2020 CSR All-Stars: Holley Campbell, City Paper Company

HOLLEY CAMPBELL
Customer Service Account Consultant
City Paper Company, Birmingham, Ala.

Holley Campbell is the customer service department at City Paper Company. Business and shopping changes forced the distributor to reduce the department down to one person, but the customer service account consultant has risen to the challenge of keeping up with all client needs.

“The job of a customer service representative is not easy or glamorous,” her nominator said. “Holley continues to approach her job each day with a positive attitude and a go-getter mentality. ... The operations department at City Paper could not function without the work that Holley puts in on a daily basis.”

She’s been a member of the team for six years after a stretch as a stay-at-home mom. She had prior experience in customer service and office management, working as a CSR and store manager in the payday and title loan industry before taking a year off. With her kids at school, she became restless at home, so a former coworker recommended Campbell send her résumé to her current employer, City Paper Company.

“I emailed in my résumé, and once I came in and interviewed, I felt like I would fit in great,” Campbell said. “And I could not be happier with my decision.”

Her Approach to Customer Service
Most of the time, I try to put myself in the clients’ shoes. I know that a shipping delay or a stock issue could cause havoc for a client, so I try to be sympathetic and try to come up with a solution that everyone will be happy with.

How She Keeps Calm and Stays Inspired
If I find myself feeling tense or frustrated, I have found that it helps a lot to get up from my desk and take a short walk or maybe have a quick conversation with a coworker to put me back in a good mood or calm state.

How COVID-19 Has Changed Her Job
I have been very happy to see how the entire company and all of the employees were ready and willing to do what it takes to keep pushing ahead while staying safe and healthy. We worked from home, sold products that we did not previously sell and supported each other at every turn. I am very proud to say that I work with awesome people that made any and all changes as smooth as possible.

Why She Loves Her Job and the Industry
I have and always will love to help people, and customer service is a great position to be able to do just that. I find great satisfaction when I can help a client or sales rep have a smooth process, whether that would be processing an order or finding the best solution to an issue that may come up. As far as this industry goes, I love how friendly and accommodating it seems that most people you [encounter] are. I may reach out to a vendor for a certain product, and if they cannot provide me with said product, most of the time, they can point me in the right direction for assistance.

Her Best Advice
Be patient and know that it takes time to get up to speed with this type of job. While you are on the phone with a client or sales rep, make sure you take notes in case you need to reflect back later. Be confident in what you tell your customer and know that it is OK if you do not know the answer right away. Let your customer know that you are going to speak to someone who does know the answer and you will let them know as soon as possible. Address your customer by name and, most of all, be patient. Not everyone you speak to will know exactly what they want, or [they] could just be frustrated because they do not understand what is going on. Just breathe and be polite, and I promise you will do great.

What She Does for Fun
I like to travel, hike and, when I can, I love to zip line. When I get to do these things with family and friends, it makes it that much more enjoyable.

Read the complete CSR profiles here.