt like the perfect fit for the role here at Six & Flow.

I love getting the chance to speak to different sets of people in numerous different industries. I think I bring a lot of energy, positivity, and a friendly smile. Treat others how you want to be treated back is a good mantra to follow. I always want to help and be there to support clients and colleagues alike, wherever I can!

Best part of working at Six & Flow 

The pace is exciting and everyone is always on hand to help - which has played a big part in my growth in the first few months of the role. During this initial settling in period, we've been encouraged to keep in touch with those people in the team that you might not necessarily be dealing with on a day- to-day basis. This has allowed us to get to know as many people in the business as possible.

We're actively encouraged to also show our learnings at the end of the week to the whole team and this again lends itself to make others aware of the work you are doing and sharing that knowledge to the team-benefitting everyone!