The engine to his Toyota Camry cranks before sunrise.

Cup of coffee in tow, Jeff Graul’s out of his driveway of his Little Elm home well before 6:30 a.m. Otherwise, Jeff’s learned, he’ll never get to the Datamax Coppell office before 7:15 with the epic DFW traffic. Just as his Toyota cruises south on 423 toward the tollway, his motor is running full speed with today’s tasks top of mind.

Once inside, those early minutes of his workday are devoted to studying notes, reading back over emails, and preparing for upcoming appointments. Jeff's Modus Operandi is not unlike the infamous Boy Scout motto: “Be Prepared.”

“I’m thinking about and anticipating what questions or issues might come up (from clients or prospects). I like to have a path laid out ahead of time to bring my customers down, so they feel they’ve had a good experience. I want to be prepared for whatever they might ask.”

He’s not in the office long before he’s off to his first appointment. On a typical day, Jeff will have at least a morning and afternoon appointment scheduled. And even though he’s back in his Camry, Jeff is quick to point out that he’s “always working” before, after, and en-route to appointments.

His job as a Senior Business Process Consultant for Datamax takes him to offices of all shapes, sizes and technology environments. He knows well the capabilities of the office equipment Datamax delivers. He knows workflow assessments, Partnership Reviews and the multitude of solutions that can make organizations more productive.

But for him, something as simple as responsiveness is a huge daily priority. So is earning clients' trust. 

“I’m always available,” he says. “A lot of executives and decision makers, they’re working late in the evening or early in the morning. It’s crucial that I make myself available. If a VP is reaching out to me, they’re reaching out for a reason. They want resolution and they want it as quickly as possible… it’s important that I grab that issue right then, so they trust I can get this to the right place and get it resolved.”

With that, his phone is never far away from his grasp. His office voicemail is forwarded to his phone. His email’s there, too. Whether Jeff’s working from his home, in front of his office computer, or stuck in Dallas traffic, fast response is always top of mind. 

“I work nights. I work weekends. I’m always working,” Jeff says. “Datamax is my life, and I enjoy my job.”

Delivering a Heavy Load

Michael Hinton’s workday starts off with a good stretch.

At the Little Rock office every morning, 8 to 10 service and delivery employees meet downstairs to cover logistics of the day. Logistics Manager Tony Ashcraft runs through where the delivery team’s headed, what equipment they’ll need (like the stair climber), and what challenges might exist with today’s work.

Not before, of course, Michael and other delivery drivers get in a good, solid stretching exercise.

“We always stretch. We’ve got some heavy machines. And customers, they sometimes want those big, heavy machines upstairs,” Michael says. “It’s hard, physically at times. I’m getting on up there in age.”

But it isn’t long before Michael, and typically someone from the connect team, is in the delivery truck and on the road, where he says he’ll spend typically 5 to 6 hours a day. He’s been to Tennessee, Missouri, Louisiana, Texarkana and Oklahoma in his time with Datamax. But he loves it. Time behind the wheel gives him time to wind down, to think about things.

But upon arrival to a client’s location, he shifts gears quickly. Michael knows he plays a critical customer-facing role, and the solitude of the truck turns to all smiles in front of clients. After the machine is off the truck, he likes to offer a big, warm greeting, and then decipher where exactly the equipment is headed and what the most efficient way of getting it there might be.

And, whenever possible, he likes to strike up a conversation.

“It was just recently, I walked into the office and I complimented the artwork on the wall,” Michael says. “That led to a long conversation about art. Another time, I got to talking to someone about their dogs. I’m a dog man, so that was great. I just want to try to make the customer feel a little better. I want to really interact with them, get to know them.”

As Michael says, “it ain’t all about business.” There’s also a human side to the business relationship with clients.

And his internal crew – the entire office - back in Little Rock?

“I really, really enjoy the people that I work with. We have an awesome crew,” Michael says. “I’m not just talking about my team. I’m talking about the sales people, everybody in admin. We’ve got a really great team here in Little Rock. And it takes all of us to make it happen.”

An Admin With Many Hats

As the conference door swings open after a 7:30 a.m. admin meeting in Tyler, Ashley Russell wastes no time traveling straight to her desk.

Her computer screen lights up. Ashley logs into not one, but FIVE different applications. There’s her Outlook email, eAutomate, Access, Sherpa and DMX Leasing. One by one she organizes the placement of each on her screen and begins examining document after document after document. As difficult as it is for the Rave Review Editor seated to her right to keep up, Ashley taps the keyboard and visually scans the screen with great efficiency.

At least two of these applications - among the five she's presently logged into - were completely new to her the middle of last year. But she's learned fast. Though she's only been in this industry for 2.5 years, she is no stranger to administrative proficiency. 

As the Equipment Biller/Sales Support, Ashley wears many hats: entering sales orders, working collections, filling out commissions and examining current leases with a fine-tooth comb, to name a few. At this moment, she’s going over an internal Order Completion Checklist document, and almost simultaneously scrolling through a series of leases for any missed payments or potential errors.

Ashley says she learns something new literally every day in her role. And she wouldn't have it any other way. 

“I absolutely love doing more than one thing. I think I’d get bored with just one singular task. I love the ability to bounce from different tasks, and learning more all the time.”

She shares a room with seven others in the Tyler clientCONNECT Center, each with their own intricate responsibilities. Even so, Ashley draws from the veteran experience around her.

“There’s Alice (Boatman) in here with 20 years’ experience, Kelly Hunley with 17, Kellie Tew with 16, for instance,” Ashley says. “Pinging off each other, it’s something we do every day as a team. If you just listen to everything around you, you’ll pick up a lot.”

Dissecting the Datamax Engine

Later in the day, Jeff Graul returns to the office briefly. When asked about what others might not know about his role, he reflects on the “process” behind what Datamax delivers for clients every day.

Everybody’s got a hand in it, he ruminates: From admin getting orders processed, checking orders, handling billing issues. To our clientCONNECT Center, scheduling our deliveries, coordinating moves for our service team. To IT sales and their network expertise, and the service team creating that "Raving" customer experience with every visit. To the shop guys getting equipment set up. And to the drivers, like Michael Hinton, who make critical impressions on new customers.

Much like parts to an engine, every component of the Datamax organization is crucial for maximum performance.

“If I were to tell anyone from another department anything, it would be simply how much I appreciate them. It’s not about just me. We’re all a team. I couldn’t do my job without everyone else,” he says.

All parts of a Raving Fan experience. All parts to the Datamax engine. All Together.