Exclusive Interview: Esther Brown, Director Global Client Success
Our series, “Great People, Great Data” showcases dedicated Semarchy team members. The strength and passion of our people drives innovative data solutions and ultimately, a strong commitment to the success of our clients. We’re here to build strong data teams and lifelong client relationships.
Esther Brown serves as the Director of Global Client Success at Semarchy, although she modestly describes herself as a “jack of all trades.” Joining as the inaugural member of Semarchy’s Client Success division almost three years ago, Esther has played a crucial role in shaping its policies and practices from the ground up.
“I had the opportunity to forge my own strategies and gain profound insights into the company’s objectives and clientele,” Esther reflects. Since her inception, Client Success has undergone a metamorphosis, blossoming into a dynamic department where the individual needs and aspirations of every client are paramount.
Semarchy Client Success
“They brought me in because there was a need for somebody to get to know the clients and be able to work with them,” says Esther. “(To) be able to help them position themselves for growth and strategic alignment with what their initiatives are, and what we’re doing.” Esther and her team were able to recognize when clients might need extra help to put a successful plan in place and take a proactive approach to assisting them. Now, it’s standard for clients to get individualized help with a plan for success from sign-up.
Esther leads a global team dedicated to ensuring client success. “We’re fully guided by a playbook I’ve developed with the team,” she explains. “It’s entirely centered on the client, yet tailored to each client’s needs.” This approach guarantees that Semarchy’s Client Success team possesses an in-depth understanding of each client’s distinct requirements. Consequently, discussions extend beyond merely assessing goal achievement; team members delve into specific objectives known to be important to the client.
“We invest time in truly understanding our clients,” Esther emphasizes. “We grasp their aspirations, recognize challenges they face with our product, and proactively offer insights to navigate future obstacles,” she adds.
Master Data Management Expertise
Embedded within Semarchy’s ethos is an unwavering commitment to tackling the multifaceted challenges of data management, empowering our users to unlock the full potential of their invaluable data assets. Esther’s profound dedication to this cause is rooted in her extensive experience, spanning nearly two decades in Master Data Management (MDM), skillfully woven into her role within Client Success. “My fervor for data is profound,” she asserts. “My journey into mastering data management was catalyzed by the realization that robust analytics demand high-quality data, and high-quality data necessitates effective master data management.”
While the Client Success team collaborates with a myriad of clients spanning diverse sectors, Esther underscores that the bedrock principles of successful data management remain steadfast. “Irrespective of the organization’s name or its industry vertical, the essence remains unchanged,” she elucidates. “The pivotal question revolves around the strategic use of data: Do you perceive your data’s value as a currency? And if so, how are you capitalizing on this asset? This, to me, encapsulates the quintessence of the matter.”
The Client Experience
Once Semarchy clients complete the technical onboarding phase for their new software, they engage with the Client Success team. This team is dedicated to assisting clients in continuously extracting value from the software, effecting tangible improvements in data management within their organizations. “After going live, the question becomes: what’s next?” Esther explains. “You can’t simply set it and forget it; otherwise, it risks becoming shelfware. Continuous development and growth are essential.”
The Client Success team takes a proactive approach to collaborating with clients to establish specific goals for their data management endeavors. “Setting measurable, achievable goals is imperative,” Esther emphasizes. “We collaborate closely with our clients to ensure these goals are well-defined for the year ahead.”
Part of the role of Client Success often involves assisting clients in troubleshooting within their organizations. Esther recounts an instance involving a major pharmaceutical company on the verge of leaving Semarchy. “Upon investigation, we discovered that disparate software usage across various regions was driven by shifts in top management preferences,” Esther shares. Such challenges are widespread among global organizations with diverse management structures.
“I proposed bringing everyone together to assess existing implementations and their implications,” Esther recalls. “Instead of starting anew, we explored the possibility of leveraging our platform rather than investing in entirely new solutions.” Ultimately, the client opted to extend Semarchy’s usage across their domains, resulting in a fruitful partnership. By employing xDM throughout their global operations, they not only save costs and centralize their data but also provide efficient access to reliable data for informed decision-making by their global teams.
Award-Winning Master Data Management
Semarchy is consistently rated “best in class” and recently won a Gartner Peer Insights Customer’s Choice Award for MDM – why does Esther think Semarchy outpaces competitors? “It’s our people,” she says. “We have a great group of people – my manager is awesome, my team is awesome. So it goes up the chain and down the chain, and I think it’s very rare for employees to be able to say that.”
Esther credits VP of Customer Success, Joshua Stock with helping build an amazing culture with strong customer focus. “He’s a very humble person, but he started with the organization and the first thing he said was, we need to make sure that the customer experience is flawless. But he also wanted to make his employee experience flawless in terms of how we all work together. (In my time here) one thing that I’ve noticed is the employee experience. I think it has a direct correlation to the customer experience – I think that happy employees will lead to happy customers.”
Client Success remains deeply committed to guiding its clients toward optimal data utilization. Esther emphasizes, “Data is akin to currency, and those who fail to recognize its value will struggle. In today’s landscape, data integrity is paramount. Without clean, well-managed data, a company’s long-term success is compromised.”