The most gratifying thing to me about what I do on a daily basis is when I am able to make a difference for the customer. As a retention specialist I am charged with making sure that the customer is aware of and understands their support renewal, but I also need to be sure that the experience is one that shows them that they are important to Follett Software, not just some number. I believe that the key to this is being flexible and trying to understand each individual customer’s needs. I work with districts of all sizes and individual schools all across the country. Each person I speak to has a unique need, question, and situation. What works for a large district will not work for a small school district, or perhaps even another large district.

As an example, there is a large district that has a very restricted purchasing procedure, and timeframe. Every year we get more questions about the renewal process and the purchasing process. These questions are often because the schools didn’t understand what they needed to do and when it needed to be done.

This year I decided that the best way to communicate effectively and pro-actively with this district was sending out letters in the spring with the information that they would need when the time came to renew support after they returned to school. The effort was very rewarding for me, the schools, and the district. The schools were prepared with the information they needed to put into the budget before school was out, and they had the instructions on how to order through their procurement system when they returned to school.

I received an email from a contact at the district telling me that the questions were fewer than they had ever been, and people were better prepared and ready to get the renewal done than she had ever seen before. That is what makes my job important, helping the customers in ways that reflect the unique needs they each have.

I love that I have to be creative, knowledgeable, and flexible in my day to day work, and when I see that it has had a positive impact on a customer it makes it all the more rewarding.

Sarah Stegman is a Customer Service Specialist at Follett Software with a knack for proactive thinking. When Sarah isn't serving customers she enjoys spending time with her daughter, working on her personal blog, and going to school part-time to become an educator. She loves a good book or crochet.

What is one situation in this past year that you have been proactive and that has had a positive impact on your school, library, district or organization? We want to know. Please share with us in the comments below.