which we are always praying that it does. We scoff down our sandwiches, share a few laughs grab another coffee and head back to the classroom for another round of Russ and forms.
Step two is day two and we are going to review Fes which is our operating system that lets us take phone orders from customers which is our primary job. Then many of us in the room are crossed trained to be CSR 2’s which allows us to take all customer service calls which is a higher pay grade and then people like me are also trained in Res Q to answer calls from reps who are lost or stuck on a call with a customer and need help from a peer which gives you another pay grade. So we break into 3 groups for review and I’m in the group with all three job training levels. I know all the people in the group and they are all very driven and we move through the programs quickly and share ideas. We talk about that we will be doing mostly order calls till July then Customer Service August and September while they ramp up employees. Then order calls in October and November and Res Q in December to help new reps then Customer service in January and February as the Christmas return frenzy will be in full tilt. Russ reviews incentive and statistics that will earn you rewards in your pay. He discusses the many prizes planned as we move through the season like LLBean camps for a week, gift cards for LLBean, trips and they are bigger and better this year because they are going to rehire less people but expect more business. Overtime will be approved earlier this year and last longer which is good news for all of those with only this opportunity as primary employment. So lunch is louder today as we fall into old routines and discuss how we plan to reach all these lofty goals this season. After lunch is more review as a larger group as we discuss in detail the new product line which is aimed at 25 to 45 year olds and then we leave for the day. We are all anxious for day 3 which will be live calls and the start of the season.
Step 3 and day three my favorite day. We spend the morning with a quick review and question and answer and then I go live the first time since February 28th and it feels like that perfect pair of jeans. It is the feeling that all is right with the world and you are in the place you belong. I’m taking orders and helping customers and before I know it we are at lunch. Lunch is rowdy as we are all trying to pull up the morning stats to see who is on top because today they give a $100 gift card to Bangor Mall for best stats in all 10 categories. There is a 50$ second prize for LLBean and 25$ third prize to Dunkin Donuts. We are all on the trade board picking up shifts. Bean allows you to pick up shifts from any sight anytime from people giving them away and we are all like rabid dogs picking up shifts because they are only scheduling one 8 hour shift per week until business picks up. We head back from lunch and go live again and the afternoon seems like a minute. I work through a variety of customers helping with size fit appropriate hiking gear new skis and then its wrap up time. The hour of reckoning is upon us and I have found m self in 2nd place of 50 which is a nice place to be with a 50$ LLBean gift certificate. My friend Andrea has taken the big 1st prize and we are all excited for her good work. We get our team assignments and meet our seasonal managers and find out our one scheduled day so we can pick up extra shifts and the foot race to Peak Christmas 2010 begins with high expectations.
Bean is a culture of its own. I go to another world each year between July and February a place where, there are rigid rules, high expectations, high rewards and the opportunity to do meaningful work. This is a place where you feel valued as an employee and your work environment energizes you and pushes you to be better than you think you can be each day. The opportunity to provide world class customer service and the only place I get rewarded for simply doing my job well. I will speak with 200 plus customers a day but I try to make each one feel like I’m help them with their needs be it skis, camping gear or hiking gear. I have extensive resources in fit, style, measurements but the thing I bring to Bean is that I use the products and I love them so I know which coat is the best at the top of a mountain in January. This is the one place I truly fit in and feel a kinship with the people, their ideals and our love of the outdoors. So the mundane paperwork, the reviewing and the start of the season has set me on the path to win that week at a camp on Rangeley Lake but it has helped me feel like I’m me again. I can face all the other challenges with school and life because I have the support of this culture to give me wings. So give us a call anytime and experience culture that is LLBean.
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My wife is a huge LLB fan (in fact, we both have LLB credit cards so she can earn points toward her endless purchases...) (me, not so much, sorry), and I read her selections from this, which she enjoyed a good deal.
ReplyDeleteThis is big--lots of words. I'm always inclined to be a trimmer, a reducer, but, really, after thinking about it, the only graf that gets away from you is graf 1 where you have so many things you want to hook the reader with, the graf becomes unwieldy. This is the opposite problem I usually see which is no hook at all.
The other grafs, though big, are in control, rich rather than fat.
I am swept away by the depth and detail. Glad to take it. Can I use it as a model in the future?
I would love to have it be a future model. I will try to keep it trimmer. I have the opposite problem of most students too many words. This is after 3 trimmings I'm sad to say. You should see the other ones I'm trying to cut down to post today.
ReplyDelete