Meet Dionne, our fantastic Service Delivery Executive at DEPT®!
Here she takes us through a typical day, as well as shedding light on what it’s really like working for a global digital agency.
Name: Dionne McIntosh
Role: Service Delivery Executive
Time at DEPT®: 10 months
Years in the industry: 8.5 years
A fact about me: I love to bake and travel. I’m known for my chocolate Guinness cake (thank you Nigella) and my favourite place I’ve visited (so far) is Guatemala.
Journey to DEPT®
I initially wanted to be a chef, but seeing the Sony Bravia advert around 15 years ago really inspired me and sparked a desire to go into advertising. This led me to study Advertising & Media at university before joining my first agency after graduating.
Over the years I’ve worked at a few agencies, all with different specialisms, from digital medcomms to creative and B2B. Each has played a key part in guiding me into the role I’m in today.
I joined the amazing DEPT® team 10 months ago as a Service Delivery Executive.
My DEPT® LIFE
As a Service Delivery Executive, my role is all about managing websites once they’ve been released from the project teams, which means I have a team of front and backend developers to manage in the DOS team. The DOS team provides support to clients post-build, which can be anything from identifying content issues, small bug fixes to small pieces of work.When we first receive a website in the team it’s my role to coordinate the handover between the teams and organise sprint and release plans. Throughout the lifespan of the client contract, I set up and manage the hours on our internal system so that all developers know what hours are available for each client.
During the client partnership, it’s important that I keep a close relationship with the Digital Consultant on the account, so I have a weekly call to check in with them to ensure they are all up to date on the client relationship. These calls tend to be centred around upcoming work they’re managing and any impact to the DOS team. Additionally, I would raise if there are any issues, how we’re tracking on sprints and if the client has noted any future opportunities we might need to factor into planning.
Maintaining and managing client relationships is a key element of my role. It’s so important that the client knows about any issues that arise during implementation work. They also need to be aware of what is being worked on each month, so to cover this I create a monthly report that highlights how their hours have been used.
A typical day
Each day can vary, however I would usually have a client stand up with the team and a weekly call with a client. I tend to start the day by coordinating the team to ensure they are notified of the priorities for the day.
Urgent requests always take priority and I rearrange the priorities for the day if needed, ensuring the lead developer picks this up and (when possible) reallocates their work to another developer in the team.
On most days you’ll find me updating sprint plans based on the work completed the day prior and planning for upcoming sprints. This can be anything from amending future sprint plans, revising the backlog or creating new pages on Confluence, which is what we use to organise everything. I also update any release plans based on changes or developments.
Every day, I’m communicating with the client either through email or Slack. Communications can vary between an update on a request, confirming a query or flagging an issue.
In good company to grow
What really excites me about working at DEPT® is the stand out work we produce and the amazing team I get to work with. DEPT® is full of helpful, knowledgeable and approachable people which makes working alongside them a dream.
There’s been so much I’ve learned since starting at DEPT®! However the stand out for me is learning to make the most of the support that is around. I’m surrounded by a super talented team, so it’s a great opportunity to learn and develop.
I love the “we’re all in this together” attitude, I never feel alone or without the support I need.
DEPT® is incomparable
The openness and transparency, the skills of employees, the workload vs salary balance and the general atmosphere and ethos at DEPT® is beyond what I’ve experienced elsewhere.
There’s consistent communication between myself and my line manager, making it clear where my role is going and how I’m progressing. There’s a positive and encouraging attitude across senior management and there isn’t a hierarchical structure that discourages feedback and the progression of junior to mid-level individuals.
I also love how progressive, future-focused and transparent DEPT® is. We’re always kept in the loop with new acquisitions, hires and exciting projects that have been released.
In summary, you’re treated like professionals, you’re rewarded for your efforts, you’re treated fairly and with respect.
Want to join the team? Explore our open roles for a world of limitless opportunities.
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