We’re starting 2019 with a bang! Each year, Supplier Global Resource, an ASI magazine, names one Customer Service Rep of the Year and one Supplier Sales Rep of the Year. They chose our Customer Service Specialist, Brenda, as their Customer Service Rep of the Year based on nominations from her customers!
I had the chance to sit down with Brenda to talk about her big win and get to know a little more about her. I’m sure Brenda’s customers in the South would love to know a little more about the person they nominated for this award!
Alexis: Congratulations Brenda! As a little background, what did you do before you joined the Crystal D team?
Brenda: I’ve always worked in customer service. I delivered newspapers as a teenager, and I moved into restaurant management as an adult. Everything in between was also customer service. Then in 2013, I joined the customer service department at Crystal D.
Alexis: How did you feel when you found out you were named the Supplier Global Resource Customer Service Rep of the Year?
Brenda: It’s an absolutely amazing feeling. To be nominated by my customers and my peers was so wonderful. To win an award for doing something I love which is helping people? That’s incredible.
Alexis: What motivates you to deliver world-class customer service?
Brenda: I love helping people. Because of the way I do my job, they feel great. And when they feel great, I feel great!
Alexis: Outside of customer service, what’s your biggest motivation in life?
Brenda: We are only given one life. My biggest motivation is my daughter, Ana. I want to make sure she’s set and has the tools to have a wonderful life. If there are challenges, I want her to know how to overcome them and move on.
Alexis: What’s the number one tip you’d share with others to enhance their customer service skills?
Brenda: Smile when you’re helping customers. Even if it’s over the phone, people can tell when you’re smiling. If you smile, your customers will immediately trust you and trust that you’re going to be able to help them.
Alexis: What is something your customers don’t know about you that would surprise them?
Brenda: I’m a single mom. I raised my beautiful daughter on my own since she was six. She’s now 20 years old and in college. She’s talented, respectful, and empathetic. I’m so proud of her and all her accomplishments.
Alexis: What song do you know all the words to that would shock people?
Brenda: When I was 15, I remember standing outside of my school with my friends, rapping Sugarhill Gang’s “Rapper’s Delight.” I even got my mom rapping it with me while we painted my bedroom! It’s a great memory, and I still know all the words!
Alexis: If you could close any restaurant chain because you think their food is absolutely disgusting, which restaurant would you close?
Brenda: I wouldn’t close a specific restaurant, but I would come up with new seasoning for a chicken restaurant I like. I like spicy, so I want their batter to “pop” more. Their chicken is good, but the batter could be better!
Alexis: Would you rather have unlimited tacos or unlimited burgers for life?
Brenda: Unlimited burgers. You can put anything on a burger and change it up every day. My favorite is a breakfast burger with an egg!
Alexis: What’s the best gift you’ve ever received and who gave it to you?
Brenda: My dad gave me my mom’s wedding ring after she passed away in 1988. I wear this ring and think of her every day.
Alexis: Is a hot dog a sandwich? Why or why not?
Brenda: A sandwich has two slices of bread. A hot dog only has one slice of bread, so it’s not a sandwich!
Alexis: Who is your hero and why?
Brenda: My dad is my hero. He’s a strong man who worked hard all his life, and he showed me how to do the same. His trade was in landscaping, but his company also sold retail. My dad would take me to his job some days, even out in the field, to watch him work or follow up with his customers. He made talking to people and working with them seem fun and easy. His customers respected him very much, and I was in awe of him. Now, whenever I receive an awesome compliment, I like to call him and thank him for being my greatest teacher.
Thanks so much for talking with me, Brenda! We’re so lucky to have you on the Crystal D team, and congratulations again! You always provide “The WOW Effect”™ in everything you do.
No Comments