At Ascend, we strive to provide opportunities for employees to stretch their skills and advance their careers by moving among business segments, brands and teams, driving personal and team growth while creating a culture where people love what they do, take ownership and are empowered to pursue new career opportunities within the company so we “hire our own talent.”

After serving as a client services consultant with Ascend brand MedHub for nearly three years, Emma Sartwell moved into a senior client services role in June 2021. Eight months later, she transitioned to an associate product owner and then quickly accelerated to a product owner role, where she identifies and prioritizes upcoming changes and enhancements to MedHub systems. Emma also acts as the liaison between internal functions, ensuring clear visibility and communication among client success, support, implementation, training and consultants.

Ascend Communications (AC): How did your previous role in client support prepare you to make your move into a product position?

Emma Sartwell (ES): It gave me an incredible amount of platform knowledge, but more importantly, a close relationship with daily users. My intimate knowledge of client pain points and the insights I gained from these interactions are invaluable in my new role and allow me to deliver highly valuable small enhancements.

AC: How would you describe your former team?

ES: My former team was incredible — the best, most dedicated group of individuals I’ve ever had the privilege of working with. The passion this team showed cemented my own dedication to the platform and our clients. Working in a support role is both taxing and rewarding. I’m most proud of the grit we have shown in the more taxing times, ensuring that our work was of the highest quality even when we were overwhelmed by the volume.

“Moving from a support role to a product role at another company would have been truly difficult without product experience, but this was much less of a leap within Ascend. I already knew the platform, teams and industry, and more importantly, everyone knew me. They knew what my resume could not say — that I would be successful in the new role.“

AC: Can you tell us more about your experience making your move?

ES: My move came after encouragement from both my manager on the support team and from my future manager on the product team. Throughout my time in [client] support, I had pushed the boundaries of my responsibilities, opting to engage as a consultant for other teams in a way that was not traditionally a support role. I believe it was clear to the organization that my client insights and platform knowledge could be valuable earlier in the development pipeline.

AC: How are you settling into your new role?

ES: I’m surrounded by talented, passionate, and dedicated individuals. Every team I have the pleasure of interacting with is unafraid to voice concerns and advocate for what they need. This indicates a foundation of strong values.

AC: Do you have any words of encouragement for others who are considering “making their move?”

ES: Moving to another role internally often allows you to make a move that would not be possible otherwise, and it benefits everyone to have talented individuals grow their talents further. In my case, I was interested in product work at MedHub, but moving from a support role to a product role at another company would have been truly difficult without product experience.

This was much less of a leap within Ascend. I already knew the platform, teams and industry and “only” needed to learn the product role. More importantly, everyone knew me. They knew what my resume could not say — that I would be successful in the new role.

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When team members move to new roles across Ascend, they grow their skills and stretch their capabilities within a company they already know, maintain their benefits and connections with colleagues, and teams gain an employee already invested in the work, mission and culture — one that can ramp up quickly and bring legacy knowledge to their new role. To learn more about career opportunities at Ascend, visit our Careers page.