Call Sales: +1 (833) 437-3835
Call Sales: +1 (833) 437-3835
Julie Holkeboer | December 22, 2020 |
This year, we launched our “People POS” series in order to shine a light on the people and departments behind Revel’s technology. As we approach the final days of a year packed with unforeseen obstacles, we continue to be thankful for the resiliency that both our Revel family and clients have displayed.
We most recently featured Antonia, an enterprise project management expert. Her family background in the restaurant industry allows her to intimately relate to the problems facing restaurateurs today. The passion she has for her current role stems from that background, and arms her to successfully plan and execute enterprise-level implementations for our clients.
Prior to large-scale projects reaching Antonia’s desk, enterprise sales engineers—like Wajih—help ensure Revel is the best fit for an enterprise client’s multi-operation needs. Read on to learn how Wajih and his team play a critical role in supporting our enterprise prospects and clients, while helping to inform strategy along the way.
After graduating with a degree in electrical engineering from San Francisco State University, Wajih spent eight years at a global consumer technology company. As the company pivoted towards designing more engaging in-store experiences for customers, Wajih was responsible for contributing to design strategy and considering the technical implications along the way.
In 2015, Wajih was eager for a new challenge in his career and sought out a smaller company where he could better understand the impact of his work. A friend who worked at Revel encouraged him to apply for a role, and he secured a position on Revel’s client success team supporting enterprise clients.
After learning the ins and outs of what it took to help a client be successful using Revel’s technology, he transitioned to a sales engineering role to fulfill his curiosity for the presales side of the business. As a sales engineer, he’d have the opportunity to help prospective clients decide if Revel’s technology was a good fit for their business.
“At the time, our focus was on small and medium-sized businesses (SMB), but it was also during that time that we were starting to transition up-market,” Wajih explains. “We were building out our Enterprise Management System (EMS) to better service multi-location operations, and there was a lot of investment in Revel’s product.”
It didn’t take long for Wajih to demonstrate his value in the sales engineering role. Since joining the sales engineering team at Revel, Wajih has been involved in almost every conversation with enterprise businesses. He’s also made a big move. When Revel opened an Atlanta office in 2018, Wajih left his hometown of San Francisco and made the cross-country move to join the team in the new space. From the east coast, he continues to build on his vast knowledge of Revel’s product to help businesses make informed technology decisions.
At Revel, sales engineers work closely with clients during the presales process. Wajih and his team join the conversation to help translate what is often highly complex technical information and reveal how Revel’s solution can meet a client’s specific—and sometimes unique—needs.
Prior to the effects of COVID-19, answering these questions required Wajih to spend about 40 percent of his time traveling to meet clients onsite. Upon his arrival, he would become the go-to source for determining if Revel is a technical fit for enterprise clients.
“We discuss everything technical—including cloud hosting, opportunities through our open API, PCI compliance, onsite security and networking, and more,” says Wajih.
His initial experience on the client success team at Revel helps him understand the different topics that need to be evaluated as part of the sales process. Checking off these critical boxes is key to a successful, scalable partnership down the road.
In 2018, Revel formalized a true enterprise sales organization and Wajih had the opportunity to add a managerial component to his role. While managing a team of sales engineers, he still serves as an individual contributor to some of Revel’s largest enterprise accounts. Now, though, he also gets to lead other team members by example.
A global pandemic quickly altered Wajih’s high-frequency travel schedule. Even when grounded, he and his team are happy to report that they’ve remained very busy.
“It’s definitely different, but we’re all getting used to it. And everyday we’re trying to improve the way we do things remotely. For example, today we ship hardware to clients rather than having the chance to demo it in-person,” he explains. “The good news is that despite these changes, we still feel engaged with clients and appreciate their willingness to adjust as well.”
In addition to adjusting the way his team interacts with clients, less travel opened the door to new opportunities within Revel’s walls. In March of 2020, Wajih began playing a “60-40 role,”—he now spends 60 percent of his time focused on enterprise sales engineering while the other 40 percent is devoted to product strategy. After years of helping clients feel heard, he now has the opportunity to use that experience to inform the enterprise product roadmap at Revel.
Prior to joining Revel, Wajih admits that his job was very specific. It was difficult to veer outside of his primary job responsibilities, and left him feeling limited.
“At a smaller company, you wear multiple hats and get to do a lot more with a lot less. For me, that’s something I really enjoy,” Wajih says. “I also think there’s often more passion when working with a smaller team. Projects can move faster as needed, and there’s generally less red tape.”
Less red tape has meant more enterprise wins for the enterprise team, and has helped him extend his knowledge of Revel’s solution along the way. As his role evolved this year, he notes that the opportunity to work with Revel’s executive team to help define product strategy is one that he may have missed out on elsewhere.
According to Wajih, the maturity of Revel’s product paired with the opportunities in the market are what make him passionate about his role today.
“The thing that excites me the most is getting to play a role in defining what our enterprise strategy looks like. The strength of our product wins deals. So for me, one of the most interesting things I get to do is help define what the next year or two of our product evolution looks like.”
Wajih, his team of sales engineers, and our enterprise sales representatives are a huge piece of the POS puzzle and the reason happy clients use Revel to power their businesses. With so many talented, strategic minds behind the “People POS,” Revel’s future is very bright.
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