Meet Monica Diaz, Director of Client Success in Chicago

Tell us about yourself. Where are you from, and what did you do before to joining Crafty?

I'm originally from Chicago's southwest suburbs, but I've always identified as a city girl. I had the opportunity to go to Columbia College Chicago for fashion merchandising and fell in love with the city even more. After a brief two-week stint back home, I couldn't resist the city's allure and moved back. I've hopped around various neighborhoods, but currently, I call the eclectic and artsy Pilsen my home.

Most of my career has been in client-facing roles and account management. I enjoy building relationships with people and businesses. My clients know that they can come to me with whatever they need, and I'll have their back. I enjoy becoming a trusted partner for them and, hopefully, their favorite vendor. 

I still have a bunch of relationships from clients from my very first job out of college. They've been great references throughout my career, and it's been cool to continue building a relationship with people that I've met at work. 

What initially attracted you to Crafty?

I was instantly attracted to Crafty's mission statement of crafting a better workplace by creating connections at work through food and beverage. If you know me, I'm a foodie. I know how much food unites people. I know that having a variety of snacks gets you excited about what your company has to offer and makes the workday better.

I also really loved that Crafty supports a lot of local brands, that is exciting to me. 

Can you describe your role at Crafty?  

As the Director of Client Success at Crafty, I manage a team of Client Success Managers and Strategic Account Directors. My team is assigned to our largest national clients, who have multiple offices in their portfolio.

My team works to ensure that we manage at a company level for our clients so that all of their locations align with the organization's goals. We offer suggestions, work through projects, and work really closely with our client ops team.

A lot of my role is to ensure that the team processes are built out and to work cross-departmentally in areas where we need additional support to ensure our clients' overall happiness. We want long-standing relationships with our clients, and we want to ensure that we continue to evolve and bring best-in-class suggestions to your program. 

What do you like most about your job?

I love my team. I love that I get to work with some of the coolest companies around. It's truly rewarding to see how our work brings joy to people's lives. Food and beverages have this magical ability to excite and unite people. Snacks are not just fun—they're essential for boosting employee morale. It's pretty awesome that we get to create these amazing experiences with our clients!

What is the most challenging part of your job?

Striking a balance between standardization of our offering and processes and customization for our clients. Everyone has a unique program they're trying to build and a unique set of needs. We try to find out how to operationalize that and ensure we meet our clients' needs.

I would also say that my to-do list is always very long. There are so many things I want to create and improve. It's exciting work, but it can sometimes be a little bit overwhelming because there's so much that I want to get my hands on. 

What is the most unique thing about working at Crafty?

Your voice and your opinion matter.

I can have an idea of something that I think would be cool to see in our technology. I can submit an idea and someone usually reaches out and will ask me more questions. The most exciting thing is to see my idea, or part of my idea, come to life in the [technology] that we use on a day-to-day basis or the tools that our clients get to see.

It's really cool working with our tech team to see what we can develop as far as products. 

How has your previous experience helped you in your role at Crafty?

I think [learning how to] build a connection with your clients and your team, taking the time to listen and acknowledge, people's feedback, making sure you do what you're saying you're going to do, and being a good communicator is really important. That's helped make me successful as an account manager and as my role as the Director of Client Success, and what makes my team really successful as well.  

What snacks and beverages do you need to get through the day?

I usually drink a lot of water. I'm a frequent visitor to our Bevi machine. I also always start the day with an Americano. I love the variety of little candy around our office. You always need a sweet treat, usually after a three o'clock meeting, so it's nice to see the variety that we have.   

What's a perfect day off for you?

I love to sleep in. Then, I spend time with my family and my bestie/puppy, Benny. If you know me, you know, I talk about him all the time. He is literally the best thing that's ever happened to me.

We love to go for what we call a pack walk, which is any of our friends and family that can go, or just us and our dog, and hit up a different neighborhood in the city just to explore, see what local shops they have, maybe try a local coffee shop.

And then to end the perfect day, at night, binge watching whatever new documentary just dropped. 

What is your favorite TV show?

Top Chef.

What is the last song you listened to?

"Texas Sun" by Khruangbin and Leon Bridges

Who is a celebrity you'd most want to hang out with?

John Oliver or Issa Rae, or both, that'd be ideal.

Crafty would like to extend a huge thank you to Monica for generously sharing her time and insights with us and allowing us to interview her. Thank you so much for all you do for Crafty. We are endlessly grateful to have you on our team.