Employee Spotlight Of The Month: Marcus Yates – Key Account Manager

Welcome to the twenty-fifth of our ‘Employee Spotlight of the Month’ interviews! At Dakota, we believe that everyone within our organisation plays an equally important role in making the company what it is today.

Each month we will be sharing an interview with a member of staff in order to showcase their key responsibilities within the business and the benefits which they offer to our valued customer base.

This month we spoke with Marcus Yates, Key Account Manager, to find out more about his role within Dakota.

1. How long have you worked at Dakota and how long have you been in your current role?

I started at Dakota in November 2024, so this is a new role for me, but I have known the Dakota Team for a few years now.

2. What does the role of Key Account Manager at Dakota involve?

My role is pretty varied, however it essentially involves building and maintaining strong connections with our existing supply chain customers, as well as forging new client relationships across the sector by creating tailored strategies for each key account whilst focusing on their specific needs and goals. I am also tasked with identifying upselling, cross-selling and growth opportunities within existing accounts, ensuring that our customers’ requirements are always our top priority.

3. What key attributes do you believe you need in order to achieve success within your role?

I believe that I require a number of key attributes in order to achieve success within my role, such as the ability to listen and take on board customers’ issues with empathy in order to build strong relationships with each and every one of them, whilst building tailored solutions which are best aligned to their individual requirements. Strategic thinking with a long-term focus can often result in fantastic ROIs!

4. What do you enjoy most about your role at Dakota?

I very much enjoy working with the team here at Dakota as well as having the ability to offer a full range of top-tier solutions from key strategic vendors and partners.

5. What are the most challenging aspects of your role?

Managing my time effectively to ensure that all customers receive the very best in support can be a challenge, however it is critical to provide the most effective, fit-for-purpose solutions to help support, grow and enhance their organisation and mission-critical processes.

6. How do you believe that your role positively impacts our customers’ experience?

I always look to showcase Dakota’s full range of solutions by fully understanding our customers’ goals, challenges and requirements in terms of what they need from their digital data capture solution. I position myself as a strategic partner for our customers by offering insights, best practices and value-added services, as well as helping our customers to not just succeed - but thrive. This long-term, consultative approach goes a long way in building a stronger loyalty and deeper engagement levels for all concerned.

7. And finally…..please give us an interesting or fun fact about yourself

In a galaxy far away I trained as a pilot and have over 500 logged flying hours!