Consultant Spotlight: Abdul Tahlil
Meet our Senior Consultant, Abdul Tahlil! He has been a valuable part of ArcLight Consulting since June 2021! Get to know him better below!
Hometown: Boston, MA
Alma Mater: University of Massachusetts, Amherst
Favorite things to do outside of the office: I enjoy having fun with friends, spending time with family, learning new skills, and exploring a variety of hobbies.
How has your background impacted your experience as a consultant? With a background in both Engineering and Business, I bring a mixed perspective to the table when working with my clients. My quick grasp of system architecture is seamlessly integrated with my business knowledge, enabling me to understand and communicate the technical aspects of the application in a way that highlights its business value. I am able to bring a systems thinking approach to help clients envision the improvements that can be achieved. This combination of skills allows me to help clients achieve their goals by providing a comprehensive solution that combines technical and business perspectives, which I think has most impacted my career as a consultant.
What’s a typical workday like for you? My typical workday is filled with a variety of tasks and responsibilities. I engage in multiple meetings with clients at different stages of the implementation process, ensuring that their unique needs and concerns are addressed. I also allocate focused blocks of time to tackle implementation tasks and to customize client assets to ensure that the final solution is tailored to their specific requirements.
As part of a team that works 100% virtually, what technology or collaboration tools do you use to make your work life easier? I utilize common remote work tools like Zoom, Teams, and Outlook. I have also integrated Smartsheet in my workflow, which offers an additional benefit by automating my email communication and increasing my visibility into my most important work, reducing time spent on repetitive tasks. I am always surfing the web to find new ways to improve my workflow and increase efficiency through the use of new and existing tools.
What motivates you to wake up and go to work every day? I embrace taking on new challenges and my current role provides me with a diverse range of opportunities to do so. Every day brings something fresh to tackle or a persistent issue that I am close to resolving for a client. The sense of accomplishment and satisfaction after overcoming these challenges is what drives me to continue doing my best work.
What kind of work have you been doing? I specialize in providing bespoke Smartsheet solutions for clients of varying sizes, ranging from small businesses to large, global organizations. My services encompass conducting discovery sessions, configuring the Smartsheet environment to meet specific client requirements, delivering training sessions, and providing ongoing support for successful implementation and adoption.
Where do you see the benefits? I am impressed by the versatility and flexibility of the Smartsheet platform, which allows me to implement a wide range of solutions. This flexibility enables me to foster a virtuous cycle of creativity, innovation and efficiency, leading to improved results for my clients.
Linking data to finance and accounting, explain environments that have had lack of reporting infrastructure/inefficiencies and how have you brought organization and solutions-implementation. I have observed that many organizations have siloed departments, causing friction and inefficiency in workflow processes. This disconnects strategy and execution. Additionally, many departments lack standardized procedures for work. This often results in work being done in Excel files and communication happening on separate applications, creating a major issue of document sprawl. By utilizing Smartsheet, I have helped teams transition from this chaos to a systematic approach that meets the needs of each department. This limits the need for manual reporting and provides easy access to important information through automated roll-up and consumption.
What’s your process? I assist companies in modernizing their work processes by utilizing the Smartsheet platform. I begin by conducting a thorough examination of the client’s current operations through a Discovery call. The number of calls may vary depending on the size and complexity of the organization. After gaining a comprehensive understanding of the client’s needs, I carefully plan and design a tailored solution within Smartsheet. I then provide training to ensure the client can effectively utilize the new system and best practices. The end result is often improved efficiency, better visibility, and greater control over work processes.
