Life Traveling as a Consultant
By: Abigail Williams, Associate Consultant
Much like having busy periods of project work, traveling for projects as a consultant can often come in waves. You can go from not having to travel for a few months to a jam-packed month of workshops, visiting different cities, and meeting various customers.
But, one thing is for sure, working as a consultant is always exciting! In a month (or sometimes a week), you may need to meet a customer to participate in workshops, conduct a training session, or support validation testing. As an Associate Consultant (or any other consultant at Veeva), you really get to hit the ground running and participate in on-site workshops right from the start of your first project.
Fresh out of my training I packed my suitcase, put on my new blazer, and headed to the airport. I officially felt like a business traveler! I was both excited and nervous — I didn’t know what to expect from my first on-site workshop. Luckily everything went smoothly, and ultimately it was great to meet the customer and to put faces to the names (pre-covid).
When working and traveling as a consultant, it’s crucial to remain flexible. There can be workshops and other on-site meetings that aren’t always planned far in advance. Being prepared for any changes to your schedule, meetings, or workshops is a must.
Here’s an example:
During my first project, I had known that we’d have to travel to Belgium to meet with the customer and roll out our first set of workshops.
However, the customer was very eager to get started and we ended up moving up the project timelines. I had to switch gears and book a quick flight to Brussels and find a nearby hotel all before that following Monday!
Being able to work with customers in person is a great benefit of traveling as a consultant. It allows you and your team to develop stronger relationships with the customer. You have the opportunity to learn more about the company, its products, and how it operates.
Not only are you meeting the customer face to face, but you are also spending time with your Veeva colleagues. Since the nature of the consultant role at Veeva is working remotely, the project team can consist of Veevans from different countries and cities. Even though you don’t see them every day, you still speak to your team every day… and sometimes multiple times a day. So, it’s always special when we do get together as a team. We get to spend time catching up over dinner and preparing for the upcoming days’ activities.
Months before COVID struck, I had the opportunity to travel to many different cities within Europe and abroad for my projects, internal meetings, and events. When I tell people I traveled to Sweden, Switzerland, Czech Republic, the US, and the UK all in the span of a few months, their reaction is often something like:
“wow, you are really getting to see the world!”
Of course, when you travel so often, you will inevitably encounter a few hiccups along the way. Delayed flights, lost luggage, flights canceled due to snow and wind, and forgotten power adapters are all things that will happen from time to time. At the moment, it can seem incredibly frustrating, but it is really best to shake and laugh it off. You learn to expect the unexpected and understand that some things are just out of your control!
Is the life of a Consultant right for you?
Well, if visiting different cities, learning about the customer and their business, getting together with your team after a busy day of workshops, or putting in hard work on-the-go to ensure customer success appeals to you, then this gig might be right for you!
