Managing Customer Service

I am currently manager of customer service for AT&T (T ), as part of the company's rotational Leadership Development Program. The program includes three rotations, ranging from 6 to 12 months in length. I've been with the company since January, 2005, and am currently in my second rotation, as a call center manager. I manage the day-to-day activities of 16 direct reports who enter DSL orders for our customers.

I received a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering from Texas A&M University in 1996. After graduating, I worked in consulting for Perot Systems (PER ) in Dallas, Tex. for a little over a year. Next, I worked in production control for Fujitsu Network Communications (FJTSY ) in Richardson, Tex. for five years.

My main responsibilities were managing the production and inventory volumes of the telecommunications equipment built in Fujitsu's Richardson facility. While working at Fujitsu, I saw the high-tech bubble inflate and burst. Fortunately, I didn't lose my job, but I had several friends who did.

It was a very hard decision to leave Fujitsu, especially because my wife and I had just had our third child, but I knew that to be competitive in the marketplace I needed to have a MBA. We decided that my wife could go back to work full-time while I was in school. We were very fortunate that we had relatives living close to A&M. There is no way we could have made it without the support of our family.

One of the main things that attracted me to the May Business School at Texas A&M was that I could graduate in 16 months. This would get me back into the workforce quickly so my family could get "back to normal" as soon as possible.

Here's a typical work day for me:

5:30 a.m. Arrive at the gym for a run and quick workout. I enjoy starting my day off this way—it's a great way for me to keep my stress level down.

6:45 a.m. Back at home to clean up and have breakfast with my family.

7:30 a.m. Arrive at work. I usually begin my day by reviewing the latest industry news. There are a lot of articles these days on the [AT&T] acquisition of BellSouth. This acquisition will not directly impact my job, but there may be opportunities...See Full Version