A Day In The Life Of A Strategic Services Consultant.
The day in the life of a consultant at Silverbullet can vary. So much. Days are jam-packed thanks to new projects kicking-off, or strict deadlines fast approaching to ensure we serve our clients efficiently. And, what’s great is Silverbullet’s hybrid working model, where employees can choose to work remotely or from the office as they wish, which brings great flexibility to the role.
For me, the fact that no two days are ever the same, is what makes being a consultant an amazing role. You are constantly learning something new, whether it’s building knowledge on a topic in the field of (m)adtech, or gaining a new skill. Oh, and forget about clock watching – the days and weeks truly fly by due to the fast-paced nature of the profession.
So, I’d like to bring you on a journey – a day in my shoes – so you can experience what being a Strategic Services Consultant truly looks like.
Morning Routine – 05:10 – 08:30
I am – without a doubt – a morning person. I do my best to wake up early and get everything non-work related sorted out before work starts. Gratefulness journaling, breakfast, a gym session, grocery shopping, a nice hot shower, and meditation are the fundamentals to my morning routine. After checking all these off, it’s time to open my laptop.
Start Work – 08:30 – 09:00
While enjoying a cup of green tea, my day begins with emails, emails and, well, more emails. Once I’ve sorted, flagged and read through everything, I look at the days schedule to get my bearings on the day ahead. I find I work best with a little bit of planning; I plan out what I need to do before each meeting and set time aside in my schedule to make sure everything gets done on time.
Client Work – 09:00 – 10:00
More often than not, I begin working on a ‘Managed Services’ task that a client has assigned to the team. These tasks require some troubleshooting to be done on a platform that the client has in their tech stack and can be quite technical. If the task is posing challenges, this is a great opportunity for me to expand my skillset. I love a challenges, so I do my best to break down the task myself, and figure things out independently. If I succeed, then it’s happy days. Yet, there are some tasks that I may struggle with. The beauty of Silverbullet, is there’s always someone to reach out to who is a specialist on the platform. That is something we adhere to at Silverbullet; never think you’re the smartest cookie in the room! Surrounding ourselves with best-in-class expertise is what makes my role so interesting, and I am forever grateful to learn from my peers.
Client Call – 10:00 – 10:45
Weekly calls with clients are generally the norm. These windows provide time to catch-up on progress, provide status updates, talk through the plan of action, and determine the next steps for the following week. It’s great to be able to build relationships with clients and be part of their journey.
Internal Team Call – 10:45 – 11.00
Oftentimes the Silverbullet team will continuously regroup to ensure everyone is clear on who is doing what, and by when. Whether we hop on an adhoc zoom, dial into our weekly check-ins or natter away on Slack, communication is key at Silverbullet and how we work.
General Work – 11:00 – 13:00
Mid-morning until lunch, I crack on with the work assigned to me. Sometimes different obstacles come up that make the task less straightforward than initially thought. If an alternate approach is needed, I’ll consider how this affects the rest of my team and communicate appropriately to ensure the team have a heads up and know about any changes to the original plan that are needed to be made.
Lunch – 13:00 – 14:00
Some days lunch is a grab and go scenario, especially if there’s a big project on the cards. Other days are more relaxed. Working from home can sometimes have its faults, whereby you often don’t take the full lunch hour. We try and encourage as much flexibility here at Silverbullet – and ensure everyone takes some time out to regroup.
What’s on the menu I hear you ask. Well. Typically, I would fry up an omelette and enjoy an episode of Always Sunny. Best way to relax and regroup before the afternoon kicks in.
Helping The Team – 14:00 – 15:00
After a good hour of watching Danny DeVito and co, it’s time to get back to work! A teammate may reach out to me on slack for some support. This could include catching up on any progress made on a project, preparing a deck, or a separate task that my teammate is lacking the bandwidth for. I am always happy to help and get stuck in, so this is the perfect time for me to get involved.
Client Call – 15:00 – 15:30
A second client call will often be sandwiched in my dairy at some point in the afternoon. This could be a weekly check-in, or a call regarding a specific obstacle that as popped up in the workstream. I’ll listen in, contribute my advice where I can, and do my best to take thorough notes for team members who could not make the call.
Client Work – 15:30 – 16:30
Off the back of the client call I may be able to do some independent work to help solve their problem, or the internal team may regroup and brainstorm on our approach. With the level of expertise and experience on the Strategic Services team we always figure out the best plan of attack with efficiency.
Training – 16:30 – 17:30
There are constantly new technologies being developed in (m)adtech. Platforms for analysis, automation, segmentation, reporting and such are constantly developing. There is always something new to learn, which is what makes this field so exciting! Currently, I am training up in data science to widen the skillset of the Strategic Services team, allowing us to have more tools in our toolbox when approaching the client’s problems in projects. If I have any available time, I squeeze in this training time to upskill and help make the strategic services team even stronger.
Work Wrap-Up – 17:30 – 19:00
I wrap up for the day! I transition into non-work mode as I cook dinner while jamming to some music. (Playlist details upon request.)
Often during this wind-down period, I’ll keep an eye on any important or urgent emails from clients and slack messages from my colleagues via my phone.
End Of Day – 19:00 – Sleep
From 7pm I am completely switched off and enjoy some downtime. This includes either a bit of gaming, calling a friend, taking a walk, or going to my local billiards club to play some American pool.
And that, dear reader, is a day in the life of s Strategic Services Consultant. Working with such talent at Silverbullet makes it a fantastic place to work. You are consistently learning, and there is never a dull moment. The work drinks are a bonus too! Which thankfully, are happening more and more now a sense of normality is kicking in.
So, if you’re looking for the recipe on my amazing omelette, desperate to hear my playlist, or simply want to find our more on how to be a strategic services consultant within (m)adtech, then drop me message via LinkedIn.
