LLL recently had the pleasure of sitting down with LodeStar’s own Kelsey Wright, Director of Customer Success. Kelsey, one of our primary points of client contact, is, to quote our CEO Jim, “quite frankly, the reason clients stick around and like us—because they get to work with her and not me.” (Jim’s words, not ours.) Kelsey just became an ICE Encompass Admin, and we wanted to hear about her experience.

How Do You Interact with Clients Differently Now that You’re An Encompass Admin?

In addition to learning some hacks, like collecting field IDs into notepads and addressing different personas and client types, Kelsey finds she can now offer more elaborate answers to client questions. She can also anticipate questions and problems clients might encounter in the future, based on her advanced knowledge of the Encompass platform. She loves that she no longer needs to send clients (especially new Encompass users) to Encompass support but can address their issues herself.

A Natural Progression

Not a lot of vendors have an Encompass admin on staff. But it makes sense for LodeStar to take this step. We’re the Fee Experts, after all. Why shouldn’t we also be the Encompass Fee Experts? This way, clients have peace of mind that they don’t have to explain anything about the platform they’re using to us. Often, we can explain things to them.

What Do the People the Customer Success Team Deal with Care about Most?

People care about the nitty gritty of fee names, fee mapping, compliance, and particulars of the 2015 itemization sheet. They care about getting the specifics perfectly dialed in and customized to their needs. Technology makes things faster, but only if you set it up correctly, right?

Kelsey’s Journey

Kelsey is the third employee at a company that has now more than quadrupled in size. She began as an intern and is now the Director of Customer Success. When asked what at LodeStar has changed, and what hasn’t, she said, in a word, everything. She loves that we now have a Product Development Team, and that each department can specialize in areas of specific concern and expertise.

That said, LodeStar is still the same, well-rounded company that cares about its employees and clients. Even though there are more of us these days, and even though we’re doing business at a much larger scale, we’ve stayed true to who we are. Our growth has been authentic.

What Gets You Out of Bed in the Morning?

Kelsey began as a self-taught Encompass user. Before, if she or a client had a problem, it was up to her to figure out the solution. Now, it’s nice beginning the day knowing she has a wealth of platform-specific expertise and experience to draw on.