Wilma is a business consultant within Infor M3 in Columbus. Last year, Wilma returned home from a customer visit in the USA. With a week's notice, she had to pack her bags, board a flight across the Atlantic, and become a key person for the client who had just gone live with their new ERP system. Just one year earlier, Wilma had started our Accelerator program within M3.
What is it like to go from trainee to business consultant and act as an advisor to a global client in just one year? I managed to catch Wilma between projects where she shared her experience.
➡ Read also: The Accelerator Stories Part One
Photo: Wilma Kihlberg, Business Consultant Infor M3
A coincidence led to a consulting career
For our Accelerator program, we are looking for people with different experiences. Some participants have solid experience in reporting figures in M3, while others are used to efficiently managing order routines in M3 from the inventory perspective. What unites them all is a strong curiosity for the ERP system, being able to work on a project basis and the role of consultant. And that is exactly what sparked Wilma's interest in the program.
"Before Columbus, I worked as a logistics coordinator on the customer side and worked a little with M3. Due to a move, I started looking for a new job, and it was by coincidence that I found the advertisement for the Accelerator program. I had never thought about the consultant role, but I had previous experience working on projects and thought it was fun. And that's how I got into Columbus."
By seeing each other, you created a very nice community with each other, where you could always ask for help
Wilma describes the program as "very fun, challenging, and a lot to learn in a short time". During the program, theoretical learning and studies for certifications are intertwined with practical experience gained by accompanying projects, giving presentations, and participating in workshops. Something that all participants appreciated was that the program was run globally, and included physical meetings in, among other places, Stockholm, Malmö, and Copenhagen.
A question to travel across the Atlantic
Fast forward a year, Wilma has graduated and completed the Accelerator program and is now a completed business consultant within Infor M3. In one of the projects, she has been involved in so far, she was brought in as a junior consultant to assist with documentation. She quickly received requests to take on more senior duties, and eventually the question of whether she could consider traveling to the customer in the US and supporting them after their go-live.
Once in the US, Wilma was given a tour of the distribution center and the opportunity to meet several colleagues at the customer who had been involved in the project. During the visit, she had the opportunity to get to know those who work in the distribution center to form an understanding of the type of problems they may encounter in their work.
In addition, the customer also had a few measures they wanted to fix, and Wilma's role became to resolve incidents herself and coordinate with colleagues from home who could help solve the problems.
The impact of meeting face-to-face
“The customer gets a face on me and vice versa, and of course you also socialize outside of work and get to know each other in a different way”
The result of it all was a very successful visit, where the customer received help with the problems that can arise after an ERP system has been implemented. Wilma tells us that the advantage of traveling to the customer and meeting physically is that you create a stronger customer relationship and trust, something that can be difficult to achieve over Teams.
"We managed to implement many of the measures that the customer wanted, but by being there I also gained a better understanding of what the problems were. Afterward, I asked for feedback, and I received the response that they thought the visit had a positive impact, they felt a sense of trust and responsiveness on our part. Sometimes it's just a matter of them feeling that you're available, especially when they're used to working with people in the European time zone."
➡ Read also: The Accelerator Stories Part Two
A year full of impressions
If you want to work in an organization where you are given a lot of trust and opportunities to develop, then Wilma believes that Columbus is exactly the right organization. Before the Accelerator program, she felt she had reached a plateau in her personal and professional development.
However, during this year she has been able to develop extremely much both as a person and as a consultant. During the Accelerator program, you get to accompany and shadow a more senior supervisor in projects and thus accumulate knowledge. The focus is on feeling confident in the role and step-by-step taking on new tasks over time. Just as Wilma says after her first customer visit in the US:
"It was nerve-wracking, but such a great experience. It was great fun to take that responsibility and represent Columbus, and now I take that experience along with me and next time it won't be as scary.”
The power of great company culture
Wilma believes that developing at such a pace has a lot to do with the company culture. It is a climate where you can ask anyone, and they will want to help you and share their knowledge. Furthermore, if you show that you want to learn more, you will have the opportunity to take on new tasks and develop. The climate is characterized by a very good unity, where everyone is committed and cares about each other. In short, as Wilma herself says:
"I have never been in such a good organizational culture."
Do you feel inspired by Wilma's journey and are curious about exploring what opportunities we can offer you? Then you should check out our career site!
