William Aaron Kelly: designIQ Employee of the Quarter

William Kelly As a customer-focused creative company, designIQ recognizes how important it is to understand the client’s needs and wants for innovative digital strategies. DesignIQ employees possess foresight with a friendly voice, talents and skills, all of which our Employee of the Quarter, William Aaron Kelly, has mastered wonderfully. Having this type of foresight is an incredible gift and one of the main reasons Aaron received this award. As a Customer Experience Coordinator (CEC), his ability to see the next moves for our clients and their business is a huge benefit to not only the team but clients as well. Aaron has an outgoing, warm personality, something he feels helps him each day. “We are required to interact, work, and relate more effectively with people on all sides of the spectrum in this position,” he said. “This really exercises the need for interpersonal skills.”

Originally from the southern Indiana city of Santa Claus, he moved to Muncie, IN to study Journalism at Ball State University (CHIRP CHIRP). After graduating from BSU in 2013, Aaron initially wanted to follow the footsteps of famous alum, David Letterman, by hosting his own talk show. He later found more interest in Public Relations and Marketing, which brought him to designIQ in the first place. Aaron has been with designIQ since February 2014. Having recently moved to be part of the Customer Experience team and he has really made a name for himself with clients and colleagues as the ‘Customer Experience Rockstar’. While starting with designIQ as an imaging specialist, Aaron’s passion to learn from all experiences led him to transition to a print and digital artist, where he shined. A co-worker had this to say about his transition, “Aaron is a great representative for the Customer Experience team and was a reliable and creative artist before he joined. He is missed as a designer on the production side, but I am glad that he has taken his professional design demeanor with him to be able to improve the customer experience.”

Six Years and Still Learning Something New Every Day

The beauty of the digital experience is learning something new every day. By partnering with designIQ, you will experience new, exciting strategies or solutions that are catered to your needs, no matter your geographical location. This innovative approach to digital solutions is what helps ignite the flame in Aaron every day he comes to the office.

Aaron tasks himself to become enriched with knowledge daily, as well as helping himself grow within designIQ. “I believe that I have gained way more interpersonal skills because I am required to put myself in others’ shoes and become a little more empathetic to what our customers and clients are looking for when it comes to advertising for their business,” he said. Helping clients discover new and exciting ways to implement our digital strategies is another one of the many things keeping Aaron happy with our company and his team.

Communication is Key to designIQ and Aaron’s Success

Utilizing excellent communication skills is imperative for almost any position, but this is especially true in Aaron’s position at designIQ. His communication style includes not only giving his clients proper and up-to-date information but also listening to them and addressing their needs. His previous manager, Jared Harlacher, believes Aaron exemplifies the values of designIQ. “He always puts the customer first and goes above and beyond to get them an answer or get ads delivered on time,” Jared said. “He embodies the Customer Experience mindset, and listens to exactly what is being asked, thinks through the best solution, and delivers on expectations. With his knowledge of the department and his can-do attitude, Aaron has helped improve communication with clients in a short amount of time.”

Teamwork Makes the Dream Work at designIQ

There are many people Aaron attributes his success to at designIQ. It takes a great team to get everything accomplished for our clients. “I honestly want to thank all of the CCs [Creative Consultants]/CSMs [Client Service Managers]/Account handlers, everyone else in customer experience, and all the coaches and artists I work with,” Aaron said. “I think everyone has been amazing with showing gratitude and always willing to work for each other. These jobs can’t be done alone, and it really takes all of us to work together to make this business succeed.”
At designIQ, we all work together closely to assist our clients while finding solutions to their digital experience and advertisement needs. Daily, Aaron exemplifies positivity and passion for his job by lifting his team up and pushing them to excel. He embodies the customer experience mindset by listening to the needs of our clients, thinking through the best solution, and delivering on expectations decided on for each project. We thank Aaron for bringing his positivity and ability to reduce unnecessary work, he effectively communicates between artists, the clients, and other team members to provide exemplary solutions.

Prepared, Focused, and Dedicated to Success

DesignIQ offers a magnitude of solutions to our clients and Aaron has taken advantage of his position as an intermediary to learn about roles outside his own department. In doing so, he has learned substantial technological skills, particularly when it comes to troubleshooting IT problems. Aaron speaks more on his time in designIQ: “I have definitely gained way more a sense of appreciation for the work that is done here in this position.” His determination to learn and bettering himself in management skills will benefit our clients thanks to the planning, decision-making, and delegation of projects.

Aaron isn’t all work. Indianapolis attracted Aaron because he wanted to live in a bigger city. Spending his time out of the house and always on the move, he finds ways to hang out in the metro area. Thanks to the busy nightlife schedule of Indy, he doesn’t run out of things to do. There is always something new to discover, food to try, shows to see, and people and animals to meet. Speaking of animals, for the past two and a half years, Aaron has worked weekends at the Indianapolis Zoo, helping residents find their way around the exhibits and introducing them to exotic and exciting new species. His thirst for knowledge extends from his personal life to his career. Taking his hunger for more knowledge and infectious laugh, he feels ready and prepared wherever his career may take, thanks to his time spent on the Customer Experience team at designIQ. William Aaron Kelly is a true team player and will continue to grow, learn, and thrive.