She might consider herself to be a 'lazy daisy', but when it comes to her customers, our NZ based Customer Success Specialist, Naomi De Kock will leave to no stone unturned to ensure they get the best outcome and experience from our software.
Naomi appreciating the view at Machu Picchu whilst travelling with her husband.
Go on, tell us a bit about yourself: I was born in South Africa and grew up in various small farming towns along the East and South coasts. Growing up I was really a bit of a fairy earth child, always climbing trees, daydreaming under the clouds, running around barefoot and exploring the nearby mountains. Back then, my dream job was to be either a writer, or a fashion designer. I still think about writing, occasionally indulge and I'm sure that one day I’m going to get published (watch this space). I’m super close to my mother and three siblings – our relationship seems to deepen more and more as we get older, which is pretty cool.
I’m a total lazy daisy – I enjoy relaxing with my husband, yoga, cooking, reading, gardening and occasionally socialise. I’m a huge advocate in the power of choice and taking responsibility for your own life. While I cannot control every moment I can choose how I respond to it, so I always try to choose compassion, kindness and understanding for everything and everyone. Of course this is a constant work in progress!
"While some take new software in their stride, for others it can be quite a transition and I try adjust the Spotlight customer journey for each individual according to what works best for them."
What do you do at Spotlight Reporting? I'm the Customer Success Specialist for all our NZ accounting firm clients. Being a Customer Success Specialist means that I get to go on the journey with our clients as they implement our software and start using it as a key tool to support their advisory services.
We always explain to our clients the importance of choosing an internal champion when starting their journey with us (or any software) – I’m their external champion and ensure that they're getting the best from our software and making sure that they have someone to reach out to on our side.
While some take new software in their stride, for others it can be quite a transition. I try to adjust the Spotlight customer journey for each individual according to what works best for them. The journey includes items such as quantifying advisory goals and objectives , agreeing to a plan of action, booking in training sessions, discussing templates, pricing and marketing of advisory services, confirming best practice industry standards – pretty much anything else they need.
"The best experiences for me is when there’s a breakthrough. This could be in the way of understanding the system itself or when a client finds their ‘why’ when doing advisory services – the moment this happens there is definite success in the future."
What attracted you to come and work for Spotlight Reporting and what were you doing beforehand? I’ve worked in various private sector accounting roles in the last ten years. While working, I studied for my degree part-time and very nearly continued further with an intention to qualify as a CA and go into public practice, but at the last minute my heart was stolen by accounting software – a fast paced, multi-faceted industry that requires you to constantly stay on your toes. I started working as a Sage consultant which included sales, project planning, implementation, training and support thereafter.
One of the things I enjoyed most about working as a consultant was the deeper relationships that I built with my clients – and that’s the core aspect that attracted me to the Spotlight Customer Success position. The second aspect was the advisory perspective – seeing how these management reports, budgets and forecasts could impact the direction and life of a business and how software can empower accountants to bring that to their clients. Who wouldn’t want to be a part of that?
Tell us about your favourite customer experience so far. The best experience for me is when there’s a breakthrough. This could be in the way of understanding the system itself or when a client finds their ‘why’ when doing advisory services – the moment this happens there is definite success in the future. You have to believe in what you are doing, that’s step one. After that you’ll commit time, energy and patience into achieving your goals.
What's the best part of your job? My clients! Really, really. I love connecting with them, building relationships with them and being their go-to person for whatever they need, big or small.
Naomi with her husband, Francois.
ANSWER QUICKLY:
Best road trip
Too many to choose from!
The first album you ever owned
A mixtape: ‘Billboard Top 10’
The last thing you binge-watched on Netflix
The Big Bang Theory
Your very first paying job
A ‘Deli girl’ at a supermarket at the age of 15
iPhone or Android
Android.
Most famous person you’ve met
Richard Francis :)
Favourite movie
Bohemian Rhapsody
Something that makes you feel old
17 year olds
When you need to save money, what’s the first thing you cut
Eating out
Household chore you hate the most
Drying and packing away the dishes.
Something no one knows about you
I have about 580 freckles.
Get in touch with Naomi: naomi@spotlighreporting.com
Naomi with her Mother and siblings.
