In this month’s employee spotlight series, we’re introducing you to another key PeopleFluent team member. Meet Kim Cyphers, Director of Product Adoption and Consulting at PeopleFluent. When she’s not working, Kim’s reading a romance novel or playing a round of golf. Let’s get to know her!

So Kim, what’s your role at PeopleFluent?

I’m the Director of Product Adoption and Consulting. I support our team of consultants who work with PeopleFluent’s account executives and customer success managers. The consultants work with prospective clients to determine how PeopleFluent solutions can solve their talent management challenges. We also assist our current clients with optimizing the products they license.

Before PeopleFluent, what did you do for work?

Prior to joining PeopleFluent, I worked in healthcare for 15 years. I implemented clinical and financial software systems before transitioning to human resources. That’s actually how I wound up at PeopleFluent.

I was involved in selecting and implementing the compensation, performance, and succession planning solutions. At that time, the organization needed a functionality that allowed people to access performance reviews. I was the main point of contact between PeopleFluent and my previous employer. We worked very closely to come up with a solution that would meet that healthcare system’s needs.

As the key contact person, I developed a strong relationship with PeopleFluent’s product team and in 2010, I decided to join them as a solutions consultant.

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What skills are needed to be successful in your role?

Definitely the ability to build trust and relationships. It’s a key skill in both my role and the roles of my team members. We collaborate with nearly every department across the organization. My team members are known as the subject matter experts for our products, so communication goes right along with relationship building.

Problem solving is another vital skill. Our customers come to us with a challenge facing their business, and our job is to be the resource that helps them resolve their problem. Sometimes that means gathering data or giving them examples of best practices with the technology. Sometimes it’s being able to brainstorm. We have to be very consultative and collaborative in order to best serve our clients.

Another skill that’s really impactful is being able to apply prior knowledge to current experiences. Everyone on the consulting side of my team has been a practitioner at one time or another, meaning they’ve been in the clients’ shoes. It’s not a prerequisite to being in this kind of role, but it does mean that we’re able to come at these challenges with a clear understanding of our clients’ needs. I think it puts us in a better position to help our clients achieve their goals.

What skills would you like to develop?

I’d like to develop my skills around organizational design and workforce planning. These seem to be ongoing challenges for a lot of our clients, and I want to be prepared to meet their needs.

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How would you describe your team dynamic?

The first word that comes to mind when I think of our dynamic is “collaborative.” We’re all here to support each other, and we’re always talking through our challenges and working together to find solutions. We also challenge each other—in a good way!

The whole team is committed to customer satisfaction, so we work really hard to continually improve. We’re willing to help anybody, and we have a difficult time saying “no,” despite how busy we might get.

I’m really thankful for the team I have in place. Not only are they fun to work with, but they also have so much knowledge and expertise to share. Collectively, we have 90 years of experience in the human capital management space. That’s really impressive.

What’s your favorite aspect of your job?

Although I’m not as client-facing as my team members, I really love it when I have an opportunity to be highly engaged with our customers. It gives me the chance to be creative and help figure out new ways that we can use our software or work with the product management team to make tweaks that can give our customers what they need.

What’s something about your job that you’re particularly proud of?

I’m proud of my team. Specifically, I’m proud of our willingness and our ability to collaborate with other teams across PeopleFluent to get things done. I’m proud of how we help product management with new features and functionalities and talk through what our customers want to see in the product. The end result, seeing those things come to life, is fantastic.

What’s your favorite work perk?

Working from home is the big one. I appreciate the flexibility it provides, and it’s a lot less stressful for me than it was going to an office every day.

I also really appreciate the organization itself. We have people who want to be here and want to make our customers happy. Not every organization has that.

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What are you doing when you’re not at your desk?

My kids are both off to college now, so my husband and I are getting used to being empty-nesters. It’s been very… quiet.

I love to read a good old fashioned romance novel to pass the time. I’m also a Hallmark movie junkie. Aside from that, I really like to play golf. It’s a great stress reliever.

What’s something you wish you had known at the start of your career?

The one thing I learned—and I pass it on to my children now as they're trying to figure out their careers—is to do something that you're passionate about. I think it makes all the difference in the world.

You may be very good at your job, but it makes for very long days if you don’t enjoy it. It’s something I wish somebody would have told me when I was trying to determine what I wanted to do. Just make sure it's something that you like doing.

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