How did you hear about the Arise® Platform? Were you referred by a friend or family member or was it an advertisement you saw somewhere?
I was referred to the Arise® Platform by an acquaintance, I didn’t look into it for about 8 months, but in that time multiple people told me about the Arise® Platform—about 7 more people actually—and eventually I looked into it and found out how it would help my everyday life.
What does it mean for you to be your own boss and run your own company?
It means complete flexibility for me. It totally provides me with work-life balance.
Service Partners on the Arise® Platform can schedule themselves in 30-minute increments. Why is that valuable to you?
Being able to schedule myself—the flexibility—was truly a selling point for me and my family.
When I first started using the Arise® Platform, we were having a baby. It helped to learn when the baby was going to be sleeping and when the baby was going to be awake. I could commit myself to a feeding schedule for the baby and service in as little as thirty minutes intervals.
I also could choose to not service for an hour, but when the baby went down, if intervals were available, I could schedule myself and sign in again to service.
It gave me the ability to make revenue and take care of my family.
I just recently had another baby in April, and she is pretty much on a schedule now, and I know that schedule, but sometimes, she might have other plans. [Laughs] 👼
Those thirty-minute intervals give me the opportunity to dedicate my time—distraction free—to any client, but if I have the time, and if there are extra intervals available, I can go into Starmatic® and select more intervals and keep going until she wakes up, so yeah—total flexibility.
What has been your favorite client program to service and why?
My all-time favorite program on the Arise® Platform is the roadside assistance program because I am passionate about helping others, and with roadside assistance, I know the callers need help.
They are in a situation that’s urgent, and without their vehicles they can’t get to work, go to school, or take their kids to soccer practice, so having that vehicle is important.
Usually, I have an amazing two-way conversation with customers that leads to me getting them back on the road again and ends with me knowing I helped them.
Getting gratification from a customer saying “Thank you” makes my day.
Can you provide an example of when you really felt like you made a difference for a customer while servicing on the Arise® Platform?
Absolutely! I had a call from a mom who was driving to the neighborhood store, and she put the baby in the car but didn’t take her diaper bag with her. She thought that since the store was right down the street she would be right back home—but she got a flat tire.
So, this mom was frustrated, the baby was crying, and the tire was flat.
She had two situations going on at the same time: the flat tire and the baby.
Being a mom myself, I was trying to give tips and tricks to soothe the baby while staying on the phone with her and also trying to get the information I needed to help her.
I was also trying to provide her with some encouragement—mother to mother—and eventually her tears of frustration became tears of joy.
She said, “I never called someone on customer service and thought they actually cared.”
My heart melted—I care about all customers, especially her.
When my customers think I care, I consider that excellent customer service.
What skills and qualities do you feel are most beneficial for Service Partner success?
Effective communication skills!
It’s not really one key skill though; It’s two of them.
To communicate effectively, you have to be a good listener.
When you are talking to the customer, you’re not listening, and when you are listening, you are not talking.
If you don’t do both of those things right, you create poor communication.
But it’s how you intertwine them that creates effective communication.
