What Drives Remote Project Management?

With Guest: Mervit Sam

Photo Courtesy of Unsplash

As a client-facing Account Manager working directly with creative, data and operational teams, Mervit Sam is a seasoned professional in the automotive industry. Coordinating both people and projects, her insights provide focus towards best practices, as well as the overall industry direction.

Having worked within automotive during the transition from in-person to remote work, Mervit is no stranger to navigating an online work environment. When asked what challenges account managers uniquely face, her response reflects the broader public’s challenges both at work and at home:

“It can be a challenge to maintain strong relationships – when we are all in different remote locations focused on various priorities – what may be high priority for us, may be just a sliver of what is on the client’s plate – especially when they are working with a myriad of stakeholders and agency partners. It’s important for us to keep the lines of communication open with them to stay top of mind and help them achieve their goals.”

This balanced perspective speaks well towards the needs of account management. When asked what qualities she finds most impressive in an account manager, Mervit explains, “each person brings their own unique qualities to the role – I value authenticity, effective communication and accountability.”

Accountability is certainly critical in Mervit’s daily operations- regularly scheduled meetings with the team and client are key, especially when making introductions.  Along with responsiveness and fully delivering on promises, Mervit emphasizes “getting to know the client and what’s important to them.”

Speaking towards the broader field of automotive, Mervit notes a unique culture shift from in-person face-to-face conferences to a remote, tool-reliant environment. For example, some companies have taken on new meeting time strategies to work across time zones, while others have instilled online project management platforms to make internal communication seamless. She explains, “the pandemic has shown us that we can have successful, thriving agency/client relationships in a virtual world.”

Looking ahead at the industry Mervit is optimistic- “it’s an exciting time to be in automotive – the industry is at the forefront of innovation and it will be interesting to see what the future looks like.”