SetSchedule CEO and co-founder Roy Dekel said, “Daniel has excelled in all of his endeavors over the past six years. I am proud of what he has done, and look forward to seeing what he has yet to accomplish.”
As Chief Client Officer, Parzivand’s role will be to ensure that the collective voices of real estate professionals and the clients they serve are incorporated into the strategy of SetSchedule operations. He will lead all customer-facing operations, from initial customer engagement to ongoing customer success and concierge services. This includes leading the company’s national pre- and post-sales teams.We sat down with Parzivand to learn more about him and what he will bring to his new role at SetSchedule.
How has your personal journey led you to this new role at SetSchedule?
My journey began at a Starbucks in Brentwood, CA, where I sat with a friend, the current CCO of the company, Udi Dorner. He asked me, "Do you want to be part of something bigger than just yourself, or are you just trying to make money?" This was a trigger for me and a huge realization that I am at the point in my life that I can have more than just a job, I can be a part of something greater. Based on this conversation, I had decisions to make.
I had an opportunity to either continue to work in my lucrative family business or branch out on my own and help to build something new with cutting-edge technologies. I decided to dive headfirst into SetSchedule and started to work hand in hand with Udi Dorner and SetSchedule CEO Roy Dekel on building a company and executing our joint vision of an agnostic real estate platform.
What does customer service mean to you?
My passion is not just meeting customer expectations, but blowing them out of the water. With such a great product and team to rely on, I have been able to make a real difference in the spectacular growth of SetSchedule.
I have a client-centric philosophy of service. My goal is to create a culture that understands and addresses both the real estate professional and the home shopper’s needs and experience. In our case, positive engagement with our clients correlates directly with their success, so I am very focused on the journey a client would take with our technology platform.
Our client services are not about just providing the information, or providing the tools and walking away. We want clients to engage with us and leave with the knowledge to develop their business infrastructure and identify opportunities to make more commission. This is why we have developed one-on-one training, webinars, monthly check-ins, rating systems, surveys, quality controls, concierge, and so much more.
What are you passionate about?
I have many passions that I have developed both inside and outside of work. Working in the tech space, I have a natural passion for all technology, and use this with all of my hobbies, from grilling the perfect steak to building a personal computer.
Through my experience with SetSchedule, I have also nurtured my passion for self-education, improvement, and mentorship. I enjoy not just the ability to grow myself with the company, but to see and assist in the growth of others to reach their potential.
What are some of the most important lessons you’ve learned in your time at SetSchedule?
The most important lesson I've learned while working with SetSchedule is to hold myself accountable for my successes and failures. Whether you are a team member who falls short or in management, we hold ourselves responsible. By not blaming others for our shortcomings, we learn the cause of falling short of our goals.
One example is when I set up an automation that failed, which caused a sale not to count towards a team member's sales bonus. I stayed in the office late to fix the problem and made sure my team received credit. I also took full responsibility and made sure that management and his peers knew about it.
Personal accountability coupled with the mindset of understanding that you're going to fail taught me to never give up. Failure brings success.
What kind of leader are you?
My leadership has greatly evolved over the past five years. I started with managing a group of five individuals and now manage over 80 team members. My passion translates to a softer management style. I have invested time in hearing out and understanding my team's concerns. It's important to remember that our workforce, the SetSchedulians, are the bloodline of the company. Without the team, SetSchedule wouldn't be where it is today.
We're interested in team members that are looking for a long-term career, and we reward them for staying with us. After 90 days of working for SetSchedule, we hold a review meeting where we discuss not how an employee fits in with SetSchedule, but how they want SetSchedule to fit into their life. This leads management to heavily invest in our employees. If a team member fails, it's on me to make sure we provided enough training, mentorship, and tools to allow them to be successful. If not, how can we say, as managers, that we did everything we could?
How are things different now than when SetSchedule started in 2014?
The biggest difference since 2014 would be the company's vision and how it evolved from simply identifying and partnering with top agents to investing in and establishing long-term relationships with hungry agents, providing the best experience for our clients, realtors, and home shoppers. This has allowed us to expand our team structure by adding team managers that are focused on an individual goal for each of their departments.
Not only has the company’s vision changed tremendously, but SetSchedule completely evolved when we launched our technology in 2016. After that massive transformation, we went from face-to-face appointments to having the ability to help agents get to the finish line with the help of our software and technology. SetSchedule has continued to become a true “tech company” after that. We grew from a team of 3 to almost 120 employees, starting in California and expanding nationally.
What do you hope to accomplish in your new role?
Growing into a position that was not previously established will allow me to shape the role and how it fits with SetSchedule's vision. I aim to provide SetSchedul'es clients with the ability to reach their goals. My goal is to help answer, "What can SetSchedule do for me? "
Whether you're a real estate professional or a home shopper, we will set the right expectations so our clients can proficiently utilize our services and tools. I want my clients to know that the Chief Client Officer of SetSchedule will do what is needed to ensure their objectives are our priority.
What advice do you have for others looking to be leaders in customer relations?
Be patient. Nothing good comes easy and everything worth having takes time. If you don't have patience, you can't train, you can't advise, and you can't teach.
The ability to understand your clients and identify their pain points translates into actionable plans. This skill takes time to develop, understand, and implement.
Parzivand has been instrumental in SetSchedule’s continuous growth over the past few years, and the company is looking forward to seeing what other achievements to come with the new CCO.