Meet Desmond Stewart: Lineup’s Account Development Manager
Desmond Stewart always wants to be in the trenches with his clients.
As Account Development Manager, he works directly with Lineup users on everything from small technical hurdles to helping them expand their use of the tool to accomplish work on additional major projects and initiatives.
“I want our clients to be completely aware of the options they have within Lineup,” Desmond said. “To do that, we have to be in the weeds with them, helping them work through the process.”
Originally, Desmond had dreams of creating a career in sports broadcasting. Injuries while playing college football swiftly changed his path, leading him to a temp job as a Customer Service Representative for an assessment services company. Serving the organization in various roles over the next decade, he developed robust skillsets in client relationship management, strategic planning, and business development. In 2021, someone from his network let him know of an opportunity that might be a good fit at Lineup.
He joined the team as a Business Development Representative and hasn’t looked back since.
We asked Desmond a few questions about what he likes best about tool, the value of client relationships, and what he’s most excited for Lineup looking to the future.
Q&A with Desmond
Lineup: When you were first introduced to Lineup, what sold you on the software?
Desmond Stewart (DS): For many years, I had worked with test developers and subject matter experts, doing many of the things that our clients are doing. When I learned what Lineup does and what it’s capable of, I realized that’s what everyone in this space needs. From there, it was a no-brainer for me.
Lineup: What is an aspect of your work that many clients don't appreciate until they start working with Lineup?
DS: Because I'm interested in the complexities and intricate details of each client - I'm in each client’s "weeds" with them, so to speak - I have a unique perspective that can be incredibly beneficial to your organization as a whole. Many times, that outside view allows me to see other places and opportunities where we can expand your use case, places where Lineup's offerings can make you more efficient and more impactful. In this sense, I become a member of your team as both software support, but, more importantly, strategic thought partner.
Lineup: What’s something unique you’ve noticed about the tool and how it can be impactful in people’s lives?
DS: All our clients are at their own place in the process, and that’s okay. I think that’s one of the cool things about Lineup and how our team works with you. It doesn’t matter if you’re a team of two or part of an organization with 20,000 people in your system. It’s awesome to hear them say, “this changed the way I worked and gave me so much time back.”
Lineup: How important is it to build and nurture relationships with Lineup users?
DS: We work closely with everyone from the beginning because Lineup isn’t something you use once or twice, and you’ve gotten your value of it. It’s a long-term relationship that we’re building, and that starts from that first discovery call, throughout the entire sales process, onboarding, and beyond. Part of the value of Lineup is that we make what has traditionally been a pain in the neck easy. We also want working with us to be easy, too.
Lineup: How do you nurture those relationships?
DS: We work directly with our people. One thing that’s a priority is that we keep our cameras on during meetings. I want to make sure our clients know that we're in the trenches with them as much as we can be.
Lineup: What excites you about what’s on the horizon for Lineup?
DS: I'm most excited about the fact that we’ve onboarded dozens of clients in the last couple of years whose use cases are starting to become realized. It’s great to hear those stories of process improvement that turns into deliverable and outcome improvement and customer satisfaction. But I’m also excited for some of our newer clients who are starting to spread their wings more.
It’s also exciting to see the continued personal and professional growth of our team. As an organization, we’re continuously developing the tool and have a lot of awesome features that are coming down in the future. I feel like we’re on the precipice of people being, “Why aren’t you using Lineup?”