Author: Melissa Sanchez
Melissa is a student employee with Technology Services and is a senior at Illinois majoring in Communications.
The WebStore is a well-oiled machine where Illinois students, faculty and staff can download software for some of the best prices available. Anyone who has used it can thank ecommerce administrator Kate Sammons and her team for the easy access.
What is your role on campus and when did you start?
I started at the beginning of fall semester in 2021. The last three years have really flown by while I have grown into my role and made it my own. I am part of the customer service side of the WebStore. We are a small team of three people who get students and staff registered with licenses, help with installing and activating software, maintain software version releases, store inventory, and administer on-premises license managers as well as consolidated enterprise accounts such as Adobe and ArcGIS Online for the University of Illinois.
The other members of our team handle contract negotiations, accounting and our server and database integrations. We aim to make high value software accessible and affordable for every member of the University of Illinois across the three campuses of Urbana-Champaign, Chicago and Springfield.
What's the best thing about your current role?
I enjoy the blend of customer service, technical problem solving and administrative duties. WebStore is a fun and friendly place for university customers to discover savings and convenience. I am a frugal person myself but enjoy shopping so finding and making use of good bargains is certainly down my alley. The range of different questions that come to me from end users, administrators and IT Pros in a single day keeps things interesting. Helping brilliant minds in a vibrant educational, research and higher learning environment is everything that I could ask for. I also really appreciate the nice group of folks on my team.
What does a typical day look like for you?
Emails and help tickets take the highest priority, so I respond to those first. In between tickets, there are numerous maintenance tasks to manage the store and U of I enterprise software accounts. I also wear several other smaller hats, such as writing and coordinating our help articles, events, communications and customer emails, and working on front end website changes. WebStore has main cycles that revolve around contract beginning and end dates, end user subscription expirations and school semesters. So, the duties and responsibilities in a day will vary a lot depending on where we are at within these cycles.
What do you feel like has been one of your biggest accomplishments in this role?
We are proud of the excellent quality and selection of software that we offer with an educational discount in WebStore. There really is something for everyone and we are always ready and eager to expand our catalog and bring value to each department. We deliver the best deal on software when multiple units need it because we can negotiate a better price with larger groups of customers. Another word for this type of business approach is academic volume licensing.
Before joining WebStore, I worked in other IT roles in both small and large companies. Providing great service in software licensing and distribution inside the complex and interconnected University of Illinois system is a new and different accomplishment and one that I have really enjoyed. There is a significant amount of customization we do for individuals and groups because of the amazing diversity here. In the fast-moving world of software and the continuing growth in knowledge and research, there will always be new questions to answer and new ways to approach the changing needs of the organization. Staying on top of that, making things convenient for the customer and anticipating necessary changes before they happen is enough to feel like a big accomplishment for me so far!
Best Tech Tip? What is one piece of insight about technology you've learned?
There are a lot more services that we provide behind the scenes when delivering a new offer to U of I customers. But we are only as useful as the software that people want and use. And if there is one thing that is true about technology, it is that it changes constantly. So, if you need a new software product that meets university needs and conditions or feel that one of our current products should be replaced or updated with a new alternative, please send us your suggestions or comments.
Keep your password manager handy because we are seeing more software services moving to a subscription-based model that requires an individual account and personal identification.
I am an expert in...
Representational oil painting. Before I started a career in IT, I painted photorealistic oil paintings for galleries and private commissions. I have done painting commissions for HBO Veep show, the Los Angeles Country Club and shown work at the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery.
What's one hobby you have outside of work?
Playing with our new kittens! Our six-month-old sisters, flame point Siamese kittens are so different in personality, but both absolutely live to play. They are very smart though and get bored easily, so I am always trying to produce new ideas and ways to keep them entertained. Now they are enthralled with bubbles and one of them has taken to jumping in the bath.
Fun fact about yourself
I designed and painted the US Postal Service Literary Arts Stamp for Henry James as a commission for the US Postal Service, which was published in 2016. Soon afterward, I transitioned to a career in IT. By 2019, I had earned my Cisco Certified Network Associate certificate.
“Behind the Screens” is a series of stories highlighting a different member of Technology Services each month so that you can get to know who we are and what we do for our university.