Getronics Day in the Life Profiles

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Wed., Nov. 19, 2008

Myrna, Customer Service Representative, Southern Region

Please realize that each job opening for which Getronics hires is different, so the duties of anyone profiled herein may not correspond to those of another person with the same job title.

Q: What do you do in your job?

Myrna: I monitor all in-warranty equipment for [a government customer in New York] that come through the [Web] interface. All calls that come in through the interface begin in EN status which is electronically new. I also update all current calls with updates that make sense to anyone who needs to look at the call. That is my main responsibility. I make sure that my queue is up to date before taking on any other projects within this account.

Q: Can you take us through your typical steps in handling a call?

Myrna: I verify that the hardware is still under warranty and if not, I will route the call to the department that handles equipment that is not in warranty. If the equipment is in warranty, I will contact the vendor and place the service call with them on behalf of the school. Once the service call has been placed, the vendor provides me with a reference number and that number allows me to track the progress of the call from start to finish. Once the call has been completed, I will then make sure that the call has been closed out in their system.

Q: Where can problems arise in the support process and how do you deal with those?

Myrna: The equipment must have onsite warranty for me to handle the call. If it has a partial warranty for parts or labor, the call will be routed to the department that handles all out of warranty equipment. When contacting the vendor, they may tell me that the equipment appears to have physical damage. Whether it was done intentionally or not, they will not accept the call and the warranty will be voided. I then send the call back to their helpdesk. If the customer agrees and we get approval to process the call, then I email the proper group to let them know that they have a new call, and I will change the information for the call such as the call type and the assigned tech[nician]. These types of calls are usually handled by the out of warranty department. Also, each service call must have one asset per incident. If there are multiple assets on a service call, I send the call back to the helpdesk where they separate the assets and resubmit the call.

Q: How have your duties changed over time?

Myrna: I have been given additional duties. I monitor several other queues within this account. I monitor corrective maintenance for out of warranty server calls. I notify this group whenever there is a new call and monitor the call to make sure that there are timely updates on the calls. I also monitor the queue where rejected calls reside -- calls that tried to come in through the [Web] interface but were rejected for various reasons. I attempt to correct the reason for rejection and resubmit the calls through to the interface. Another queue I monitor is the exception queue: this is for calls that either need to be created manually due to a problem with the interface or calls that are already in our interface but the system automatically rejects. I also serve as backup to the other people working on this account within our department.

I interact with the customer's helpdesk and research whatever information is needed. I am part of the escalation team and provide any current updates that the helpdesk may ask for. I work closely with the other account team members and assist in anyway I can. With all the questions and all the situations that may arise, you become very knowledgeable quickly: I'm able to look at the serial number of the equipment and can pretty much tell if it is in warranty before I actually verify it. I am, in essence, a help desk within a helpdesk!

Q: How do you keep yourself motivated and upbeat?

Myrna: This account has over 1,800 sites, so it keeps you very busy. I communicate with just about everyone on this account except - ironically - the onsite customers. I love doing this job; everyday is a new challenge. I have learned more about New York than I ever imagined, though I have never been there.

Things have fallen into place very nicely: We have systems to facilitate fast communications with the vendors, and we have been able to reduce the backlog we had with this account. Calls that used to be open a week, can be now closed within a couple of days. The phone calls to the vendors used to take approximately 45 minutes per couple of calls and now that number has dropped dramatically. Now I can place the service calls through the vendors' websites or through email and I can track any and all updates that way as well. We have hit 100% SLA consistently since December 2003 and my goal is to be at 100% each and every month.

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7:30am: I run a daily report to see how many new calls have come in. I go through the system to make sure that the requests are not duplicate calls, that the call contains all the appropriate information, and that the information given is correct. It usually takes 15-25 minutes to review all the calls. Once the call review is completed I then start contacting the vendors. Some vendors have west coast call centers so I have to wait until 9:00 am.

9:30am: I have my first break which last 15 minutes. It is usually beautiful here [in this part of the US] so we hang out outside. There are usually 2-5 other people outside from various departments in the company. We talk about things that aren't work related.

9:45am: I have most calls updated by this time and I check the interface for any new calls. The more work that needs to be done as phone calls or emails, the more time-consuming it will be. In the beginning it took longer because we had a vendor that was refusing about 95% of the calls due to needing more information. I have been able to determine which calls the vendor will accept and which calls I will send back to their helpdesk so that the missing information gets provided.

11:30am: Time for lunch. My lunch is 1/2 hour and I usually stay in but sometimes I go out. We hang out in the break room discussing anything but work. As soon as I walk away from my desk for lunch I turn my mind off of anything work-related.

12:00pm: I am back at work and will run a new report to see if there is anything new. Between me and Kari, who is on my team, we cover it all. When a call first comes in, she does the research for the call, making sure that the correct information has been provided. Then she sends the calls through to the interface. Once the call has been sent through, I take over. When a call needs to be escalated, it is handled by one of us.

2:00pm: My second and last break of the day. Again, it is 15 minutes.

2:15pm: I am back and usually have lots of questions that need to be answered: Is this call a duplicate? Is there an alternate phone number and/or contact? Can you please re-open a call that has been closed in error? Can you tell me the status of this call? These questions come in from the helpdesk, from the other groups within this account and from the Program Manager.

Early on, I asked a lot of questions. If I make a mistake, I am the kind of person who makes sure that I do not make the same mistake again. I have great support from the Call Center Manager and the Call Center Supervisor. They have been really wonderful in helping me and finding an answer for me when needed.

4:00pm: By the time I leave for the day, every call that should have been updated for the day has been taken care of. I keep a spreadsheet of all the open calls that I monitor. I make sure that my spreadsheet is updated and it lets me know which calls will need updates the next day. This has been an enormous help because it prevents me from missing any call updates. I always make sure that I know where I left off and that has helped me manage all the calls in a timely manner.

I really like what I do. I have held management positions in other companies in the past that are very stressful but I have really learned to like just managing myself. However, I am always up for a new challenge, and more responsibility. I leave work each day with no stress.

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