Great customer experience doesn’t always come naturally, but some are born to provide it.
Rebecca “Peyton” Heitman is one of those people capable of listening to everyone and making them feel at ease. As fate would have it, her natural ability to serve others led her to a rewarding career in customer experience delivery at Activus Connect.
Talking to us from her home in North Carolina, Peyton shares her story and her life experiences that led her to Activus Connect.
Life Before Activus
Peyton, 52, spent most of her career in the real estate industry, where she underwrote and processed mortgages for nearly a decade. During that time, she worked full-time through three pregnancies but dreamed that there had to be a better way to have a fulfilling career while raising a family.
“I always wanted to stay at home with the kids while they were little, but we weren’t financially able to at the time,” she said. “I thoroughly loved my work, but it was more important to me that I was home with my children so I could take them to school, help with homework, and be there for them. Luckily, as a family, we were in a position after my last child was born that I could stay home.”
While raising three little ones, Peyton still helped her self-employed husband with his real estate business whenever she could, as well as some odd jobs now and then. “Sometimes, I’d help clean out my friends’ beach houses for a few extra bucks,” she laughed.
When the time came to return to work in 2020, Peyton hoped to find a job that allowed her to work from home and continue spending time with her growing family.
Kick-starting a New Career in CX
After joining a well-known Facebook group for remote jobs, Peyton started applying for things left and right, including Activus Connect. Soon after, she received an email from the recruitment team inviting her to an interview, eventually landing herself a position.
Since her previous jobs were always facility based, the opportunity to work from home has been pretty refreshing for Peyton, but not without its minor difficulties. “I’ve had to create a quiet, work-only zone that prevents disturbances during my shifts, which has been a transition for my kids,” she said. “Luckily, they’re super respectful and will either text me or wait for me to take a break instead of barging into the office.”
Now that she’s fully adapted to work-at-home, she’s enjoying the SmartVirtual™ lifestyle, especially the ability to work in safety and comfort during the pandemic. “Although it’s tough on everyone, it’s an ideal time to start a remote job and try out a new career at Activus Connect,” she said.
A Day in the Life at Activus
As an Ambassador at Activus Connect, Peyton works on outbound and inbound calls, making or taking around 30 to 40 calls daily.
“My calls are usually a little bit longer, as I enjoy connecting with our customers,” she shared. “I prefer not to rush things when I’m trying to make a positive impact on peoples’ lives. Perhaps I don’t handle as many calls as some of my colleagues, but I always try to be thorough and make sure the customer is completely satisfied before I move on.”
Peyton wants to treat others how she would like to be treated on a call, so she always gives customers her full attention. She listens intently to their situation, along with any questions they might have, so that she can address every concern.
“I’ll always try to smile as I’m talking with them and try to be as pleasant as possible so that they know that I’m here to help,” she said. “If they get upset, I spend as much time as needed to turn that around and make sure they leave the call happy. Some customers are not too chatty, so you have to find a way to connect with them, then they open up a little bit more, allowing me to serve them better.”
An Employer that Supports Helping Others
Before coronavirus, Peyton was a regular volunteer at her church, but the dangers of the pandemic have made it much more difficult. Activus Connect offers paid time off for Ambassadors to support their local communities. Peyton is looking forward to using this benefit at her church once they re-establish in-person services and activities.
“It’s crucial to me that I’m able to give my time to others, so the fact that the company encourages people to do that is a huge plus,” she said. “On top of that, our leaders strive to make everybody feel like part of a work family, as well as allowing us to maintain a rewarding personal family life. I keep finding more and more things I like about this company.”