American Red Cross quarterly employee newsletter feature article
It starts with a look in the mirror. She places a little make-up here and there; checks her hair; even fixes the slight bend in her wire-frame glasses. Finally, she glances down toward the bottom of the mirror and reads a simple quote: ‘Remember: the customer can hear your smile.’
“That’s something I live by,” explains Renee Wilson-Coleman, Customer Service Tech. II, and winner of this year’s Level II Tiffany Award. And it’s no mystery why she has been given such a prestigious award. According to her co-workers, her attitude is reflected in her work, and her energy and personality are contagious. It is her mission in the morning to speak to everyone. “I say good morning to everyone, and if I don’t get a response, I holler good morning — that usually gets their attention,” Renee says, laughing.
But, Renee — along with her co-workers in the Hospital Customer Service Department — takes her work very seriously. As the ‘go-to’ people for the Region’s hospitals, Customer Service ensures hospitals have all of the blood components they need to save lives. “It’s a lot more day-to-day than people realize,” says Sue Ellen Malone, Manager of Customer Services. “Hospitals don’t have the large storage capacity; therefore, they constantly need to be re-supplied.” Additionally, the apheresis platelet products, which Renee specializes in, only have a shelf-life of five days, creating further inventory management complexity.
Renee also works with hospitals and customers that require specifically matched apheresis donations for their patients. This multifaceted process requires technical knowledge, along with follow-through, to ensure the uniquely matched products reach the patients in a timely fashion, even if the product must come from another Region. “On the other end of it all is a patient,” says Renee. “And, because of that, I want to provide the best quality product and service to my customer.”