You might not see her on the playing field, but Vickie Nelson, Team Lead in Borrower Services, views herself primarily as a coach for the Borrower Service Representatives (BSRs) in her department. Her mission is to make sure the representatives understand all aspects of their job and are prepared to convey their knowledge to our callers. Vickie is driven by her desire to make sure our callers get the most consistent and accurate information possible, and, just as importantly, can "hear" a smile in the BSR’s voice.
To achieve this goal, Vickie sits down with each representative and individually reviews areas that the BSR feels they need help with. Through this personal interaction, the BSRs can feel confident that their skills and knowledge are up-to-date and can communicate that confidence to the caller. Vickie also was actively involved in teaching the new class of BSRs who graduated from training at the end of May. Vickie taught several sections of the course, providing the group with real life examples to go along with their manual. She made sure that the trainees could relate to the information that she provided and that it would be useful to them.
Her other duties include taking supervisory calls when necessary, monitoring calls for quality assurance, and using the Symon Reader Board which displays call volume, hold times, and the skill level required for each call on her PC. Vickie is also available to take calls herself on peak call days in the Call Center. As if this were not enough, Vickie also prepares a quarterly test for the BSRs to identify areas where coaching may be needed.
In fact, all the representatives received extra training in May to prepare them for questions regarding myamsloan.com. So far the BSRs have been primarily answering questions about the registration process and telling all callers about the Web site. The response to myamsloan.com has been very positive, and Vickie is happy that yet another tool for borrowers is available.
Vickie came to work here in August 2000 and was promoted to Team Lead in 2001. She credits managers like Debra Adams as being critical to her success here. In fact, one of her personal goals is to acquire the same management qualities and depth of knowledge that Debra possesses. Vickie was already well prepared when she was hired, having previously worked in quality control for a major company and as a counselor and substitute teacher. She is a graduate of Winston-Salem State University and has a degree in sociology and psychology.
Vickie says that the most rewarding part of her job is "knowing that the BSRs understand loan processing." Continuing, she states, "I want them to know what is going on with an account and be able to research a problem to bring it to resolution." She does not see her role as a motivator as being a one-way street. She sees herself as a member of the team as well as being the team leader. She says, "The team spirit that we share is remarkable! Some may look to me for motivation, but we actually motivate one another."
As much as she loves her job, Vickie also enjoys time away from the office. In her spare time she likes to read motivational books and psychology texts, but she especially enjoys reading the Bible. She also has a RV and likes to travel to the mountains of North Carolina and the coast of North and South Carolina. Several of her friends and family members also have RVs, and they often travel to places together. Vickie also enjoys gardening and grows flowers and vegetables at her condo and family gardening plot. In addition to her other talents, she has been playing the clarinet for over 20 years, and sometimes considers auditioning for the Winston-Salem Symphony. Until then, she will be insuring harmony in the Call Center.
