1 00:00:01,780 --> 00:00:04,840 Welcome to Innovate presents Entrepreneurs in Tech. 2 00:00:04,840 --> 00:00:08,800 Today, we're delighted to have our guest, Katie Scott. 3 00:00:08,800 --> 00:00:11,220 Katie, thank you for joining us. 4 00:00:11,220 --> 00:00:16,460 And could you please start by introducing yourself and provide some insights on your 5 00:00:16,460 --> 00:00:18,666 tech background and expertise. 6 00:00:18,762 --> 00:00:19,922 Yeah, absolutely. 7 00:00:19,922 --> 00:00:21,372 Thanks, Bob, for having me. 8 00:00:21,372 --> 00:00:22,842 My name is Katie Scott. 9 00:00:22,842 --> 00:00:27,922 I am one of two founding partners of Pontum Technology Partners, a boutique 10 00:00:27,922 --> 00:00:33,102 strategic advisory firm where we work with helping really businesses consume, 11 00:00:33,102 --> 00:00:35,222 optimize, evaluate technology. 12 00:00:35,222 --> 00:00:39,662 We'll work with the executive team to really understand strategic outcomes from 13 00:00:39,662 --> 00:00:40,822 a technology perspective. 14 00:00:40,822 --> 00:00:46,002 And then we will see that through and equip and kind of guide their strategic 15 00:00:46,002 --> 00:00:48,330 resource or I'm sorry, tactical resources. 16 00:00:48,330 --> 00:00:52,610 in really sort of seeing that through and executing on what it is that the business 17 00:00:52,610 --> 00:00:57,490 is looking to do with equipping their either customers or employees or the 18 00:00:57,490 --> 00:01:00,770 business in general with that technology of choice. 19 00:01:00,770 --> 00:01:07,730 So I'm also the president of the Mid -Atlantic CX Forum, a recently founded 20 00:01:07,730 --> 00:01:12,990 nonprofit professional community organization for revenue leaders and 21 00:01:12,990 --> 00:01:14,442 technology leaders. 22 00:01:14,442 --> 00:01:18,112 to come together in a way that they have never come together before. 23 00:01:18,112 --> 00:01:20,702 They all really kind of own technology now. 24 00:01:20,702 --> 00:01:23,682 And we've seen that shift, and I'm sure we're going to talk about that a little 25 00:01:23,682 --> 00:01:24,522 bit here. 26 00:01:24,522 --> 00:01:29,802 But the reason behind starting that was we work with revenue operations leaders, 27 00:01:29,802 --> 00:01:32,602 customer experience leaders, and IT leaders. 28 00:01:32,602 --> 00:01:38,962 And we're seeing a gap pretty often in terms of kind of the ability for them to 29 00:01:38,962 --> 00:01:41,098 support one another and to work. 30 00:01:41,098 --> 00:01:44,878 best together while they all really own employee and customer experience through 31 00:01:44,878 --> 00:01:45,958 technology. 32 00:01:45,958 --> 00:01:48,538 So we'll talk a little bit about that as well. 33 00:01:48,538 --> 00:01:50,798 My technology background is unique. 34 00:01:50,798 --> 00:01:53,658 I did not go to school for technology. 35 00:01:53,658 --> 00:01:58,458 I have a liberal arts education degree, which I actually think has translated 36 00:01:58,458 --> 00:02:01,998 pretty well, just because, again, we'll get into it. 37 00:02:01,998 --> 00:02:06,738 But I believe that it starts with the people and then the process and technology 38 00:02:06,738 --> 00:02:08,554 really kind of comes through last. 39 00:02:08,554 --> 00:02:12,654 to make sure that you're selecting the right one to enable those two formally 40 00:02:12,654 --> 00:02:14,074 mentioned things. 41 00:02:14,260 --> 00:02:15,420 this is pretty impressive. 42 00:02:15,420 --> 00:02:20,480 I have to say, Katie, you didn't go to school for technology or tech or AI, and 43 00:02:20,480 --> 00:02:22,360 that's all you do. 44 00:02:22,500 --> 00:02:27,220 And beside it, you wear multiple hats and I don't know how do you find the time, but 45 00:02:27,220 --> 00:02:28,030 it's pretty impressive. 46 00:02:28,030 --> 00:02:29,690 I have to say we're going to get into all of that. 47 00:02:29,690 --> 00:02:31,400 Yes, absolutely. 48 00:02:31,400 --> 00:02:36,820 So Katie, is it possible to take us back in your early career and tell us a bit 49 00:02:36,820 --> 00:02:39,956 about what are some of the biggest challenges you faced? 50 00:02:39,956 --> 00:02:41,936 and how did you overcome them? 51 00:02:41,936 --> 00:02:45,816 I mean just by started talking to you I already know your personality which is 52 00:02:45,816 --> 00:02:50,616 pretty impressive and very inspiring for a lot of females who want to get into the 53 00:02:50,616 --> 00:02:53,684 tech business please or anybody not just females yes. 54 00:02:53,684 --> 00:02:54,794 yeah, absolutely. 55 00:02:54,794 --> 00:02:55,664 So yeah, absolutely. 56 00:02:55,664 --> 00:02:59,474 So I graduated from Gettysburg College in 2009. 57 00:02:59,474 --> 00:03:02,774 It was just about the worst economic environment ever. 58 00:03:02,774 --> 00:03:08,494 Less than 50 % of my graduating peers had full -time professional jobs. 59 00:03:08,574 --> 00:03:13,974 So I wasn't sure what I wanted to do, but I do in hindsight, I am happy that I have 60 00:03:13,974 --> 00:03:17,344 a liberal arts education because it really didn't pigeonhole me. 61 00:03:17,344 --> 00:03:18,794 I didn't have to pick a track. 62 00:03:18,794 --> 00:03:22,354 like accounting, whatever it may be, and really go all in. 63 00:03:22,354 --> 00:03:26,714 So I've always felt very enabled and empowered to kind of pull from different 64 00:03:26,714 --> 00:03:27,644 pieces of my life. 65 00:03:27,644 --> 00:03:30,974 So with that, I started a company called Vanguard. 66 00:03:30,994 --> 00:03:35,614 They're a pretty well -known financial institution, financial services 67 00:03:35,614 --> 00:03:36,334 institution. 68 00:03:36,334 --> 00:03:42,754 And I started as part of one of their several kind of classes of agents who were 69 00:03:42,754 --> 00:03:46,354 coming in to be on the phones, talk with people who have invested. 70 00:03:46,354 --> 00:03:48,170 I was on the 71 00:03:48,170 --> 00:03:52,870 institutional side, which is where they have their pensions, 401ks, participants 72 00:03:52,870 --> 00:03:55,030 through businesses. 73 00:03:55,030 --> 00:03:58,870 And I had to get my series six and 63. 74 00:03:58,870 --> 00:04:00,720 I wasn't sure if I liked finance. 75 00:04:00,720 --> 00:04:05,270 It was a job, but I really started as an agent on the phones, working with 76 00:04:05,270 --> 00:04:07,530 customers regularly. 77 00:04:08,650 --> 00:04:10,570 Yes, I could trade. 78 00:04:10,570 --> 00:04:12,110 That's a seven. 79 00:04:12,110 --> 00:04:12,330 Yeah. 80 00:04:12,330 --> 00:04:16,202 Six and 63 was really what I was doing was I was helping. 81 00:04:16,202 --> 00:04:22,312 employees of the different plans transact, understand their plans, take loans, 82 00:04:22,312 --> 00:04:24,342 hardship withdrawals, things like that. 83 00:04:24,342 --> 00:04:27,702 But I was part of a giant contact center. 84 00:04:27,922 --> 00:04:30,862 There were about 4 ,000 of us across the business. 85 00:04:30,862 --> 00:04:35,972 And I quickly figured out that I did not want to be on the phones, logging in, 86 00:04:35,972 --> 00:04:37,262 logging out anymore. 87 00:04:37,262 --> 00:04:41,382 So one of the biggest challenges I would say is trying to figure out what I 88 00:04:41,382 --> 00:04:43,542 actually really wanted to do. 89 00:04:43,762 --> 00:04:45,930 I knew I really liked working with people. 90 00:04:45,930 --> 00:04:48,170 I knew I liked helping people. 91 00:04:48,370 --> 00:04:54,050 So from there, I quickly kind of moved my way up into the area called the helm, 92 00:04:54,050 --> 00:04:59,870 which is the team that oversaw, managed, ran the contact center. 93 00:04:59,870 --> 00:05:04,070 I thought I liked finance, so I stayed in finance. 94 00:05:04,070 --> 00:05:08,890 But one of the challenges that I really was struggling with was how do I apply 95 00:05:08,890 --> 00:05:09,200 that? 96 00:05:09,200 --> 00:05:12,950 Because it can be very, you know, in several different ways, either technical 97 00:05:12,950 --> 00:05:14,090 finance or. 98 00:05:14,090 --> 00:05:18,090 But what I figured out was I really, really liked working with people, helping 99 00:05:18,090 --> 00:05:19,350 people. 100 00:05:19,450 --> 00:05:24,090 And so from there, I moved to a company called Glenmead Trust, where I was an 101 00:05:24,090 --> 00:05:27,890 assistant portfolio manager on the endowments and foundation side. 102 00:05:27,890 --> 00:05:32,110 So that is where I learned I really like, again, relationship management, working 103 00:05:32,110 --> 00:05:35,230 with people, trying to understand the goals they're looking to accomplish. 104 00:05:35,230 --> 00:05:39,800 But the biggest challenge, I would say, especially as it pertains to technology, 105 00:05:39,800 --> 00:05:42,154 was when I got my job at Evolve IP. 106 00:05:42,154 --> 00:05:49,114 my former employer, I was hired to work in a sales role, as well as sell technology. 107 00:05:49,114 --> 00:05:50,624 And I'd never done either of those. 108 00:05:50,624 --> 00:05:55,494 So I appreciate the fact that they trusted me and gave me that shot, but that was 109 00:05:55,494 --> 00:05:55,734 tough. 110 00:05:55,734 --> 00:06:01,994 It was tough to get in front of decision makers in technology without a strong 111 00:06:01,994 --> 00:06:03,654 technical background. 112 00:06:03,934 --> 00:06:07,050 And so at that point I was sort of like, what do I do now? 113 00:06:07,050 --> 00:06:13,550 I was pulling different pieces of each role that I knew I liked and I ended up at 114 00:06:13,550 --> 00:06:18,970 Evolve IP, but I was not well suited to kind of get people on the phone and 115 00:06:18,970 --> 00:06:20,370 immediately add value. 116 00:06:20,370 --> 00:06:26,210 So I moved over to their account management side and quickly took on some 117 00:06:26,210 --> 00:06:28,950 of their largest customers. 118 00:06:28,950 --> 00:06:34,490 And I spent a lot of time kind of right sizing or looking to really help get in 119 00:06:34,490 --> 00:06:36,810 there and make sure that my customers were. 120 00:06:36,810 --> 00:06:38,740 getting what they wanted out of technology. 121 00:06:38,740 --> 00:06:43,610 And that was where I had learned to overcome the challenge of figuring out 122 00:06:43,610 --> 00:06:48,730 what I liked by just digging in and kind of learning how technology can map to 123 00:06:48,730 --> 00:06:52,740 business outcomes and how technology is so unique. 124 00:06:52,740 --> 00:06:58,570 Because at the time I joined technology, I was really taking, they were shifting from 125 00:06:58,570 --> 00:07:00,234 being a cost center. 126 00:07:00,234 --> 00:07:04,654 to more of a proactive owner of technology beyond just the plumbing. 127 00:07:04,654 --> 00:07:07,834 Everyone had previously expected it to work. 128 00:07:07,834 --> 00:07:11,414 You hoped it was up, and if it wasn't, then you had a problem. 129 00:07:11,474 --> 00:07:16,394 But I had joined technology, and Evolve IP had a lot of end user facing productivity 130 00:07:16,394 --> 00:07:17,594 tools, which we'll get into. 131 00:07:17,594 --> 00:07:22,274 But it was very different the way that technology needed to work with the 132 00:07:22,274 --> 00:07:22,914 business. 133 00:07:22,914 --> 00:07:28,426 And that's where I figured out that my skills of helping people mapping. 134 00:07:28,426 --> 00:07:33,106 what people are saying to actually what's sort of being used was really helpful 135 00:07:33,106 --> 00:07:37,846 because I equipped IT with the ability to go out and talk to the business and then 136 00:07:37,846 --> 00:07:43,366 made sure that we as the service provider were actually delivering on that. 137 00:07:43,546 --> 00:07:49,446 So that said, one of my biggest challenges was being a woman for sure in a role where 138 00:07:49,446 --> 00:07:52,346 I was working in a very male dominated industry. 139 00:07:52,346 --> 00:07:57,386 A lot of our customers, the primary contact was someone who's very technical. 140 00:07:57,386 --> 00:08:02,766 So one of my biggest challenges that I'm very proud of, but I continue to kind of 141 00:08:02,766 --> 00:08:06,966 come up against in different areas of my career is the fact that I'm seen as non 142 00:08:06,966 --> 00:08:09,676 -technical for whatever reason that might be. 143 00:08:09,676 --> 00:08:14,486 Even though I spent a lot of time and eventually learned to the point where my 144 00:08:14,486 --> 00:08:18,746 tech chops really were just as good, if not better than several of the kind of 145 00:08:18,746 --> 00:08:23,366 people internally, it was always something that I was really kind of working uphill 146 00:08:23,366 --> 00:08:25,066 and looking to overcome. 147 00:08:25,066 --> 00:08:30,026 And I always felt really great when I could get the respect of them once they 148 00:08:30,026 --> 00:08:32,716 really sort of figured out that I did know what I was talking about. 149 00:08:32,716 --> 00:08:34,986 And I wasn't just a salesperson. 150 00:08:34,986 --> 00:08:36,086 So. 151 00:08:36,986 --> 00:08:39,696 Thank you. 152 00:08:39,696 --> 00:08:40,516 tech industry. 153 00:08:40,516 --> 00:08:42,096 Let me ask you a quick thing. 154 00:08:42,096 --> 00:08:46,736 Being a sales tech, is this what is exactly when somebody say I'm in tech 155 00:08:46,736 --> 00:08:46,996 sales? 156 00:08:46,996 --> 00:08:49,076 Like I understand somebody's I'm in medical sales. 157 00:08:49,076 --> 00:08:49,496 I got it. 158 00:08:49,496 --> 00:08:52,396 They sell equipment and certain things for doctors. 159 00:08:52,396 --> 00:08:56,516 But medical, is it selling softwares for companies, small companies, big companies? 160 00:08:56,516 --> 00:09:01,470 Is it what it is or machineries or focus on primarily software? 161 00:09:01,514 --> 00:09:06,854 So for me, it was infrastructure because with technology, there are line of 162 00:09:06,854 --> 00:09:12,174 business applications that are very specific, like an HR information system. 163 00:09:12,174 --> 00:09:16,454 You'll have your CRM, things like that, where it's really either unique to a 164 00:09:16,454 --> 00:09:19,674 vertical or unique to a piece of the business. 165 00:09:19,674 --> 00:09:24,274 The type of technology generally that I was selling and or solutioning for our 166 00:09:24,274 --> 00:09:28,194 clients was more enterprise applications and enterprise infrastructure. 167 00:09:28,194 --> 00:09:30,058 So all of the tools that... 168 00:09:30,058 --> 00:09:35,418 all their employees use to do their job on a day -to -day basis, from infrastructure, 169 00:09:35,418 --> 00:09:41,198 cloud infrastructure, to Teams voice communication, to collaboration, digital 170 00:09:41,198 --> 00:09:44,298 experience, backup, disaster recovery. 171 00:09:44,658 --> 00:09:45,738 Yeah. 172 00:09:45,738 --> 00:09:46,257 Yeah. 173 00:09:46,257 --> 00:09:48,638 I think in the best way possible, actually. 174 00:09:48,638 --> 00:09:49,498 Yeah. 175 00:09:50,538 --> 00:09:51,718 OK. 176 00:09:52,218 --> 00:09:53,420 Thank you. 177 00:09:53,420 --> 00:09:56,600 been in the tech world for over 15 years. 178 00:09:56,600 --> 00:10:01,640 And what are some of the biggest changes you've seen how business use technology 179 00:10:01,640 --> 00:10:02,602 these days? 180 00:10:02,602 --> 00:10:07,772 Yeah, that's a great question, especially because my time has spanned COVID, right? 181 00:10:07,772 --> 00:10:09,462 So that was interesting as well. 182 00:10:09,462 --> 00:10:15,242 But even before that, I think it was very interesting for me to join when I did 183 00:10:15,242 --> 00:10:20,962 because the folks who were in my industry a lot longer had been in my industry 184 00:10:20,962 --> 00:10:27,902 working on things like wide area networks, long distance calling, much more sort of 185 00:10:27,902 --> 00:10:30,890 less user impacting than where 186 00:10:30,890 --> 00:10:33,090 technology sits today in the business. 187 00:10:33,090 --> 00:10:36,070 Technology frankly is the business now. 188 00:10:36,070 --> 00:10:41,330 And so we have seen it go from kind of cost center where it's the price of doing 189 00:10:41,330 --> 00:10:41,890 business. 190 00:10:41,890 --> 00:10:42,990 It is what it is. 191 00:10:42,990 --> 00:10:46,030 You have your IT team, but it's really looked at as like, we don't want to hear 192 00:10:46,030 --> 00:10:48,450 from them unless it's broken. 193 00:10:48,610 --> 00:10:55,870 Otherwise be seen and not heard basically to an internal IT sort of support and 194 00:10:55,870 --> 00:11:00,586 service center where IT was starting to look at the employees as. 195 00:11:00,586 --> 00:11:04,786 the folks that they service, their stakeholders, and that's still the case. 196 00:11:04,786 --> 00:11:10,446 However, it's even changed more so where now IT really owns a strategic seat at the 197 00:11:10,446 --> 00:11:14,586 table in terms of enabling the best employee experience and subsequently 198 00:11:14,586 --> 00:11:20,046 customer experience because this digital world, that is how your customers can or 199 00:11:20,046 --> 00:11:25,126 cannot communicate with you and how your employees can or cannot be empowered and 200 00:11:25,126 --> 00:11:29,026 enabled and efficient using the right tools to do that for you. 201 00:11:29,026 --> 00:11:29,482 So... 202 00:11:29,482 --> 00:11:34,462 They've really, we've seen business shift as well as where IT kind of sits in the 203 00:11:34,462 --> 00:11:38,402 business take a very big leap. 204 00:11:38,402 --> 00:11:43,394 And now they are really kind of proactive business partners in owning that. 205 00:11:43,444 --> 00:11:44,644 Amazing. 206 00:11:44,644 --> 00:11:51,104 Can we just clear the way a bit and talk about one little important thing. 207 00:11:51,104 --> 00:11:54,144 You know, a lot of there's a misunderstanding and misconception. 208 00:11:54,144 --> 00:11:57,924 I would say if our listeners, the viewers and everybody out there that, you know, 209 00:11:57,924 --> 00:12:00,744 first of all, you earned the title of being a tech entrepreneur. 210 00:12:00,744 --> 00:12:02,784 I don't care what you earned it. 211 00:12:02,784 --> 00:12:03,894 A hundred percent. 212 00:12:03,894 --> 00:12:04,314 Yes. 213 00:12:04,314 --> 00:12:10,504 With a certificate and you commenting on this is pretty important that a lot of 214 00:12:10,504 --> 00:12:12,052 people fear they say, 215 00:12:12,052 --> 00:12:14,272 AI will take over AI. 216 00:12:14,272 --> 00:12:18,162 And I would say my personal opinion is AI is only a tool. 217 00:12:18,162 --> 00:12:24,052 It's going to help us advance to make things better, faster, and get us to where 218 00:12:24,052 --> 00:12:27,612 we need to be at a faster pace. 219 00:12:27,612 --> 00:12:32,912 And all we need to adapt to it and learn it, learn it, not be afraid of it, learn 220 00:12:32,912 --> 00:12:33,272 it. 221 00:12:33,272 --> 00:12:37,834 Your comment as a tech entrepreneur, please. 222 00:12:37,834 --> 00:12:38,894 Yeah, I would agree. 223 00:12:38,894 --> 00:12:42,314 I think it's coming whether or not we want it to. 224 00:12:42,314 --> 00:12:49,114 So people who are wishing that it wouldn't or have other reasons for be it their type 225 00:12:49,114 --> 00:12:52,554 of job, like for example, Gartner, they're a research company. 226 00:12:52,554 --> 00:12:57,934 I can understand why a research business would be less hesitant to say it's coming 227 00:12:57,934 --> 00:13:01,374 as quickly as it is, but it's already here. 228 00:13:01,374 --> 00:13:06,294 And so I think people need to embrace it and it will just really, it will take away 229 00:13:06,294 --> 00:13:07,274 things that 230 00:13:07,274 --> 00:13:11,074 we were having like labor shortages, for example, that will be helpful. 231 00:13:11,074 --> 00:13:18,114 I think it will become a tool of how you really do X job with AI as part of it. 232 00:13:18,114 --> 00:13:22,034 And that is really going to be where we see this moving. 233 00:13:22,034 --> 00:13:26,514 I'd say it's really an interesting time because AI and automation have been 234 00:13:26,514 --> 00:13:30,834 around, they've been part of different vendor solutions that our customers use 235 00:13:30,834 --> 00:13:34,154 who are now kind of still wary about AI, but... 236 00:13:34,154 --> 00:13:38,994 The biggest thing we're finding is back to that sort of IT and where they sit in the 237 00:13:38,994 --> 00:13:44,574 business is who owns AI within a business. 238 00:13:44,574 --> 00:13:48,694 And so that is what we're seeing is sort of one of the biggest challenges as does 239 00:13:48,694 --> 00:13:50,174 IT 100 % own it? 240 00:13:50,174 --> 00:13:53,374 Because it's really the business that needs to say what could be automated that 241 00:13:53,374 --> 00:13:57,814 would be helpful that can cut costs and give time and efficiency back to your 242 00:13:57,814 --> 00:14:00,774 human capital for more strategic things. 243 00:14:00,774 --> 00:14:01,952 However, 244 00:14:01,962 --> 00:14:04,282 IT is, it's all new to everyone. 245 00:14:04,282 --> 00:14:07,582 So that has been one of the biggest things that we've seen from a challenges 246 00:14:07,582 --> 00:14:13,062 perspective is who kind of owns fully the, what do we do? 247 00:14:13,062 --> 00:14:14,422 How do we do it? 248 00:14:14,422 --> 00:14:15,942 Does it make business sense? 249 00:14:15,942 --> 00:14:18,902 How are we calculating where we want to start first? 250 00:14:18,902 --> 00:14:20,212 But yeah, absolutely. 251 00:14:20,212 --> 00:14:22,562 I think it's not going away at all. 252 00:14:22,562 --> 00:14:26,642 In fact, for the Mid -Atlantic CX Forum, we just had our first summit that last 253 00:14:26,642 --> 00:14:28,672 week and we had Dr. 254 00:14:28,672 --> 00:14:31,292 Steve Andreal, who is the Thomas G. 255 00:14:31,292 --> 00:14:31,786 Labreck. 256 00:14:31,786 --> 00:14:35,785 professor at Villanova University's technology school. 257 00:14:35,785 --> 00:14:41,526 He teaches AI and machine learning and his presentation was incredibly eye -opening 258 00:14:41,526 --> 00:14:47,046 and thought -provoking for everyone who came just because I think the first step 259 00:14:47,046 --> 00:14:50,226 is really ripping off the band -aid and saying it's coming whether or not we like 260 00:14:50,226 --> 00:14:55,226 it now what do we do about it and how do we sort of work within that and do it 261 00:14:55,226 --> 00:14:56,020 responsibly. 262 00:14:56,020 --> 00:14:56,970 Very insightful. 263 00:14:56,970 --> 00:14:59,620 Thank you for the information. 264 00:14:59,800 --> 00:15:00,120 Absolutely. 265 00:15:00,120 --> 00:15:04,460 You know, something that our viewers and our listeners and whoever else comes 266 00:15:04,460 --> 00:15:07,600 across the show, that's definitely very helpful. 267 00:15:07,860 --> 00:15:15,140 You worn lots of hats from client success to leading contact centers. 268 00:15:15,140 --> 00:15:21,480 How have these different roles you played influenced the way you approach TIC 269 00:15:21,480 --> 00:15:22,546 advisory? 270 00:15:22,794 --> 00:15:24,534 Yeah, great question. 271 00:15:24,554 --> 00:15:26,514 Significantly so. 272 00:15:26,514 --> 00:15:33,254 I think that my background, having sat in those seats, allows me to really 273 00:15:33,254 --> 00:15:38,054 understand a little bit more and empathize with where those stakeholders are coming 274 00:15:38,054 --> 00:15:40,934 from and their reliance on technology. 275 00:15:41,454 --> 00:15:46,854 And we focus a lot, pontum means bridge in Latin, and we really focus on bridging 276 00:15:46,854 --> 00:15:49,674 those kind of gaps internally that are natural. 277 00:15:49,674 --> 00:15:55,334 and making sure that the key stakeholders of each of the business units that are 278 00:15:55,334 --> 00:15:59,814 going to rely on this really kind of have their voice heard and that we're making 279 00:15:59,814 --> 00:16:04,734 sure that instead of seven unique projects where digital marketing team goes out and 280 00:16:04,734 --> 00:16:09,074 finds one thing, quality and assurance find something else, customer support find 281 00:16:09,074 --> 00:16:14,294 something else where we're really kind of helping IT understand where the lens 282 00:16:14,294 --> 00:16:17,674 through which those different stakeholders are looking. 283 00:16:17,674 --> 00:16:23,574 and folding that in, in a way that IT is really focused on supporting what they 284 00:16:23,574 --> 00:16:26,074 need to support day to day. 285 00:16:26,074 --> 00:16:32,034 So it has significantly impacted it because I saw a pretty big gap in terms of 286 00:16:32,034 --> 00:16:37,194 technology partners and distribution that existed when I worked in my former role. 287 00:16:37,194 --> 00:16:42,434 And really this was the biggest area is that no one knew how to guide the 288 00:16:42,434 --> 00:16:46,122 technology team to then identify the right people to engage. 289 00:16:46,122 --> 00:16:51,182 when to engage them in the evaluation, to make it beneficial for everyone, and then 290 00:16:51,182 --> 00:16:55,142 really kind of how to make sure that you're capturing and delivering on what 291 00:16:55,142 --> 00:16:55,612 they need. 292 00:16:55,612 --> 00:16:59,842 So it has, I think, been pretty significant for me just coming from more 293 00:16:59,842 --> 00:17:04,642 of a business background and then folding the tech in versus starting with just the 294 00:17:04,642 --> 00:17:07,970 tech and then kind of backing in the business into that. 295 00:17:08,244 --> 00:17:16,204 You focus on helping businesses use CX, EX, AI, tech solutions effectively. 296 00:17:16,204 --> 00:17:22,044 What are some common hurdles that you see and how do you help businesses get past 297 00:17:22,044 --> 00:17:22,636 them? 298 00:17:23,218 --> 00:17:24,598 Great question. 299 00:17:24,598 --> 00:17:30,218 I would say not to be kind of continue to repeat myself, but the alignment is one of 300 00:17:30,218 --> 00:17:36,578 the biggest hurdles is the fact that these are different projects that touch so many 301 00:17:36,578 --> 00:17:40,278 different areas of the business and are not really kind of able to be unilaterally 302 00:17:40,278 --> 00:17:42,298 made in a vacuum decision. 303 00:17:42,298 --> 00:17:43,488 That's is it secure? 304 00:17:43,488 --> 00:17:44,328 Is it infrastructure? 305 00:17:44,328 --> 00:17:45,898 Will it work with whatever else we have? 306 00:17:45,898 --> 00:17:46,478 Yes. 307 00:17:46,478 --> 00:17:48,842 Those were really kind of the questions before. 308 00:17:48,842 --> 00:17:53,992 Some of the biggest challenges we see is it's a chicken or the egg, right? 309 00:17:53,992 --> 00:17:57,602 So who drives what is prioritized? 310 00:17:57,602 --> 00:18:03,862 Is it the business users or is it the technology team saying our vendor platform 311 00:18:03,862 --> 00:18:06,802 is end of life, now we're ready to go look at something? 312 00:18:06,842 --> 00:18:10,826 So really some of the biggest hurdles are internal alignment. 313 00:18:10,826 --> 00:18:16,346 And then prioritization alignment on what's the priority and how to kind of 314 00:18:16,346 --> 00:18:20,386 make sure that you're able to deliver on several of those projects versus having to 315 00:18:20,386 --> 00:18:21,066 choose. 316 00:18:21,066 --> 00:18:23,066 I would say that's a big piece. 317 00:18:23,066 --> 00:18:28,366 I also think that a lot of businesses are relying on traditional distribution 318 00:18:28,366 --> 00:18:29,406 methods. 319 00:18:29,406 --> 00:18:33,666 So meaning how they actually get and procure technology. 320 00:18:34,086 --> 00:18:39,206 There were your traditional methods like value added resellers, managed services 321 00:18:39,206 --> 00:18:40,234 providers. 322 00:18:40,234 --> 00:18:46,554 Gartner, things like that, where they have left a gap in the market for businesses in 323 00:18:46,554 --> 00:18:50,844 the mid -market, smaller enterprise who need, technology has changed. 324 00:18:50,844 --> 00:18:54,454 So they need a different type of partner who really understands a cloud -first 325 00:18:54,454 --> 00:18:59,914 solution and what it means to understand each end user, how they use it, what the 326 00:18:59,914 --> 00:19:02,424 dependencies are, the process, things like that. 327 00:19:02,424 --> 00:19:05,374 It's just very different than choosing infrastructure. 328 00:19:05,374 --> 00:19:07,722 So we see that pretty often. 329 00:19:07,722 --> 00:19:13,402 Companies are relying on their value added reseller who might also be their incumbent 330 00:19:13,402 --> 00:19:17,122 to help them kind of evaluate and select a new strategy. 331 00:19:17,322 --> 00:19:21,042 And so those are some of the challenges we're seeing are just really internal 332 00:19:21,042 --> 00:19:27,222 alignment as well as leaning on partners that can't help them get that internal 333 00:19:27,222 --> 00:19:27,682 alignment. 334 00:19:27,682 --> 00:19:29,092 So that's really where we focus. 335 00:19:29,092 --> 00:19:32,642 And that's why it's interesting because technology is so important, but it's 336 00:19:32,642 --> 00:19:35,272 really the last piece in our opinion. 337 00:19:35,272 --> 00:19:36,272 Interesting. 338 00:19:36,272 --> 00:19:43,292 You started MidAtlanticCX Forum to connect with CX and tech leaders, many companies 339 00:19:43,292 --> 00:19:44,312 you started. 340 00:19:44,312 --> 00:19:50,812 What made you want to create this forum and how is it growing since you started 341 00:19:50,812 --> 00:19:51,404 it? 342 00:19:51,498 --> 00:19:53,118 Yeah, great question. 343 00:19:53,398 --> 00:19:59,638 So working with our clients regularly over the last 15 years, we've seen that gap 344 00:19:59,638 --> 00:20:01,818 exist that I've kind of talked about. 345 00:20:01,818 --> 00:20:07,238 And we've seen that impact the employees and their ability to sort of be enabled 346 00:20:07,238 --> 00:20:11,418 through the end user applications that are being selected for them, as well as in the 347 00:20:11,418 --> 00:20:12,598 customer experience. 348 00:20:12,598 --> 00:20:16,618 And after speaking with a lot of our clients about where they're going, 349 00:20:16,618 --> 00:20:19,858 how they are sort of interacting, how are they gaining alignment, how are they 350 00:20:19,858 --> 00:20:23,718 collaborating with these other areas of business that they're all really reliant 351 00:20:23,718 --> 00:20:25,238 on to deliver. 352 00:20:25,498 --> 00:20:27,938 There was nothing like that. 353 00:20:27,938 --> 00:20:33,958 So there are things that are specific for CIOs and IT leaders or help desk leaders. 354 00:20:33,958 --> 00:20:38,138 There are specific professional groups for CX leaders, but there's nothing that 355 00:20:38,138 --> 00:20:39,718 really kind of brings them together. 356 00:20:39,718 --> 00:20:44,598 And since that's such a core component of how we help businesses and there's a long 357 00:20:44,598 --> 00:20:46,538 kind of education cycle getting 358 00:20:46,538 --> 00:20:51,918 them involved and having them think about a different way to evaluate, to optimize 359 00:20:51,918 --> 00:20:57,238 technology and to source technology, we thought that it would be a great idea if 360 00:20:57,238 --> 00:21:01,438 we could sort of bring them all together as peers so that they can start to 361 00:21:01,438 --> 00:21:06,978 collaborate, learn together, be exposed to different technology that normally a lot 362 00:21:06,978 --> 00:21:11,078 of CXM revenue leaders would have to wait for their technology teams to bring to 363 00:21:11,078 --> 00:21:14,922 them, usually a little bit late in the evaluation cycle. 364 00:21:14,922 --> 00:21:17,702 And so we saw that gap. 365 00:21:17,702 --> 00:21:21,242 We asked quite a few of our clients if they thought there would be value there. 366 00:21:21,242 --> 00:21:23,662 We got a resounding yes. 367 00:21:23,662 --> 00:21:29,242 So we started that about two months ago, actually. 368 00:21:29,242 --> 00:21:33,322 And so we're excited to kind of fill that gap and have the endorsement of those 369 00:21:33,322 --> 00:21:37,122 other groups that have been well established, like SIM, Society for 370 00:21:37,122 --> 00:21:41,602 Information Management, HDI Philly, CX Professionals, where they're saying, yes, 371 00:21:41,602 --> 00:21:43,946 this is a need to bring everyone together. 372 00:21:43,946 --> 00:21:46,906 They were traditionally very siloed. 373 00:21:46,906 --> 00:21:50,186 And now there's a lot of interdependency there. 374 00:21:50,186 --> 00:21:55,586 So that was the reason behind it, as well as if we can help more companies than just 375 00:21:55,586 --> 00:21:59,866 the ones we're actively working with by creating this type of community for them 376 00:21:59,866 --> 00:22:00,606 as well. 377 00:22:00,606 --> 00:22:04,926 That would also be really great from an education perspective. 378 00:22:04,926 --> 00:22:06,686 So that was how we started it. 379 00:22:06,686 --> 00:22:07,094 Yeah. 380 00:22:07,094 --> 00:22:08,264 how did you come up with this? 381 00:22:08,264 --> 00:22:10,090 That's a separate question. 382 00:22:10,090 --> 00:22:12,570 Yeah, happy to share that with you. 383 00:22:12,570 --> 00:22:15,760 But it's been really exciting. 384 00:22:15,760 --> 00:22:21,060 We have now seven people on our advisory board who are overseeing our mission. 385 00:22:21,060 --> 00:22:27,470 And those are CIOs from companies like Vanguard, from large businesses who have 386 00:22:27,470 --> 00:22:29,990 said, yes, this is a need. 387 00:22:29,990 --> 00:22:31,350 So we're excited about that. 388 00:22:31,350 --> 00:22:36,106 And we just had our first nonprofit launch last Wednesday. 389 00:22:36,106 --> 00:22:36,298 And 390 00:22:36,298 --> 00:22:37,858 We didn't even have enough seats in the room. 391 00:22:37,858 --> 00:22:40,098 So that was both stressful and awesome. 392 00:22:40,098 --> 00:22:40,948 Yeah, yeah. 393 00:22:40,948 --> 00:22:41,432 Thank you. 394 00:22:41,432 --> 00:22:46,562 you have an issue of finding what is wrong and what's needed and you go after it. 395 00:22:46,562 --> 00:22:50,882 For somebody who didn't even go to school for tech or business strategies or not, 396 00:22:50,882 --> 00:22:52,232 you went for liberal arts. 397 00:22:52,232 --> 00:22:57,572 You took the simplest way in school, but you chose one of the most difficult ways 398 00:22:57,572 --> 00:22:59,392 in life and business world. 399 00:22:59,392 --> 00:22:59,992 Amazing. 400 00:22:59,992 --> 00:23:01,432 And you succeeded in it. 401 00:23:01,432 --> 00:23:02,282 You know, kudos to you. 402 00:23:02,282 --> 00:23:03,072 Definitely. 403 00:23:03,072 --> 00:23:08,426 I would probably see a master class coming soon by Katie Scott. 404 00:23:08,742 --> 00:23:12,102 First, we have to make sure I can execute on all this, right? 405 00:23:12,102 --> 00:23:14,726 But yeah, yeah, master class next, absolutely. 406 00:23:14,726 --> 00:23:19,676 you're going to inspire a lot of people once they watch this episode, a lot of 407 00:23:19,676 --> 00:23:24,956 young entrepreneurs, women and men, and who's going to be inspired by your path 408 00:23:24,956 --> 00:23:29,416 and your knowledge and how did you carve all of this and consume this knowledge. 409 00:23:29,416 --> 00:23:31,636 So everything is possible in life. 410 00:23:31,636 --> 00:23:36,396 From what I see, and the message that we're giving away from this episode, 411 00:23:36,396 --> 00:23:40,884 besides all the interesting, insightful information that you 412 00:23:40,884 --> 00:23:44,444 telling us and we're still going that it's anything is possible. 413 00:23:44,444 --> 00:23:47,084 You just got to put your head to it and mind to it and just do it. 414 00:23:47,084 --> 00:23:48,024 Don't be afraid. 415 00:23:48,024 --> 00:23:49,384 Embrace it. 416 00:23:49,384 --> 00:23:50,064 Amazing. 417 00:23:50,064 --> 00:23:51,404 Amazing, Katie. 418 00:23:51,884 --> 00:23:54,224 We need to have a book out or no? 419 00:23:54,504 --> 00:23:55,824 I'm going to do the book for you. 420 00:23:55,824 --> 00:23:59,684 We need a book from Katie Scott and we need a master class. 421 00:23:59,684 --> 00:24:00,464 Absolutely. 422 00:24:00,464 --> 00:24:01,554 Yes, definitely. 423 00:24:01,554 --> 00:24:05,224 Much needed, much needed and will deserve to you. 424 00:24:05,224 --> 00:24:08,084 Putnam Technology Partners. 425 00:24:08,084 --> 00:24:15,064 you bridge the gap between C -suite strategies and a particular tech solution. 426 00:24:15,064 --> 00:24:23,402 How do you differ from traditional IT service providers and consultants? 427 00:24:23,402 --> 00:24:25,122 Yeah, great question. 428 00:24:25,662 --> 00:24:32,982 So we believe that there is, so right now there are kind of the landscape that's out 429 00:24:32,982 --> 00:24:38,162 there are the research firms, the leading market research firms, the traditional 430 00:24:38,162 --> 00:24:44,082 kind of brokers that were more doing telecom, more network, things like that, 431 00:24:44,082 --> 00:24:48,602 where they were getting several quotes and helping kind of diminish the amount of 432 00:24:48,602 --> 00:24:51,786 administrative burden that that is for businesses. 433 00:24:51,786 --> 00:24:53,926 There are your traditional consultants, right? 434 00:24:53,926 --> 00:24:59,606 Those big four that will work with you on the strategy, hand you a pretty expensive 435 00:24:59,606 --> 00:25:03,466 book, and then say, go figure out how to execute this on your own. 436 00:25:03,466 --> 00:25:08,446 And they generally really only point to Gartner, who's best to breed, but they 437 00:25:08,446 --> 00:25:10,086 don't really map what's best for you. 438 00:25:10,086 --> 00:25:13,002 And then lastly, there's the value -added resellers. 439 00:25:13,002 --> 00:25:18,832 and managed services providers and those folks more engaged on the tactical level, 440 00:25:18,832 --> 00:25:21,862 day to day, support less strategic. 441 00:25:21,862 --> 00:25:27,402 So we believe that we differ in that we bridge sort of the strategy you're going 442 00:25:27,402 --> 00:25:32,482 to get from an eccentric center, from a large consultant, but we actually map it 443 00:25:32,482 --> 00:25:36,062 to what's best for you versus best of breed. 444 00:25:36,062 --> 00:25:39,882 And then we oversee the tactical execution, meaning we... 445 00:25:39,882 --> 00:25:45,782 ride with the customer through successful deployment and optimization, and we're 446 00:25:45,782 --> 00:25:46,962 completely vendor neutral. 447 00:25:46,962 --> 00:25:50,202 So we sit on the client side. 448 00:25:50,202 --> 00:25:54,902 There are no one specific brands that we've staffed engineers for, and 449 00:25:54,902 --> 00:25:59,022 therefore, that's really like our cloud solution, which you'll find is the case 450 00:25:59,022 --> 00:26:01,102 for several of these MSPs and VARs. 451 00:26:01,102 --> 00:26:08,426 So I believe that we're unique in our approach because we, A, have vendor side. 452 00:26:08,426 --> 00:26:09,276 experience. 453 00:26:09,276 --> 00:26:10,566 So we've been there. 454 00:26:10,566 --> 00:26:13,506 We know the contract terms that you can press on. 455 00:26:13,506 --> 00:26:15,906 We know who is and is not delivering. 456 00:26:16,146 --> 00:26:21,646 Our background, having run a contact center and being kind of a key stakeholder 457 00:26:21,646 --> 00:26:26,326 and leader, consuming this, understanding what they care about makes us unique. 458 00:26:26,326 --> 00:26:31,066 And then the fact that we really can be that Accenture without just pointing to 459 00:26:31,066 --> 00:26:36,286 whatever Gartner's top providers are, we can map them to who's really going to 460 00:26:36,286 --> 00:26:36,746 deliver. 461 00:26:36,746 --> 00:26:38,996 for our customers and then we stay with them. 462 00:26:38,996 --> 00:26:44,846 So we also have resources that provide continuity for our clients as well on an 463 00:26:44,846 --> 00:26:50,706 ongoing basis because with technology turnover is very rampant as is the, well, 464 00:26:50,706 --> 00:26:56,586 you get into the install and you have a project manager and they say, they ask a 465 00:26:56,586 --> 00:27:00,586 question that immediately is not exactly what was talked about resale. 466 00:27:00,586 --> 00:27:05,106 So we make sure that we're really kind of being that voice of continuity and making 467 00:27:05,106 --> 00:27:09,146 sure the customer gets what they were promised and all of that's kind of vetted 468 00:27:09,146 --> 00:27:10,266 in advance. 469 00:27:10,266 --> 00:27:10,900 So. 470 00:27:10,900 --> 00:27:16,300 You specialize in productivity apps and end user computing. 471 00:27:16,320 --> 00:27:22,960 How do you help businesses use tools like MS Teams and improve both employee and 472 00:27:22,960 --> 00:27:24,606 customer experiences? 473 00:27:24,842 --> 00:27:26,402 Yeah, great question. 474 00:27:26,542 --> 00:27:30,412 So we focus a lot on the employees and enabling them. 475 00:27:30,412 --> 00:27:35,442 So that's where we focus on EX and user experience, employee experience. 476 00:27:35,442 --> 00:27:39,982 We'll do things like start with how they work today. 477 00:27:40,102 --> 00:27:44,922 And instead of starting with whatever the tech platforms are, understanding where 478 00:27:44,922 --> 00:27:49,902 the users have adopted, where the integrations need to be, and then what 479 00:27:49,902 --> 00:27:52,010 type of environment they're working in. 480 00:27:52,010 --> 00:27:57,150 So we will really kind of consolidate the solutions that they're working within to 481 00:27:57,150 --> 00:28:01,570 make sure they're not toggling three times when they really don't need to. 482 00:28:01,570 --> 00:28:06,250 And we also make sure that we focus on enabling them with the tools that they're 483 00:28:06,250 --> 00:28:10,150 already used to using if we can, while also delivering on the customer 484 00:28:10,150 --> 00:28:10,990 experience. 485 00:28:10,990 --> 00:28:15,290 And what I mean by that is during evaluations, oftentimes people are looking 486 00:28:15,290 --> 00:28:17,970 at a customer experience contact center platform. 487 00:28:17,970 --> 00:28:21,514 And so they focus on what features and functionality do we need? 488 00:28:21,514 --> 00:28:26,834 to give the customer this type of interaction without really looking at what 489 00:28:26,834 --> 00:28:29,934 that means then for the employees on the other side of it. 490 00:28:29,974 --> 00:28:34,914 So sometimes that includes increased actual level of effort for employees to 491 00:28:34,914 --> 00:28:39,394 then create that reduced level of effort that they're looking for from a customer 492 00:28:39,394 --> 00:28:39,934 perspective. 493 00:28:39,934 --> 00:28:43,814 So we're looking at everything holistically and our experience in 494 00:28:43,814 --> 00:28:44,906 equipping. 495 00:28:44,906 --> 00:28:48,946 the end users to use these technology platforms to then deliver the customer 496 00:28:48,946 --> 00:28:54,766 experience is what makes it unique and allows us to sort of make sure that we're 497 00:28:54,766 --> 00:28:58,546 starting with how their employees work because we believe that enabling your 498 00:28:58,546 --> 00:29:01,966 employees is how you actually provide the best customer experience and that you 499 00:29:01,966 --> 00:29:03,332 don't have to pick one or the other. 500 00:29:03,332 --> 00:29:04,712 very true. 501 00:29:04,712 --> 00:29:09,732 Helping clients pick the right platform for revenue related workflow sounds 502 00:29:09,732 --> 00:29:10,612 crucial. 503 00:29:10,612 --> 00:29:15,032 And can you share a story about how choosing the right tech made a big impact 504 00:29:15,032 --> 00:29:16,362 for a client, please? 505 00:29:16,362 --> 00:29:17,312 If you can. 506 00:29:17,312 --> 00:29:18,482 absolutely. 507 00:29:18,502 --> 00:29:19,662 I'm trying to think. 508 00:29:19,662 --> 00:29:24,642 I'll give an example of it now as Pontum versus in the past. 509 00:29:24,642 --> 00:29:31,062 But we have a client that grew pretty rapidly during the pandemic based on what 510 00:29:31,062 --> 00:29:32,602 it is that they did. 511 00:29:32,602 --> 00:29:39,642 However, they were set up in a way from a technology platform process contracts 512 00:29:39,642 --> 00:29:43,842 perspective where everything was completely separate. 513 00:29:43,842 --> 00:29:45,610 And it really just 514 00:29:45,610 --> 00:29:51,790 drove all the inbound leads or interest from a new sales revenue perspective to a 515 00:29:51,790 --> 00:29:52,210 website. 516 00:29:52,210 --> 00:29:55,590 They captured the information and that was kind of the end of that because they had 517 00:29:55,590 --> 00:30:00,610 so much demand that they didn't need to worry about hunting or nurture or reaching 518 00:30:00,610 --> 00:30:03,110 out and kind of pushing people through that sales cycle. 519 00:30:03,110 --> 00:30:09,110 So when we came in, we needed to work with them and completely sort of shift the way 520 00:30:09,110 --> 00:30:10,590 that their process worked. 521 00:30:10,590 --> 00:30:12,810 The people that were then, you know, 522 00:30:12,810 --> 00:30:17,410 owning each piece of the process as well as then the technology so that they had 523 00:30:17,410 --> 00:30:21,690 more of a digital experience platform and less of just like a lead capture. 524 00:30:21,690 --> 00:30:23,390 And that was the end of the story. 525 00:30:23,390 --> 00:30:29,350 And this way they were able to have more insight in terms of where their leads were 526 00:30:29,350 --> 00:30:29,970 coming from. 527 00:30:29,970 --> 00:30:36,010 They were able to more easily move people through the funnel and get signups as well 528 00:30:36,010 --> 00:30:37,610 as kind of. 529 00:30:37,610 --> 00:30:40,990 connect with people no matter what platform they were on, be it social media, 530 00:30:40,990 --> 00:30:44,130 be it their website, if they called, regardless. 531 00:30:44,130 --> 00:30:50,990 And that made a very significant impact on their ability to continue to scale, even 532 00:30:50,990 --> 00:30:55,630 though they had sort of set everything up when they were in a feast and then things 533 00:30:55,630 --> 00:30:58,850 changed and it was more of a famine scarcity sort of mindset. 534 00:30:58,850 --> 00:31:03,890 So we've helped them set up in a way that the systems and their process will drive 535 00:31:03,890 --> 00:31:05,834 and capitalize on their leads. 536 00:31:05,834 --> 00:31:10,674 for them as well as make sure that they have it set up for if and when they do 537 00:31:10,674 --> 00:31:14,974 have that, you know, exponential demand again, it will still be set up in a way 538 00:31:14,974 --> 00:31:17,614 that allow them to nurture and things like that. 539 00:31:17,614 --> 00:31:19,704 So that's one example. 540 00:31:19,704 --> 00:31:25,464 Your tagline for Petanum is bridging people, process, and technology. 541 00:31:25,464 --> 00:31:32,584 Can you expand a bit more as to what makes your approach different than traditional 542 00:31:32,584 --> 00:31:35,958 IT distribution partners or consultants? 543 00:31:35,978 --> 00:31:37,438 Yeah, absolutely. 544 00:31:37,798 --> 00:31:43,258 So we, traditional IT partners start with technology because they have their 545 00:31:43,258 --> 00:31:47,198 technology that they know, that they support, that they have a bench of 546 00:31:47,198 --> 00:31:48,698 engineers for. 547 00:31:48,778 --> 00:31:53,318 And so generally they're going to start with the tech and then back into 548 00:31:53,318 --> 00:31:57,578 everything else where the people processing technology is a big piece of 549 00:31:57,578 --> 00:31:59,148 why we started this business. 550 00:31:59,148 --> 00:32:01,674 And what we saw was a need, which is... 551 00:32:01,674 --> 00:32:05,154 starting with the different key stakeholders and end users and 552 00:32:05,154 --> 00:32:10,434 understanding how they work, where they work, what the company is expecting them 553 00:32:10,434 --> 00:32:14,454 to deliver on, what are their KPIs, what are the tools that they've been equipped 554 00:32:14,454 --> 00:32:19,734 with, and then also working through and outlining their process so that we 555 00:32:19,734 --> 00:32:22,874 understand does the process need to change too. 556 00:32:22,874 --> 00:32:26,694 Because often times people will buy a new technology and think that's going to solve 557 00:32:26,694 --> 00:32:28,810 everything and frankly it just won't. 558 00:32:28,810 --> 00:32:33,130 unless you make sure that your people are enabled and you understand what they're 559 00:32:33,130 --> 00:32:36,630 looking to do with it and what they're going to be expected to deliver on with 560 00:32:36,630 --> 00:32:41,050 it, the process that they follow, the process that, you know, from an 561 00:32:41,050 --> 00:32:45,990 integration perspective, and then you kind of finally map that technology back to it. 562 00:32:45,990 --> 00:32:51,390 If you start the other way around, it will absolutely fail, which we have seen 563 00:32:51,390 --> 00:32:52,240 several times. 564 00:32:52,240 --> 00:32:53,834 And that's what... 565 00:32:53,834 --> 00:32:57,874 tends to happen when you start with maybe a value -added reseller or a managed 566 00:32:57,874 --> 00:33:00,034 services provider who has their tech. 567 00:33:00,034 --> 00:33:02,034 That's where you kind of go first. 568 00:33:02,034 --> 00:33:06,294 And then they figure out, well, that it worked for only 70 % of our users. 569 00:33:06,294 --> 00:33:10,734 So we really start with the people that are going to be using technology back to 570 00:33:10,734 --> 00:33:12,654 the, it's not plumbing anymore. 571 00:33:12,894 --> 00:33:16,834 This is going to be what they're using, touching, feeling all day long to do their 572 00:33:16,834 --> 00:33:17,174 job. 573 00:33:17,174 --> 00:33:21,834 So we understand what their jobs are, the process that they currently follow. 574 00:33:21,834 --> 00:33:27,344 and make sure that any process that would need to change to support this sort of 575 00:33:27,344 --> 00:33:31,894 future proof technology as well is vetted out and that the dependencies are called 576 00:33:31,894 --> 00:33:32,174 out. 577 00:33:32,174 --> 00:33:36,394 And then finally, we really get their customers buy in on these are the 578 00:33:36,394 --> 00:33:40,214 stakeholders that this is in fact what we're looking to get out of them each with 579 00:33:40,214 --> 00:33:42,274 this use of this technology. 580 00:33:42,674 --> 00:33:45,130 Yes, those are the processes that they follow. 581 00:33:45,130 --> 00:33:50,450 And then lastly, we say, OK, these are the two or three providers that we'd really be 582 00:33:50,450 --> 00:33:52,512 able to deliver on these for you. 583 00:33:52,512 --> 00:33:53,032 advice. 584 00:33:53,032 --> 00:33:54,202 Very good advice, Gator. 585 00:33:54,202 --> 00:33:55,052 Yes, very good. 586 00:33:55,052 --> 00:33:56,272 Well said. 587 00:33:56,272 --> 00:34:00,652 What advice you would give young entrepreneurs who are just starting out in 588 00:34:00,652 --> 00:34:03,792 the tech industry or who want to get into the tech industry? 589 00:34:03,792 --> 00:34:10,472 Please, if you can share some of the insights and some of the to do or not to 590 00:34:10,472 --> 00:34:11,092 do. 591 00:34:11,092 --> 00:34:13,038 Do's or not do's, yes. 592 00:34:13,038 --> 00:34:13,538 boy. 593 00:34:13,538 --> 00:34:18,658 I feel like mine was such an untraditional path or non -traditional path, but I would 594 00:34:18,658 --> 00:34:25,548 say focusing on learning how technology can create business outcomes. 595 00:34:25,548 --> 00:34:31,518 And that is what I think makes my approach different and more future -proof because 596 00:34:31,518 --> 00:34:37,018 regardless of the technology, if you understand that businesses are made up of 597 00:34:37,018 --> 00:34:37,546 people, 598 00:34:37,546 --> 00:34:41,046 who have to use this and that they're looking to achieve an outcome. 599 00:34:41,046 --> 00:34:45,606 I think it doesn't necessarily matter where you start as long as you're not 600 00:34:45,606 --> 00:34:48,886 looking at widgets and features and bells and whistles and you're really kind of 601 00:34:48,886 --> 00:34:52,746 looking at what are the outcomes that businesses were looking to achieve. 602 00:34:52,746 --> 00:34:58,006 That's something that will provide that foundational core of allowing you to sort 603 00:34:58,006 --> 00:35:03,706 of then figure out within that what technology makes the most sense for you. 604 00:35:03,706 --> 00:35:05,418 So that would be probably my. 605 00:35:05,418 --> 00:35:11,338 As well as never give up trying, pull from different pieces that you liked and don't 606 00:35:11,338 --> 00:35:14,758 stop and feel like, I don't know, I've already tried, you know, I feel like I'm 607 00:35:14,758 --> 00:35:16,178 this far into my career. 608 00:35:16,178 --> 00:35:17,718 I should probably just keep going. 609 00:35:17,718 --> 00:35:22,138 For me, I'm very, very happy that I never stopped saying, okay, well, I like this 610 00:35:22,138 --> 00:35:24,268 part of this job, but I really didn't like this piece. 611 00:35:24,268 --> 00:35:25,988 So what can I do with this? 612 00:35:25,988 --> 00:35:30,520 How can I kind of continue to build and use those as building blocks? 613 00:35:30,740 --> 00:35:34,580 I think we have the new title for the book, Katie Scott's book, the 614 00:35:34,580 --> 00:35:36,660 Untraditional Path to Technology. 615 00:35:36,660 --> 00:35:37,420 That's it. 616 00:35:37,420 --> 00:35:38,700 That's it. 617 00:35:38,700 --> 00:35:39,390 Yes. 618 00:35:39,390 --> 00:35:40,360 Yes, definitely. 619 00:35:40,360 --> 00:35:41,560 Very untraditional. 620 00:35:41,560 --> 00:35:43,920 But as you said, feature proof. 621 00:35:43,920 --> 00:35:44,610 Feature proof. 622 00:35:44,610 --> 00:35:45,780 That's it. 623 00:35:46,719 --> 00:35:50,900 Is there anything that you would like to talk about to mention that's coming up in 624 00:35:50,900 --> 00:35:54,360 one of your businesses, one of your companies that you want to mention to our 625 00:35:54,360 --> 00:35:55,880 listeners and viewers? 626 00:35:55,940 --> 00:35:57,360 You want to share with us? 627 00:35:57,360 --> 00:35:58,330 Yes. 628 00:35:58,330 --> 00:36:03,610 I would probably ask people to check out the Mid -Atlantic CX Forum. 629 00:36:03,610 --> 00:36:08,990 Even though it's called CX, it is for revenue leaders, operation leaders, and 630 00:36:08,990 --> 00:36:10,890 it's all through the lens of IT. 631 00:36:10,890 --> 00:36:13,190 I would ask them to check that out. 632 00:36:13,190 --> 00:36:15,480 And if it makes sense, reach out. 633 00:36:15,480 --> 00:36:20,570 We have our next gathering of our membership group on June 13 in the King of 634 00:36:20,570 --> 00:36:22,590 Fresher area outside of Philadelphia. 635 00:36:22,590 --> 00:36:25,070 So I'd ask everyone to check that out. 636 00:36:25,364 --> 00:36:27,004 Absolutely, absolutely. 637 00:36:27,004 --> 00:36:30,184 Well, I have to say it has been a perfect interview. 638 00:36:30,184 --> 00:36:30,844 Amazing. 639 00:36:30,844 --> 00:36:31,314 You know why? 640 00:36:31,314 --> 00:36:32,384 Because of you. 641 00:36:32,384 --> 00:36:33,584 Yes. 642 00:36:34,304 --> 00:36:35,504 Yes. 643 00:36:35,504 --> 00:36:36,574 My pleasure, Katie. 644 00:36:36,574 --> 00:36:37,794 Well, Katie Scott. 645 00:36:37,794 --> 00:36:38,504 That's what I meant. 646 00:36:38,504 --> 00:36:40,184 You, Katie Scott. 647 00:36:41,164 --> 00:36:44,154 First of all, you know, all great things has to come to an end. 648 00:36:44,154 --> 00:36:48,564 I definitely enjoy extremely in this interview, extremely insightful, and not 649 00:36:48,564 --> 00:36:52,704 to mention highly, highly motivated, really highly motivating interview. 650 00:36:52,704 --> 00:36:53,236 Very. 651 00:36:53,236 --> 00:36:53,816 Absolutely. 652 00:36:53,816 --> 00:36:57,636 And I'm sure our listeners and viewers will get a lot of insightful information 653 00:36:57,636 --> 00:37:00,396 and will enjoy this interview. 654 00:37:00,396 --> 00:37:04,996 Thank you for joining us today on Innovate Presents, Entrepreneurs in Tech. 655 00:37:04,996 --> 00:37:07,336 Be sure to connect with us on social media. 656 00:37:07,336 --> 00:37:11,496 Until next time, keep innovating and stay curious and take care. 657 00:37:11,496 --> 00:37:13,036 I appreciate it. 658 00:37:13,276 --> 00:37:15,988 My pleasure.