FEATURED EMPLOYEE
Collaboration, Communication, and Charisma: Miho Ruscitto’s three keys to client service
Role |
Account Executive |
Division: |
Business Solutions Division |
Location: |
Pittsburgh, PA |
Expertise: |
Sales and Marketing |
Experience: |
Almost 3 years at SYSCOM |
Hobbies: |
Watching my dogs grow up |
Miho Ruscitto knows something about playing to an audience. As a former acapella singer, ballerina, and vocalist in a band, she knows that you only get one chance to leave an impression—and she always makes sure she makes the most use of it.
“I meticulously prepare for meetings to achieve the best possible outcome,” she says. “Sales professionals come in all various styles, and my detail-oriented nature occasionally surprises colleagues, but it helps me address customer questions promptly and reduce the need for follow-ups. The discipline and commitment to excellence I developed in my performance background informs my professional approach.”
It’s a recurring theme throughout her working life: meticulous preparation, centering the customer’s experience, and constant, proactive communication. As the sales rep for Microsoft Business Applications like Dynamics 365 ERP & CRM, Power Platform, and more on SYSCOM’s Sales & Marketing team, Miho is a member of an ensemble just as she was in a choral group, band, or dance troupe. She knows her role and plays it well—but more importantly, she knows what her role isn’t.
“As a sales person, I try not to be a tech person to the customer,” says Miho. “ Our business application consultants have expertise in the systems and solutions, but most of the customers don’t.” Her job isn’t to explain the technical specifications, but rather, to “break down the tech terms in a way the customer will understand.”
She uses analogy to communicate broader, important points, when the customer can’t wrap their head around the technical details. For example, she’ll tell her customers, “When you build a house, you need to start with a blueprint. Where will this door go? What about this room?” Putting it in terms they’re already familiar with helps. “When you break down a strategy for a customer in a way they understand, it’s easier.”
For Miho, there’s a professional satisfaction in servicing a client, of course. But deeper than that, there’s a personal excitement. “I’m always so excited to explain a new solution to a customer when they didn’t know that kind of solution existed,” she says. “When that happens, it’s really fun for me. It makes me want to explain more. What else can you do? What are the possibilities?”
Miho doesn’t just offer solutions, she wants to change how her customers think about their companies. “When I talk to them about a possible solution, they start thinking about their company’s future with that IT solution implemented,” she says. They’re not just addressing a problem, they’re “improving their company’s strategy together.”
“I focus on partnering with our clients, helping them figure out how to use SYSCOM tools and solutions to build, improve and grow their businesses. That’s what excites me.”
She’s not just good at this—she enjoys it.
Part of being in an ensemble is knowing your role and playing it well, but that’s not all. Miho also knows when to defer to her scene partners, and at SYSCOM, she’s found her coworkers to be more than capable of sharing the stage. “SYSCOM is an exceptionally collaborative and supportive environment. My colleagues and managers are approachable and generous with their knowledge, often sharing valuable experiences that contribute to my professional growth.”
“The operational people, the general managers, even the VP of the company—everyone answers so kindly and tries to explain things in a way I’ll understand.” She always feels like she can ask when she doesn’t know, and that she’ll get a prompt, helpful answer. And it’s important to her that she shares her own experience when needed. “It helps me help the customer, and it works both ways. If a consultant is struggling to create a document to explain something to the client, they’ll ask me how to do it, because I’m the one closest to the actual customer in the company.”
“I learn a lot from them, and I hope they learn from me, too.”
The foundation of our work is built on human relationships.
Miho Ruscitto
Account Executive, Business Solutions Division
Acknowledging when we don’t know something and directly asking the experts for an answer is a foundational part of SYSCOM’s entire strategy, so it’s no wonder Miho has flourished here. “Our role is to thoroughly understand a company’s specific needs, pain points, and goals to create an effective solution,” says Miho. “We don’t want to be the vendor that just pushes a solution on the customer and holds them to that. We want to be the vendor that actually solves the problem the customer has.”
To be able to really help customers, Miho goes deep. “We have to start with the company overview that can’t be seen from their website, then the next step is operation details,” she says. “We try to understand how their business works at a high level, then we ask about their operations from A to Z.”
When asked, key actionable insights often arise. “They’ll often say, ‘We’re doing this operation, but our department is not comfortable doing it this way or that way, or we’d like to improve.’” Those in-depth, honest answers build the base of SYSCOM’s entire solution-based approach. “We’ll share those specific comments with our consultants so they can come up with solutions that actually help—or, if the solution is already available and the customer just doesn’t know, we can improve their operation with what they have and without spending more money.”
It might sound counter-intuitive: a sales person telling a client they don’t actually need her services? But it’s the entire backbone of Miho’s—and SYSCOM’s—client services approach.
“The foundation of our work is built on human relationships,” says Miho. “And I strive to foster an environment where clients feel comfortable reaching out at any time.” Miho knows that she can win more long-term clients in the long run with trust than she can with pressure.
“There’s a case study that recently went up on our website, where we implemented some new systems for a new customer,” Miho recalls. “The customer had been getting quotes from a few vendors, including us, and we weren’t the cheapest quote. But they went with us because we were reachable. We tried to understand them, answer all of their questions, and make sure they understood in their own terms what we were going to do.”
“Some vendors provide quick estimates based on cursory requirement assessments,” she says. “We prioritize comprehensive project planning from the outset to minimize budget overruns—an approach that has resulted in our high customer retention rate, over 95%.”
“It’s a pain to switch IT vendors, so we try to sustain our client relationships as much as possible,” says Miho. “We’re the ones who understand their system best. We make their operations better and more efficient. We talk to them, we’re constantly working on their projects.”
She grasps the importance of feeling like they’re in it together. “When it comes to collaboration, or conversation, or anything else, the human element is important. We’re thinking together, planning together.”
“We’re building something together.”
Miho lives in Pittsburgh with her husband, their two dogs Ein and Kya, and their cat Boba.
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