Nicoll Maligaya is a FIXE Senior Lead who lives in Cavite, a city that’s located south of Manila in the Philippines. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration and Accountancy from De La Salle University, majoring in Agribusiness Management. Before a relative connected her with FIXE in June 2022, Nicoll worked as a shift leader in a convenience store, where she tracked sales and created end of day reports. At FIXE, she has risen from an Assistant Account Manager to an Account Manager and now a Senior Lead. FIXE has also become a family business. Nicoll’s sister, husband, and husband’s cousin also work for FIXE.
How did you find FIXE?
I think FIXE found me. A relative of mine was an employee here before in FIXE. She asked me to join FIXE and referred me to [co-founder] Scott [Leabman]. It was perfect timing, since I was on maternity leave at that time.
What initially appealed to you about working for FIXE?
1) Career Growth and Development. New environment, new learning, new skills to develop, and building new relationships.
2) Earning Potential. We all need money, and I know this will help me save more than my previous job, especially that I have a baby to feed and raise.
How has your role with FIXE evolved since you started in 2022?
I was an Assistant Account Manager and supported some of the Account Managers from the Stateside team. Then in October 2023, [FIXE Director of Operations] Olivia [Buley] asked me if I was interested in becoming a full time Account Manager. I was excited about stepping up my game and knew that I could do the job.
What are some of the biggest life skills you’ve learned from working at FIXE?
1) Communication is critical. Addressing and resolving issues quickly is essential to success, whether working with clients or team members.
2) Time management. Using time effectively to send the reports when they’re due, file sales taxes without penalty, and pay bills on time.
3) Decision making and problem solving. Collaborating with our team.
What are some of your favorite ways to help FIXE clients?
Promptly answering client questions, providing P&L reports, and reconciling accounts.
What are some of your favorite aspects or most satisfying parts of your job?
Since I became a Senior Lead, the satisfying part is when I get to answer all of the questions from Account Managers and support members. Then meeting them once a week, I get to bond with them and develop friendships.
How do you prefer communicating with clients, email, phone, text, some other way? What would you say the best practices are for maintaining FIXE client relationships?
I communicate with my clients through email and text, depending on what they prefer.
Best practices for me are strong communication and quickly addressing client requests. Satisfy them with service.
Do you prefer if your clients over-communicate or under-communicate, and why?
I really do prefer if clients over-communicate. It doesn’t matter if every day I wake up with a bunch of emails.
What are your goals for the future with FIXE?
As a Senior Lead today, moving forward, my goal is to keep our team productive, motivated and connected with one another. I want to train and offer support to new team members that join FIXE and help them develop the skills necessary to succeed.
Who have been your biggest mentors at FIXE and what have they taught you? Could you tell us one thing that each of those people have taught you that it’s been really valuable?
I have spoken with everyone on the FIXE team. Everyone has taught me so much, including how to handle Ottimate (formerly Plate IQ), bank feeds, and client communications. They’ve been a big help.
My biggest mentors were Scott and Olivia. Olivia molded me to be an Account Manager and now a Senior Lead. Scott was patient teaching me how to do accounts receivable, step-by-step process reconciliation, and how to communicate with vendors.
