Nothing teaches you the importance of customer success like waitressing. Boyer’s new Director of Customer Success Addie Rodman knows that full well.
Rodman grew up in Rhode Island and worked as a server at Newport’s iconic Black Pearl restaurant, world-renowned for their clam chowder. Her 11 years there taught her how to juggle multiple tasks, interact with others and provide the best customer experience possible.
“You’ve got to work in a restaurant for at least a little bit because you learn all the little skills you need and how to interact with people,” Rodman said.
The skills she learned waitressing carried over into her second career in the Microsoft software arena. Rodman has spent the last nine years in various roles at some of Microsoft’s largest CRM and ERP partners.
“Whether it’s serving a meal, coordinating an event, managing a sales cycle or delivering training, you are providing someone with an experience.”
Addie Rodman, new Director of Customer Success
Anxious to see more of the world than her tiny state, Rodman moved to Minneapolis, Minn. in 2012. She landed a job as the front desk receptionist for Microsoft partner PowerObjects. During her nine years there, she had several jobs, from sales specialist to event coordinator to Microsoft Alliances Director.
“It was a great place to work, and I tried a little bit of everything,” Rodman said. She especially enjoyed the events coordinator role, which took her all over the world to plan events.
“The best part of all the roles I had at PowerObjects and the constant in them was being able to solve business problems and work with people. I’m a problem solver,” she said.
After PowerObjects was acquired by HCL, Rodman was ready for a new challenge and eager to gain new skills. She transitioned to her final role at HCL, becoming a Prosci-certified change practitioner/learning consultant and training other organizations on Microsoft’s software.
It was this role that allowed her to get her first close-up look at Microsoft’s tech stack. The more she learned about the software, the more it impressed her, especially Microsoft Power Platform.
“Dynamics 365 and the Power Platform simplifies things for me. It puts everything I need all in one place, and it can do everything that I need it to do. It has never failed me yet,” Rodman said.
She loves Power Apps, which she likened to “a pretty spreadsheet” that’s just as easy to use as Excel.
“I can create a Power app, and that says a lot … Power apps are made for someone like me, the citizen developer,” Rodman said.
Focused on Boyer’s customer success
Referring to herself as essentially a “corporate waitress,” Rodman said she will focus on providing Boyer’s clients an excellent customer experience.
“Whether it’s serving a meal, coordinating an event, managing a sales cycle or delivering training, you are providing someone with an experience. You’ve got to juggle a lot of things to make sure that it goes well,” Rodman said.
She plans to take a “hands on approach” to customer success. She wants to make sure that Boyer’s clients get an experience that surpasses expectations and that they get the most out of their investment in Microsoft software.
If she’s learned anything over the years, Rodman said, it’s that everyone on the team plays a part in ensuring an exceptional customer experience.
After only three weeks at her new job, Rodman had already met most of her coworkers and attended an employee-wide virtual meeting. She enjoyed the atmosphere and internal focus on collaboration and teamwork.
“It seems like everybody is really on the same page, all working toward the same goals,” she said.
Rodman already knew Boyer’s founder Jack Boyer through the Microsoft partner channel. She has also worked with several of Boyer’s staff at other companies throughout her career. Hearing their stories of Boyer’s culture only reinforced her belief that it was the right move for her.
“I also just love the internal focus on culture, the focus on keeping employees happy,” she said.
Outside of work, Rodman loves thrifting. She has an entire room filled with her favorite finds. She even went viral with a Tik Tok when she found a vintage Louis Vuitton duffel bag for $40.
Rodman also enjoys crossword puzzles (mostly Wednesday ones), live music and Jeopardy. She plans to one day be a contestant on the popular quiz show.
Rodman recently married her Canadian sweetheart of five years, Mike, and just adopted a 7-year-old rescue dog named Shadow. Rodman currently lives in an apartment just 20 minutes north of Detroit, Mich., in Windsor, Ontario. She still owns a condo in Rhode Island and works in the U.S. but hopes to get permanent residency status in Canada.
