Hope Garrard
St. Amant,LA
Summary
Dedicated, well-organized Customer Advocate determined to resolve customer concerns to complete satisfaction; known for turning negative, escalated customer interactions around into positive, productive ones. Balances company requirements against customer needs. Highly professional and courteous and energetic in all interactions.
Overview
24
24
years of professional experience
Work History
Customer Advocate Representative
Cox Communications
Baton Rouge, LA
02.2017 - Current
- Functions as a role model for tier 1 agents by exceeding all team metrics and sales goals, displays good judgement, positive work ethic, strong people skills, adherence to policies and procedures and a commitment to customer service
- Works tickets as part of the back-office team to ensure SLA (Service Level Agreement) requirements are met and answers escalated live chats to help customers and agents with advanced troubleshooting or account issues
- Functions as an authority figure and escalation line for tier 1 agents when the customer requests a supervisor, or the agent needs additional help
- Deescalates upset customers who want to make a complaint by using empathy, listening, and investigative skills to determine the root cause of their issue and resolve it with complete customer satisfaction and follow-up
- Monitors network elements, performs remote diagnostics, and schedules technician or submits a ticket to escalate problems that cannot be fixed over the phone
- Assists customers with installing software, email issues and 3rd party software, TCP/IP settings and other functions by performing advanced troubleshooting and walk through steps
- Issues credits to customer accounts as needed to compensate for their services not working or a bad experience with another representative
- Educates customers who have been suspended for DMCA or copyright violations and reactivates their service
- Assists tier 1 agents with advanced troubleshooting of internet, phone and video or internal system issues and billing or account questions
- Coaches tier 1 agents in areas where they lack skills or knowledge and directs them to educational materials for future reference
- Investigates ongoing issues and takes necessary steps to get issues resolved with complete customer satisfaction and follow up via internal ticketing system or emails to other departments
- Demonstrated ability to multi-task on each call and navigate through multiple programs and screens, all while building rapport and keeping the customer engaged
- Documents all troubleshooting steps performed or account actions taken to achieve closure and prevent future callbacks
Technical Support Representative
Cox Communications
Baton Rouge, LA
08.2015 - 02.2017
- Diagnosed and resolved customer issues regarding video, phone, or internet services all while providing an amazing customer experience
- Demonstrated ability to multi-task on each call and navigate through multiple programs and screens, while also keeping the customer engaged and building rapport
- Effectively dealt with objections to sales and upgrades to meet monthly sales and team goals
- Ability to diffuse tense situations and resolve issues without escalating to a supervisor
- Walked customer through effective troubleshooting steps to offer support of personal devices such as computers, cell phones, and printers, and scheduled appropriate appointment when there was no resolve over the phone
- Built customer loyalty by following up with customers if a callback was needed or if the issue required escalation
- Documented all troubleshooting steps performed or account actions taken to achieve closure
- Completed all training in a timely manner to ensure my knowledge and skill sets were up to date
School Bus Driver
Livingston Parish Public Schools
Livingston, LA
04.2009 - 08.2015
- Transported children to and from school in a safe manner
- Performed pre-trip and post-trip inspections, and kept up with various logs and reports
- Learned great ways to deal with conflicts between students, and improved multi-tasking skills by exploring different techniques while driving and maintaining a safe environment
- Maintained positive, ongoing relationships with students and their parents
Customer Service Agent
West Communications
Omaha, NE
04.2003 - 02.2013
- Answered incoming calls in a highly professional and effective manner by responding to account and product questions, updating customer and account information, placing product orders, and educating new customers about company policies, and products or services
- Navigated through multiple computer screens
- Managed objections to sales and upgrades and developed a unique ability to “read between the lines” and offer the customer the exact product or upgrade they were looking for
- Received consistent positive feedback scores for properly managing each call as proficiently and timely as possible while maintaining a professional and engaging relationship with the customer
Human Resource Analyst
AmeriCorps VISTA
Denham Springs, LA
05.2005 - 12.2006
- Provided domestic violence training and counseling through the 24-hour crisis hotline
- Created and maintained referral list which significantly improved call flow and quality by 30%
- Functioned as a liaison between staff, residents of the shelter, other organizations, businesses, and community supporters
- Scheduled presentations, raffles, meetings, and various other marketing techniques for raising community awareness
- Managed and mailed all letters, newsletters, brochures and press releases regarding domestic violence events and statistics of the shelter
- Kept track of and logged all gifts received by the shelter, documented all paperwork, and sent out receipts and letters welcoming and thanking new and repeat supporters of the shelter
- Assessed and documented highly confidential information for HUD through HMIS regarding people served and monthly services provided
- Participated in planning, gathering materials, and presentation of monthly volunteer and board meetings
- Maintained daily call logs of all services provided and referrals given, while also keeping all records and statistics confidential
Education
Associate of Science - Business Administration
Colorado Technical University
02.2013
Skills
- Verbal and Written Communication
- Efficient and Detail-Oriented
- Building Customer Trust and Loyalty
- Multitasking and Prioritization
- Customer Account Management
- Creative Problem Solving
- Understanding Customer Needs
- Issue and Complaint Resolution
- Data Entry and Maintenance
- De-escalation Techniques
- Strong Analytical and Problem Solving Skills
- Customer research
- CRM
- Complaint resolution
- Account management
- Order fulfillment
- Multi-line phone talent
- Money handling abilities
- Professional telephone demeanor
- Technical Support
- Administrative support
- Staff education and training
Work Availability
monday
tuesday
wednesday
thursday
friday
saturday
sunday
morning
afternoon
evening
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Quote
How many ideas have there been in the history of the human race that were unthinkable ten years before they appeared?
Fyodor Dostoevsky
Timeline
Customer Advocate Representative
Cox Communications
02.2017 - Current
Technical Support Representative
Cox Communications
08.2015 - 02.2017
School Bus Driver
Livingston Parish Public Schools
04.2009 - 08.2015
Human Resource Analyst
AmeriCorps VISTA
05.2005 - 12.2006
Customer Service Agent
West Communications
04.2003 - 02.2013
Associate of Science - Business Administration
Colorado Technical University
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