Annie is the customer service rep who consistently receives praise from our donors. That Annie is efficient, is a given, based on the feedback we get. But our benefactors tell us it’s more than that. Annie is a friendly voice, she’s real, kind, and sympathetic. As a result, Kars4Kids donors tend to confide in Annie about their lives, their careers, and yes, sometimes their tragedies.
You wouldn’t think you’d get all that and more when you donate your car. At most, you’d expect impersonal, but competent service. Instead, our donors are surprised to find there’s someone on the line who’s actually nice–someone who cares about them. We’re guessing that’s why so many of our positive donor reviews mention Annie by name.
We had a chat with Annie to find out what it’s like to work at Kars4Kids, and why she so often makes a connection with our donors:
In the Beginning
Kars4Kids: How and when did you end up becoming a customer service representative at Kars4Kids?
Annie: In 2008, my daughter, who was 8 years old, participated in a program run by Kars4Kids. At the time, I was very struck by the high quality of the program and I did a lot of volunteer work to support my daughter and her friends who were also participants. For example, I drove kids to weekend programs, camp reunions, and retreats. Once I even drove ten kids to the Catskills for a weekend. I thought it was a great organization and we remained in contact even after she grew up and was no longer involved.
In 2018, I was looking for my next thing to do and I randomly met a Kars4Kids customer service rep named Joanne in a restaurant. Long story short, when she told me what she did for work, I said “You work for Kars4Kids? I should work for Kars4Kids. It’s my favorite organization!”
Joanne had me send her a resume and a week later, I started training. That was in July of 2018.
Every Donor is Interesting
Kars4Kids: Can you tell us about the most interesting donor you’ve encountered?
Annie: Over the past 3.5 years, I have spoken with people all over North America and from every walk of life. I’ve spoken to people donating cars for happy reasons (like getting a new car,) or sad reasons (car of a deceased loved one,) and also people who’ve had car accidents or intended to work on a car as a project car but never did. I am a friendly person and I like people, so I am not sure if anyone wasn’t interesting. One of the best things about my job is speaking with people who I’d otherwise never meet.
Kars4Kids: How often do you end up just chatting with donors in the course of processing their donations?
Annie: I frequently chat with donors. Sometimes I can tell that people are in a rush, so I listen to their cues. I found that when Covid was at its worst, people REALLY appreciated a friendly voice on the phone taking interest in them. I work remotely, so I quite like chatting with people and it makes my job even more meaningful to pursue those human connections.
Families
Kars4Kids: What do you chat about?
The weather, where we are from, our families. Discussions often begin with them saying something I identify with. Sometimes it begins because of a silly email address or a spelling of a name. Occasionally people ask me about my politics, which is kind of funny because I am Canadian and I have no idea what they are talking about. Covid has of course been a huge topic of discussion.
Kars4Kids: What was the most moving experience you’ve ever had with a donor?
Annie: I have had many people that moved me. One man was terminally ill and was putting his affairs in order. A lady I worked with for 6 months had many health problems and then her husband had a stroke. Often, when someone has experienced a loss, I find myself moved to tears. I guess I am a fairly empathetic person.
One time, a colleague’s grandfather passed away and the donor I was with on the phone only wanted to speak with her. I’d gotten permission from the rep to explain the situation to the donor, so she might be more comfortable working with me since “her” rep was unavailable. When I told the donor why my colleague could not come to the phone, she burst into tears. I burst into tears in response and then, sobbing together, we resolved her questions about a complicated situation. I’ll tell you, my husband looked at me after that shift like “WHAT happened?!”
It’s not like I usually come home from work with a tear-streaked face, or he hears me sobbing in my office.
The Best Part
Kars4Kids: What’s the best part of your job?
Annie: When I was first hired, I did remote training and then went to the head office for a couple of weeks to learn more. I had lunch with a friend in the city and her response was “How amazing is it that every day when you go to work, you know that you are helping amazing things to happen?”
I would say that this is exactly what the best part of my job is. I help amazing things to happen, every day.
