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 in the future to work in the states BellSouth operates in, so I keep a close eye on news of the acquisition. This is the second acquisition I've seen in my short time with the company.

8:30 a.m. It's time to compile and review the performance results for yesterday. It looks like our order volume is increasing—the new price point on DSL seems to be paying off.

9:15 a.m. I talk with the attendance manager about the attendance report from yesterday. We devise our plan of action and talk with my boss to make sure he is in agreement.

10:00 a.m. I receive a call from a customer requesting a quicker installation date for his DSL. I review the order in our system, talk with the downstream departments, and get back to the customer. When I hang up the phone, the customer is happy.

10:45 a.m. My monthly results meeting with my boss is early next week, so I start pulling the data together for my presentation.

Noon Today I'm having lunch with a recent graduate of the Leadership Development Program. We talk about the role she is in now and where she feels I should look for my next rotation. I also take the opportunity to talk with her about a specific issue I'm having with one of my employees.

One thing I learned in the MBA program at Texas A&M was the importance of networking—a key skill that must be developed early in someone's career. Looking back, a course in labor relations would have also been very helpful for my current position.

1:15 p.m. Back at the office, I review and return e-mails and voice mails. I take this opportunity to review my workload. Volume is still high, but we are managing it. My team may need to work some overtime if orders continue to come in at this rate.

2:00 p.m. It's time for our weekly managers' meeting, where we're discussing a new way of appraising our teams to be more consistent throughout the organization. We have a lot to cover, so this is going to be a long meeting.

3:30 p.m. Another check of the workload. We have everything under control. I spend a few minutes out with my team to make sure everything is going well. My team identifies some areas where the steps prescribed in the new work process are not in sync with the latest software release.

This software is the primary way the service reps enter our customers' orders into our systems. If there are items that are unclear, it could result in errors in the way the order is processed, which could impact our customer service. I need to pull in the experts and call a quick meeting with my team to review the new procedures and make sure all questions are answered.

4:00 p.m. Back to preparing for the meeting with my boss next week.

5:30 p.m. It's time to call it a day. My oldest son has his first t-ball game today.

Initially, I was concerned about working for a company as large as AT&T. I thought it would be difficult for me to see the big picture and understand the direction we were going as a company. Nothing could be further from the truth. The leadership team has done a great job communicating information—especially regarding acquisition activities. I have also had several opportunities to talk one-on-one with different leaders of our company. What a way to learn about the business!

The AT&T Leadership Development Program is a great way to get into the company right out of college. I talked with the college recruiter on campus during a career fair, interviewed during the semester, and was hired into the Summer Management Program. I was offered a full-time position in the Leadership Development Program at the beginning of my last semester in the MBA program.

The Summer Management Program is an opportunity for students become exposed to our company and determine if AT&T is a good fit. For both the Leadership Development and Summer Management programs we look for good work experience coupled with proven leadership. The Summer Management and Leadership Development programs have allowed me to see many aspects of the company either firsthand through my rotations, or though discussions with the program leaders, my peers, or mentors.