A Heart for Helping – A Spotlight on Melinda Pagani

NOTE: After 2 years with Accent, Melinda has moved on to another opportunity. We wish her the best!

Melinda Pagani lists two things as the favorite parts of her job. One is when she can solve a problem for a client, and the other is when she can relay appreciation back to her team. In her role as Client Success Manager at Accent Computer Solutions, Melinda is the person who has the most contact with clients, so when she hears good news about how the team performed, she’s not going to keep it to herself.

“Anytime I hear positive feedback for somebody who was onsite, it’s fun to share in our meetings on Fridays,” said Melinda.

Keeping Everyone in the Loop with Communications

Client Success Managers at Accent are the main channel of communication between clients and the internal teams that provide IT services. Melinda spends much of her day on the phone and in meetings, staying in close contact with teammates, and connecting with clients to provide status updates on projects, open tickets, and quotes.

“I spend a good chunk of time in internal team meetings,” said Melinda. “We discuss any issues, any positives or anything we need to change. We just want to make clients successful in every way possible and we work as a team to make that happen.”

Welcoming Atmosphere from Day One

Melinda has been with Accent since May 2019. She was employed as a Pharmacy Technician and was working towards her bachelor's degree in Business Administration and Management when one of her professors referred her to Accent.

From day one, she found the work environment to be lively and friendly.

“Even on my first day I felt so welcomed. It seemed more like a family to me,” said Melinda. “People were happy to be here and that made me happy to be here.”

Motivated by Her Heart for Helping 

The atmosphere at Accent is a lot different from the pharmacy where Melinda previously worked. She enjoys all of the personalities that make up the team, and she has become a valued contributor.

“Melinda has a very creative way of bringing things to the team’s attention. She’ll go out of her way to do her own research and find fun ways to bring value to clients,” said Erica Almendarez, Supervisor for the Client Success Manager team. “I appreciate that she offers as much as she can to the team.”

This was particularly evident recently when clients needed to quickly get up to speed on how to use Microsoft Teams when their workforces went remote. Melinda did some research and found a demo video that became a useful learning tool that clients really appreciated.

According to Courtney Casey, Director of Marketing at Accent, it’s Melinda’s heart for helping that’s behind her desire to find ways to increase value to clients.

“She’s constantly coming up with ideas for things to help our clients understand something better – like finding resources for Microsoft 365 demos or thinking about how to help clients visualize security protections,” said Courtney.

Personal Success is Supported

Melinda has been overwhelmed by the support that she gets to be successful in her role. At her previous job, she felt that support was lacking and that she didn’t always have the tools she needed to succeed.

“They constantly ask you how you’re doing and at our quarterly conversations with supervisors they want to know what they can do for me. They ask how they can make you more successful” said Melinda.

Open-Door Policy Means Employee Voices are Heard

Melinda doesn’t feel any hesitation about bringing up issues for discussion whether it’s about her job role or anything else - because she knows that Accent’s open-door policy means that she’ll be heard.

Employees are encouraged to not be silent about problems that need solving, and that they should share their ideas for improvement.

Reassurance During Stressful Months of COVID-19 Crisis

When Accent and companies all across California sent their employees home to work in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, it took a couple of months for Melinda to get used to working from home. She missed the hustle and bustle of the office, as well as conversations with coworkers throughout the day.

During this time, she saw Accent pump up their communications to employees, understanding that everyone was a little nervous and on edge with the uncertainty that came with the circumstances.

“Management’s communication within that period was really strong and the level of support was strong as well,” said Melinda. “We had 'Hump Day Updates' on Wednesdays, and Marty Kaufman himself was standing in line to enroll the company in the Payroll Protection Program.”

Developing Relationships and Finding Lifelong Friends

As Melinda and her coworkers have been working from their individual locations these past several months, their shared experiences have probably pulled them closer together.

When it comes down to it, it’s the relationships she’s developed that make Accent a place where Melinda can thrive, and find lifelong friends along the way.