Highlight Story
We want to showcase real success stories from our colleagues to highlight what is possible and celebrate their achievements.
Today, we recognize Sammi Hakeem and the Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA) for their smart, practical use of Qualtrics to improve the agency's handling of public inquiries and business leads. What started as a simple website update turned into a new lead‑management system that now supports key decision‑making across the agency.
Agency: IEDA - Iowa Economic Development and Finance Authority
Creator: Sammi Hakeem
Project: Qualtrics Intake and Lead Generation Modernization
Details: The International Trade team asked Communications to remove staff names from the public website and replace them with a form that would send inquiries to the correct person. The team wanted to protect staff privacy, improve the user experience, and gather better information about who was reaching out, where they were from, and how quickly the team responded. This data will help shape future performance measures. The team first suggested using Microsoft Forms, but Sammi identified an opportunity to use Qualtrics instead and make this the agency’s first pilot project.
The project delivered more than an intake form. It created a foundation for managing leads. The International Trade team now has a database of new contacts they can export at any time, along with improved insight into requests and response times.
The success of this project quickly spread. Before the International Trade form was even finalized, another need came up for a Business Development lead‑generation form. Because the two teams work closely together, expanding the Qualtrics setup was simple. As IEDA prepares to launch a new business marketing website with one main call to action, connecting businesses with an Iowa liaison, the Qualtrics form became essential to the process.
Sammi and the team built the new survey to collect important information from companies interested in expanding or relocating to Iowa. After a form is submitted, a workflow assigns the request to the correct Business Development team member based on industry. This reduces time spent delegating work and helps the team respond faster. The collected data will support future performance measures and allow IEDA to re‑engage with leads as they move through the marketing process.
This project shows how thoughtful design and the right tools can improve services and create repeatable solutions for the entire agency.
Great job Sammi and IEDA.