Can you describe your role as a Key Account Manager at Avinode? 

As Key Account Manager of the US, I am responsible for growing long-term relationships with our 15 most strategic accounts who are key players in the industry. As far as my day to day – it’s constantly different. If I’m not traveling for an onsite visit, I am working to meet each account’s performance objectives and member’s expectations through various projects, and conducting user training. 

What kinds of things do you work on and think about? 

I seek to understand the ins and outs of our members’ business, both on a long term and day-to-day basis. I want to know their challenges, short- and long term goals, and the initiatives they’re working on. It’s important to make sure we as a company are staying aligned with what their plans are. In my conversations, I’m collecting feedback and general thoughts on where the industry is going. I take that information back to our teams so we can build out our roadmaps and make sure that we’re addressing the challenges and pain points of our customers. 

Any megatrends you’re seeing? What are the leading aviation companies up to? 

With key accounts, we are seeing a lot of consolidation. There have been a few significant acquisitions and mergers in the private aviation space. Many of these companies now have a global reach.

We’re also seeing an increase in APIs and the desire to move to a more digital way of buying and selling. Our members want to be able to reach their clients through mobile phones – to enable them to request aircraft, to see all of their flight planning, to be updated on billing, and so on. I would say those are the two biggest trends we’re seeing now. 

In terms of technology, how do you think strategically about the needs of key accounts?

I try to combine information that I hear from going out and talking with our key accounts. Let’s say a member is dealing with X, Y and Z problem, I might outline those problems in my next meeting with another client and see if they’re experiencing similar issues. It can give me a sense if something is a company-specific pain point or an actual industry pain point.

What’s life like in Avinode’s Miami office?

We’re a close group of Noders who have similar interests. It makes coming to work fun every day. We have unofficial DJ battles in the office, one hour someone puts on old school jams and the next hour it’s salsa and merengue. Our office has an open floor concept, standing desks and multiple breakout conference rooms, which allows us to collaborate often. Every quarter we do Noder days, where offsite team building occurs. We also do fika on Thursdays, a Swedish tradition that consists of coffee and something sweet, like a cookie or cake. However, our fikas are very different, we enjoy savory snacks. We have a charcuterie spread, chips, guacamole, sometimes we will have something sweet if there’s a birthday.

And what is Ashley Ramos up to outside of work hours? 

I enjoy catching up with family, friends, and checking out new workout classes. I’m a huge fan of ClassPass. I also consider myself a foodie. I love going out to eat and finding cool, new restaurants. But I like going with people who share so I can try more things. That’s a must, you have to go halfsies!