When Patricia Ucros’ father urged her to move to the U.S., at first she was not crazy about the idea. In retrospect, however, she is glad she did it, having now created a life for herself here that she loves.
Born in Bogota, Colombia, Ucros graduated from college with a degree in education. She spent three years teaching third grade, which she enjoyed a lot, before heeding her father’s advice and moving to South Florida.
At Segpay, we’re always trying to help develop new solutions for our merchants.
Before working at Segpay, she was employed by a chemical manufacturer and distributor as part of a sales team that covered South and Central America. When COVID hit the business hard — a lot of their products came from China — she decided to pivot to a new career path.
After applying to several places, she met Segpay’s president and CEO, Cathy Beardsley. Ucros found Beardsley easy to relate to. The two hit it off right away, talking about their kids and pets, and Ucros made the decision to accept the position based on Beardsley’s warm welcome.
At the time, she was unfamiliar with the industry — but that quickly changed. Now, after four years as a Segpay account manager, she says she would not change a thing, and sheds light on her journey thus far as our WIA Woman of the Month.
XBIZ: How has your role at Segpay evolved since joining the company?
UCROS: I started as a sales support representative, but I’m always striving to grow and learn and Segpay noticed that. As time went on, I was given more and more accounts to manage. Now, I attend trade shows and manage my own book of accounts. I love working with our merchants. Seeing them at shows in person is an extra bonus.
XBIZ: How would you describe your collaboration style when working with other team members?
UCROS: I’m always open to new ideas. Also, some describe me as having a bubbly, positive personality, and I guess it’s true. I enjoy talking with people and I’m told that comes across to others. I think it’s important to have a positive outlook. A smile makes you approachable and when you work with such a great team, both merchants and colleagues, it’s easy to smile all the time.
XBIZ: What’s your elevator pitch when you pursue new business opportunities?
UCROS: For me, it’s easy to sell Segpay. First, it has a great family feeling. I always like to mention to merchants that they will have direct contact with any of our sales team, including our CEO, Cathy. She is always willing to jump on a call with any merchant. We also focus on developing solutions our merchants need for success.
For example, this year Segpay added the option of making our content creator payout Segcard a virtual card. We also expanded our payment solutions to include SEPA, allowing our EU merchants to have another alternative payment option.
Working here is rewarding too. We were even named a South Florida Top Workplace this year for putting our employees first. Most companies can't say that.
XBIZ: How do you go about checking in with current clients to ensure their needs are being met?
UCROS: Good communication is the key to client success! So I really appreciate the technology available to make speaking to someone so simple. Software like Skype allows us to speak together online or face to face, no matter where a client lives. If you ever walk by my desk, you’ll often find I have a ton of chats open.
XBIZ: During this past year, were you involved with any fresh initiatives that turned out to be successful?
UCROS: At Segpay, we’re always trying to help develop new solutions for our merchants. This year, we put a lot of effort into simplifying our client portal. We worked with our production team, sharing ideas on how to make it more user-friendly for merchants. I think it’s been a big help.
XBIZ: How do you stay organized in a meaningful way?
UCROS: To be organized, you must have a good routine. My work routine consists of concentrating on one task at a time. In this fast-paced world, it’s easy to jump around and get pulled in so many directions. You can easily feel overwhelmed. You really have to take a breath and stay on task until what you’re working on is completed.
XBIZ: When you’re not working, what hobbies or passions do you pursue?
UCROS: When I’m not working, I enjoy spending time with my family. I have two kids, 18 and 20 years old, and an adorable French bulldog named Tank. He is awesome. I also have a hobby I inherited from my dad: I really enjoy going to antique car shows. I am the proud owner of a 1953 Nash Healey. It is so fun to drive. I also love dancing, spending time with friends and traveling the world.
XBIZ: Tell us about any major personal or professional goals you have for the coming year.
UCROS: I am always looking for ways to grow and learn, and being a part of this industry teaches me new things every day. From ever-changing compliance regulations, to the addition of new solutions for our merchants, the learning never stops. Cathy and my teammates at Segpay are great mentors. I am so proud to be part of it. I also learn from our merchants. By finding out what their pain points are, I can help our team develop solutions and hopefully take that pain away. Segpay’s tagline is really true. We always want to be there for our merchants, “All the Way to Paid.”
Each month, XBIZ spotlights the career accomplishments and outstanding contributions of Women in Adult. WIA profiles offer an intimate look at the professional lives of the industry’s most influential female executives.
