A Day in the COE Life: Kayla Grieme, Analytics Consultant

One of the unique aspects of working at CoEnterprise is undoubtedly the variety. Not only in the types of jobs we have to offer, but in the day-to-day activities of our employees. Recently, we caught up with Analytics Consultant Kayla Grieme to learn about the exciting stuff she’s working on, what a typical day is like for her, and what she enjoys most about her job.

Kayla is responsible for ensuring customers get the most out of Tableau by understanding the problem their organization is trying to address and helping them solve it. She typically splits her time between our NYC office and being on-site with a client.

When she’s starting a new project she will arrive at the customer site and begin with a period of requirement gathering. That means understanding their current environment and how they use the tool.

“The great thing about Tableau is there are many different ways to implement the same thing,” she says. “My goal is to ensure customers are getting the most value out of the application and utilizing best practices so their organization can achieve their goals.”

Kayla will sit with her point of contact on-site along with some of the business users, power users, developers, and members of the IT department to dive deep into what they’re trying to accomplish.

“Being able to have that one-on-one time and in-person communication is so critical to what I do.”

And while that is key to her job, it comes with its own set of challenges as well. Because COE works across many different industries, Kayla never quite knows what types of personalities she’ll be working with throughout the duration of a project.

“I might be working with a company in the financial industry and business users who are not familiar with Tableau and just getting started or users who are experienced and like to joke around with you,” she says. “No matter who it is, the best feeling is when you start to build those relationships and begin to feel like you’re a part of their team as well.”

What sets Kayla apart is undeniably the personal touch she provides her clients. She finds that making sure everyone maximizes the tool is just as important as the organization’s objective.

“There’s always a project’s main goal, and of course that’s your number one priority, but I always strive to ensure that each individual that touches Tableau is getting the most out of it as well.”

When she’s in the office, Kayla enjoys the energy and camaraderie being around her co-workers brings.

“It’s always nice to collaborate with them and bounce ideas off people,” she says. “Slack is useful in that regard because I can reach out to other team members to get ideas and pointers from them, especially if I come across an issue I’ve never dealt with before or if I’m unsure how to solve it.”

Whether she’s on-site or in the office, communication is key for Kayla. She says that once she establishes a relationship with the users on site, it’s easier to work remotely from the office knowing she can just reach out to the client or point of contact via phone or email if anything comes up.

“I stay in constant contact with my project manager throughout the course of a day,” she says. “I like to update her on any changes to the project including new requirements or changes in scope. Then, at the end of the day I send an email to her along with my point of contact to recap everything we accomplished.”

And there’s always a lot to recap. Kayla says most projects rarely go completely smooth because that’s just the nature of the industry. Because of the multitude of issues that can arise, there are days and days of troubleshooting, trial and error, and occasional frustration. But she says there’s nothing quite like the payoff at the end when it all comes together.

“The best feeling in the world is when you finally solve the issue, and it’s not just me that feels that joy, it’s everyone on site that I’m working with. We all celebrate those moments.”

From a personal standpoint, it’s the ability to continue to learn and grow that Kayla loves most about her job.

“With every single project, I get to learn something new,” she says. “I really enjoy learning and experiencing that personal growth and you do that by exposing yourself to new situations and new problems that need solving. This job always presents something new that I haven’t seen before and I really love jumping in and tackling those challenges head-on.”

To learn more about our current openings and what we have to offer, visit our Careers page.