Director of Product Management – Tax Solution Set, CCH, a Wolters Kluwer business
Riverwoods, IL
Education: BA Communications, MBA, Roosevelt University
Professional Associations/Memberships: PDMA (Product Development and Management Association); Pragmatic Marketing Certified, NAFE – National Association of Female Executives
Hobbies: Time with my family, reading, snowboarding, boating & wakeboarding.
Cell phone: iPhone
Favorite app: The Weather Channel. With my travel, it helps me easily plan for travel and for packing. Also, iTinerary — to manage all my travel information. These two items have become a mainstay of my existence.
Are you using social networking (such as Twitter, LinkedIn, Plaxo, Facebook) as a marketing tool for your practice/business … or do you use such sites for personal use only? Have you gained any clients or seen other demonstrable benefits from the use of social networking? According to a survey we did, 41 percent of high-performing firms use social media. This is because of the need to interact with peers and experts in a more efficient manner, and we expect to see this trend grow. As a result, we have expanded our staff who services our clients through social media outlets.
We have CCH Community that we leverage with our customers. It is fantastic and lets us offer our customers a way to network with each other, but also to expose them to CCH expertise they can rely on. Our editorial experts are constantly updating with information on what the latest legislatives changes are and what they foresee coming.
We also leverage Facebook and other sites, which have been a great way for getting additional feedback from our customers on products and on hot topics.
What pitfalls or what unwritten rules of social networking etiquette exist, which are frequently missed by others in the profession? Remember that this is about the customer or client. Keep it meaningful and try to differentiate yourself. People are looking for social media to have a benefit for them, which means usefulness and honesty. If they wanted something that is just another way to overtly promote you or your firm, they could have seen that in more traditional routes. Last, for personal use, don’t mix personal with professional. Keep them separate. Too many times, I’ve seen younger professionals not keep the right separation here.
What are some ways your firm/business has gone “paperless” and/or “green” in the last two years? CCH practices what we preach about moving paperless. We leverage many of our products internally that allow our customers to “go paperless” (KnowledgeConnect and Document are examples). We leverage these products as centralized, paperless systems where our sales force and other key internal stakeholders can be notified of new information and always find up-to-date information on our products and processes.
How many hours of the day are you plugged in and responsive to client needs? And what tools/products make it possible for you to have flexibility? On average, I would say I am plugged in during all of my waking hours. BlackBerrys, always accessible Wi-Fi, and cell phones allow me to quickly access customer messages at any down time during my personal life hours, as well.
Do you embrace cloud computing? Yes, I love the fact that cloud computing offers people more options with their software. The way I support it the most is I manage products designed for the cloud. It is part of the direction of the profession, and CCH is at the forefront of product options that “live in the cloud.”
How is cloud computing changing the accounting profession, and how concerned are you with the security issues related to cloud computing? Cloud computing is helping firms think of their technology in new ways. This technology provides more options on how to manage the firm’s IT functions, and I believe we will see more and more firms reducing their technology costs by purchasing products that are in the cloud. I do think this move will take some time. Firms have to plan for this move and ensure they have the most up-to-date operating systems, computers, etc. to support these new technologies. But the advantage long term is worth it. Once firms start to move to this direction, they will be able to realize cost saving and invest in other areas that will grow their revenues. Since we (CCH) develop products that live in the cloud, I am 100 percent comfortable with the security of it. I know that CCH’s standards ensure that our customers are protected, and we bank our brand on it. Any company that wants to play in this space has to ensure that their security is top notch. If it isn’t, and that code of trust is broken, it could be detrimental to business.
Do you foresee the majority of firms still implementing servers for the majority of their computing in their offices five years from now or do you think they will be outsourcing this component to vendors who specialize in this area? In five years, I think we will see a big shift to outsourcing. Many firms with whom I have spoken see the advantage to outsourcing as it allows their firm to focus on making money at what they do best — accounting. If a firm has a strong internal staff or proprietary software, outsourcing becomes more difficult to do across the board. But even some extremely large firms that I have spoken with are looking at outsourcing with vendors. I foresee a major percentage shift of firms that will begin to outsource at least part of their IT function.
Do you subscribe to a magazine and/or local newspaper? Online news is my vice. I could never go back to using a newspaper to get caught up on what is going on in the world or in the profession. Online is the perfect medium for news as you can get caught up on lots of information quickly. On the other hand, I do subscribe to a few magazines both professionally and personally. I still have not totally given up print when I want to read something from front to back. Although I think the iPad may now allow me to read more electronically, as well.
What ONE piece of technology could you absolutely not live without? It is my iPhone, but soon will be replaced with my iPad. I just love the portability and everything you can do — from e-mail, to reading, to games, etc. The larger screen and the ability to read a book easily is what is quickly changing the iPad to my favorite device. It does most everything an iPhone can (minus the phone) but is easier to use because of the size.
How many monitors do you have on your desk? Two.
What operating system and version of Microsoft Office is installed on your work computer? Windows 7 – Microsoft Office 2007
NOT including your current employer, what company do you most admire and why? Apple again has proven to me that they are some of the most innovative folks around. The iPad is the most beautiful invention to date. When I was in fourth grade, I learned my computer skills on an Apple. At that time, I couldn’t comprehend where personal computing could or would go. The iPad is what I’ve been waiting for.
Do you use online resources like webcasts for CPE training? Yes, but not all the time. I prefer a mix of both in-person training as well as online training.
Do you listen to podcasts? Yes, I do listen to them. I don’t have a regular one but instead focus more on specific topics; I love a good business oriented podcast or industry podcasts on emerging topics/issues.
What sports team/championship event do you absolutely refuse to miss? The X-Games. I love the risk-taking! It is the one event with which I find myself glued to the TV for hours. These athletes are unbelievable. They also inspire me to push myself when I go snowboarding and wakeboarding.
What are some of your favorite books, websites and TV shows?
Google Earth – love it! I have a six year-old daughter, and we literally go to Disney world and zoom in on the rides. It is an incredible site/program.
TV shows – “TrueBlood” is my favorite. I read all the books this show was based on, too. Lots of gory fun, and I always watch in On Demand (the best invention ever!).
I also read all the time and go from very light reading to the classics. I recently re-read “To Kill a Mockingbird” and went to the other extreme and just read “Lamb” by Chris Moore – hilarious! But one of my all-time favorites is ‘Devil in the White City.” I grew up near Chicago so that really hit home.
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Tags: Technology
