Working at Auriemma Roundtables

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  Steve Sion

  Director

  Prior to becoming a Roundtable director, Steve spent more than 25 years leading call center operations for some of the largest U.S. financial institutions.

  

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  Steve Sion

  Director

  Prior to becoming a Roundtable director, Steve spent more than 25 years leading call center operations for some of the largest U.S. financial institutions. As a member of the Card Customer Service Roundtable, he relied on Auriemma Roundtables to craft strategies around attrition and retention, as well as measure KPIs like average handle time.

  Since joining Auriemma Roundtables in 2022, Steve has led the Credit Card Service, Consumer Bank Service, Workforce Management, Credit Bureau and Card Chief Executive Roundtable groups. 

  Your time with Auriemma Roundtables began as an attendee. What was your experience as a participant like?

  One of the things that struck me as an attendee was the incredibly open conversations and sharing of non-proprietary information that attendees were willing to provide. Even though the details differ, the challenges around technology implementations, staff management, operational process improvements, fraud prevention and vendor relationships are universal.  

  I also noticed how much specialized expertise there was at a single table. Our Roundtables are not for generalists; they’re hyper-targeted. You’re surrounded by peers who have years of experience with the exact same type of problems that you’re trying to solve. That also lends itself to ongoing engagements, where participants return to Roundtables year after year – sometimes even after they change employers. 

  How did that expertise lead to your current role?

  While not all of us came to Auriemma Roundtables as former clients, I would say my background is typical of a director. Part of the value of the Roundtables is that they’re facilitated by individuals who have extensive subject matter expertise. We can speak the language and know the right follow-up questions to ask. 

  As someone who was once in the clients’ ’shoes, what advice do you have for current or prospective Roundtable participants?

  There is a lot more to the Roundtable experience than attending meetings a few times a year. There are a lot of features that add value, if you take advantage of them, such as participating in benchmarking and requesting custom surveys. 

  My other advice is for Roundtable members to have a well-constructed plan for who will attend meetings, how the benchmark data will be used, and how to implement the changes that members learn from the meetings and the performance gaps they identify.  That’s why I spend so much time facilitating agenda calls ahead of sessions – to ensure that clients’ needs are reflected in the agenda. 

  Overall, it’s a matter of staying engaged. It’s no coincidence that our most active participants also report the most successes and have the longest tenures.

  What does the future hold? What developments are you excited about?

  I’m always balancing the next wave of deadlines for client deliverables, whether it’s putting together an agenda, editing a meeting report, or reviewing the latest batch of benchmark data. Specifically, I’ve been spending a lot of time working with internal and external stakeholders to get ready for our customer service summit this summer.  

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  Lindsey Jacoby

  Senior Director

  Lindsey was three years into a journalism career when she heard about Auriemma Roundtables through a recruiter in 2011.

  

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  Lindsey Jacoby

  Senior Director

  Lindsey was three years into a journalism career when she heard about Auriemma Roundtables through a recruiter in 2011. After learning more, she saw connections with the skills she used in journalism, and decided to join the company as an Associate. Lindsey started applying her writing and analytical skills in new ways, and her career quickly took off. After several promotions, Lindsey is now a Senior Director responsible for advancing the business model and strategic direction of Roundtables.

  How does your background shape your perspective in your role at Auriemma Roundtables?

  Coming from a journalism/writing background I have a natural tendency to want to take a step back and evaluate all angles of a situation while questioning and digging deeper into the issues. Auriemma Roundtables allowed me to see how I could apply that skill to a business-focused role and use it to shape processes, find efficiencies, and creatively think about our business model now and in the future. My role started out more tactical and has since evolved into more strategic thinking. That growth is due to the company’s willingness to give employees from different backgrounds the flexibility to explore and experiment in using their skills.

  What experiences have had the biggest impact on your career development?

  Managing our team of associates for four years taught me how to be assertive, how to listen, how to deliver feedback, and the type of leader that I want to be. I learned interviewing and recruiting skills and had the opportunity to create a career path matrix for the company that has helped associates advance in their careers. At times it was stressful, but watching associates grow and develop was the most rewarding experience.

  How have professional relationships influenced your career?

  The access I had to our Leadership Team when I first started as an associate was very different from any other company. Associates were encouraged to have formal meetings with the Leadership Team to learn more about the company and their respective roles. It was through those one-on-one conversations that I learned about the culture and vision of the company and how I gained confidence to express new ideas.

  Describe the work-life balance here.

  Flexibility and work/life balance are extremely important values at this point in my career. To know I have the trust and support of the company to be an effective and productive employee while still being there for my family is invaluable. It’s extremely difficult to feel like you have to choose between being there for your child and your career. The company has provided me with the ability to do whatever needs to be done to be present and successful at both.

  If you could choose one experience that encapsulates the culture at Auriemma Roundtables, what would it be?

  A few years ago, the staff got together to organize a wiffle ball game. All employees played a role in helping to organize the event and everyone brought an item to contribute to the day. All staff levels participated, and many brought their families along to the event. The teams were Mets vs. Yankees fans and everyone had a great time observing or participating in the competition. That same type of environment is what you can expect — all staff levels are engaged and come together to each play a role in contributing to the end goal.