The “Getting to Know” series is sponsored by Applied Innovation. Applied Innovation is helping to shape the future of accounts receivable management. Product development is driven by customer feedback, agency profitability and compliance and includes platforms addressing client portal access, document management, payment negotiation, Regulation E focused electronic payment authorizations and TCPA communication authorization platforms. Partner with a company who understands your business challenges and evolves to provide cutting edge technology to overcome those challenges and achieve success.
Ashley Campanella is one of those people who are able to have a positive impact in every conversation or interaction, which is not something that most people are able to accomplish. That, coupled with her outlook and approach to her work and her ability to be relaxed outside of her comfort zone are reasons why she has moved up the ladder at Arbeit during her five years there. Read on to learn more about Ashley, and where to start looking for her if you ever lose track of her in an airport or a strange city.
Name: Ashley Campanella
Job Title: Customer Success Manager
Company: Arbeit
Length of Time at Current Company: 5 years
Length of Time in Industry: 5 years
How did you get your start in the industry?
I was actually working at a restaurant at the time, and I had heard Arbeit was hiring for an Administrative Assistant so I applied and the rest is history!
What is your career highlight so far?
I started with Arbeit when I was 20 years old so moving my way up continuously throughout the past five years has really been life changing for me. I’ve transitioned from an Administrative Assistant to being an Account Executive within a year and half, stayed in that role for another year and half, and now into my new role as Customer Success Manager, which has been my role for about two years now. I was also the first and only female at Arbeit when I started for about a year!
When or how are you most productive?
I find myself most productive in the beginning of the work day from 9-to-11 am. Also, on Fridays before the work day starts, I will try to plan my upcoming week. I use a whiteboard to make it easier to make sure I get all my tasks done! This has also helped me a lot with staying organized and focused since transitioning fully to working from home!
Which industry professional do you admire most?
This is so hard!! Since attending conferences, I’ve met so many amazing people that I admire. I could write a list, but to name some: Jeff DiMatteo, Mary Shores, Rick Doane, Tim Moore, and Greg Ruffino. There are so many more, but ever since I became a part of this industry these people have helped me grow as a person and taught me so much. I’m grateful to have known some of these people for most of my time in the industry.
What is one thing you do better than everyone else?
I don’t like to think I do this better than everyone else, but building and maintaining relationships is what I really pride myself on. I think it’s my best quality especially being in the role I am currently in.
What do you like most about this industry?
I really love that everyone is willing to help each other. Of course, we all attend the AccountsRecovery.net webinars which are always super helpful (thanks Mike!). But there are also so many other channels anyone in the industry can use to make sure they are up to date with new laws/regulations or just learning or brushing up on best practices. I joined an AccountsRecovery.net webinar about getting involved in their state collectors association. Hearing how specific states keep their agencies informed and involved really made me so happy, so now, if I ever meet anyone who isn’t a part of an organization or group I always recommend they do. Being involved in ACA, RMA, just being on Mike’s Slack channel (EDITOR’S NOTE: Click here to join) , etc. to me has no price tag for the knowledge everyone in this industry has.
What is one thing you wish you could change about this industry?
I think everyone’s answer is always the same — the misconception our industry has. When I first started I had no idea what I was getting into. “Collection agencies? I don’t know anything about collection agencies. Am I going to survive?”(LOL) Even though I’ve only been in this industry for five years, I’ve truly met some of the best people I know and understand this industry fully now. The only thing that happens within these agencies is owners/employees trying to help people, and I hope one day this can be understood.
Describe a typical work day.
I, of course, start almost every day with coffee or a protein shake to get me jumpstarted! I always have a few tasks I need to get done right in the morning, so I try to get those out of the way before any meetings I have. It’s been a more than busy year so far, so normally I have 3-to-5 meetings a day which would include client meetings or internal company meetings. These take up most of my day, but there are always ad hoc requests. Sometimes I forget how to breathe, but I love being busy and the day feels like it flies by!
If you weren’t in this industry, what would you be doing?
I changed my college major three times — I really didn’t know what I wanted to do career-wise. I probably would’ve ended up sticking with my psychology major (my last change). It would have been a lot of school but it definitely interests me and I love to help people!
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What is your guilty pleasure?
All of my co-workers know this and I definitely get laughed at for it, but for some reason any time I travel I have to get McDonald’s! It’s so weird because when I’m home I never eat it, but if I’m in an airport and I see a McDonald’s; that’s where you’ll find me.
What is the best advice you’ve ever received?
I have two:
- “Don’t be afraid to step out of your comfort zone. Get on the phone, send some emails, and do what you do best.”
- “Anytime you exercise innovation and intellect it’s a positive learning experience.”
My brother, my biggest supporter, said these things to me. Being in sales can be intimidating at times. You have to get out of your comfort level and it isn’t easy to do. Or, even putting your opinion in can be scary; whether it is with a client or within your organization if you’re not sure how those people will react. But these quotes get me through that. I’ve learned to not be held back by fears and give my career and personal experiences my full energy. If I think of an idea for someone or something, I’ll say it, because any type of innovation or intellectual conversation you may have always has a positive outcome; especially within your career.
What are you currently reading?
I’m not a huge reader to be honest, but I do read to better myself within in my career and my personal success. I have about five sales/success books that I have on my to-do list. I’m currently reading “The Compound Effect” by Darren Hardy. It’s about life success in general and I’m excited to apply these things to not only my career but in personal aspects like fitness and family!
What is one fact you’d like everyone in the industry to know about you
I picked up golfing about four years ago, and I can now hit 225-yard drives from the ladies tees, so pick me in golf outing conference scrambles 🙂 I also found out in October of 2020 that my one-year-old cat had a disease called FIP (if you know me, you know I’m overly obsessed with my cats). It is almost always fatal in all cats, but there is one treatment you can do. It was a lot to go through, but he made a full recovery and now I would like to advocate/start a nonprofit to help with this treatment! I contacted the adoption center I got him from, and already helped another kitten going through the same disease. I’m super busy and haven’t had a lot of time to look into all of the aspects of it, but that’s one thing I would like to achieve in the future!
Who else would you like to see answer these questions?
Bobbie Blue!
The “Getting to Know” series is sponsored by Applied Innovation. Applied Innovation is helping to shape the future of accounts receivable management. Product development is driven by customer feedback, agency profitability and compliance and includes platforms addressing client portal access, document management, payment negotiation, Regulation E focused electronic payment authorizations and TCPA communication authorization platforms. Partner with a company who understands your business challenges and evolves to provide cutting edge technology to overcome those challenges and achieve success.