OK, so my (small) company has finally decided that I can get business cards, since I’m not 100% chained to my desk/phone and I actually meet clients in person sometimes. However, we’re not big on job titles around here, and when I went to my “manager” (we’re not big on managers, either) to ask what I should use, I was basically told I could pick what I wanted. So, I’ve been researching titles but I’m getting more and more overwhelmed trying to find the “right” one.
Anyway, the company is a developer of a web-based Practice Management/Electronic Medical Records application. We design, develop, sell, and support it. However, my job duties fall into the following categories (since we’re also short-staffed):
[ul]
[li]Primary support person and keeper of application knowledge[/li][li]Technical support (some)[/li][li]Practice management implementation/training[/li][li]Data Import Coordinator[/li][li]Billing specialist[/li][li]Design assistant (for primarily the billing components)[/li][li]Sales Demos (practice management/billing)[/li][li]Whatever else someone else isn’t doing[/li][/ul]
So, I’m trying to find something that encompasses most of these responsibilites, with maybe a little “elevation” so that they might give me a raise sometime in the future. I realize business cards are actually a sales/marketing tool, so I want to give a good impression, without giving myself too much credit/responsibility.
What you want to do is think about your next job. Suppose this company goes out of business, what job would you want or try to get, with another company?
THAT should be the title you try to get for THIS company.
Sounds like an account executive position. Does your job include a significant sales component? Perhaps with some client stewardship after you’ve sold them the software and/or subscription so that you can sell them services and/or renewals? Do you have colleagues who do a similar job to yours?
‘Client Services’ followed by one of ‘Manager’, ‘Administrator’, ‘Executive’, ‘Coordinator’, ‘Director’. You want to get something that signifies management in there for your future.
Other choices:
Grand Exalted Product Specialist
Source of All Knowledge
The Stranger Who’s Kindness You Are Depending On
God
Insert Job Title Here
FSM
I don’t handle or close sales deals; I’m the trick pony who shows how easy the application is to use and converses knowledgeably with potential clients as a subject matter expert because I used to work as a medical office professional. We also try to stay away from the concept of “account rep” because of our support process.
Unfortunately, I’m the only one of my kind at the company; all the other staff have other primary responsibilities besides support - even though I do WAY more than that.
I would ask your manager for a recommendation. You say they will let you pick whatever you like, but if you come up with something that they feel is inappropriate I am sure they will veto it. (Remember, they have to worry about the egos of all the other staff…)
In my business your role would be similar to a “Pre-sales engineer”. This is someone who supports the sales team with in-depth technical expertise. They are able to explain to the customer (or the customer’s tech team) how the solution will be designed, tested and implemented.
I would thus suggest something along the lines of “Pre-sales and Senior Technical Support.” This suggests to me that you are customer-facing as well as a (if not the) key back room technical support staff.
True story. Microsoft was pretty free about allowing people to choose their job titles. But when a well-known (from his previous job) came to MS to design a new program, he asked for the above title and was refused. My daughter-in-law was an administrative assistant to some VP and somehow the new hire asked her if she could get him a business with that title. So DIL phoned a local printer and asked if he could print an MS card. He could and did so the hire got his card.
Well, I think I’m going with Lead Service Operations Analyst. It implies I do more than support (I do) and that I’m in the operations “department” of our company (I am), and I like “Lead” better than “Senior” - I’m only 42, after all.
Any other thoughts before I let the thread die a natural death?
