In case you didn’t have this marked on your calendar (and I must confess that I didn’t), this is national Customer Service Appreciation Week. Sponsored by The International Customer Service Association (ICSA), this is indeed a great opportunity to recognize those talented people in pretty much every organization who are on the front-line in dealing with the public and customers, many of whom can be quite pleasant, but some of whom choose to take a different approach to human interaction.
Here at the Y, we have an exceptional customer service team, both a centralized team headed by Diana Beeson and a Y center-based team led by each center’s Membership Director or Coordinator.
In the seven months since our worlds were turned upside down, these teams have stepped up in myriad ways, through shutdowns, reopenings, the rapid launch of new programs (like Academic Support Centers and Emergency Care), and untold stress. They’ve had to answer questions that often didn’t have a clear answer and deal with a general public on edge in the face of health care, economic and social justice crises. With determination, sensitivity and a relentless “can do” attitude, this group of Y associates has been nothing short of remarkable. I’d say that they deserve at least their own month, much less a week!
My thanks and deep appreciation is owed to each of them. The centralized customer service and engagement teams are made up of Michele Anderson, Jaime Kilgore, Flora Ramos, Yolanda Harris, David Burnham, Beth Lentz, McKenzie Griffith, Melanie Greenhill, Mary Beth Witkop, Candace Roberson and Lenny Cheatham. The Membership leadership at our Y family centers include Traci Petty, Rachel Martin, Ryan Mechlinski, Sarah Wies, Meg Paregolho, Jessica Monaghan, Kristine Pennington, Celeste Holthaus, Angela Smith, Karen Farley and Tawanda Ford. They, and their remarkable teams, have been pulling double and triple duties during this time in which “other duties as assigned” is the only part of the job description that really matters.
So, take a bow and enjoy Customer Service Appreciation Week, which I must say should be celebrated every week of the year. You are faces and voices of the Y to a community whose needs are as diverse as the community itself.
You do us proud!
All the best,
John
John K. Hoey
President & CEO
The Y in Central Maryland