Working From Home, Story Time 4

Being one half of a duo of employed new parents, you expect to be juggling new tasks every day. Still, our unique situation has presented some, well let's say, exciting obstacles. In the picture is our eight-month-old Jack (the Levi household VP of always smiling), who thankfully learned to hold his bottle before all this craziness happened.

My wife is a support facilitator for Seminole County Public Schools, where she manages a pretty big group of exceptional students who have specific learning tasks that need to be completed. This, along with a constantly hungry and moving baby, makes time management a huge priority. Every night we sit down and discuss when we have teleconferences/meetings and other pre-planned activities, so our daily schedule is organized, and we can make sure Jack is cared for.

An example of that today was, from 6:30-8:30, I had a work block to reply to any emails, make phone calls, and get organized to start the day. At 8:30, I take our son for a walk, feed him breakfast, and put him down at around 10:30 (thankfully, he has been a good sleeper). At 10:30, I get back to the grind calling customers and getting organized to track down new potential business leads. He usually gets up at noon and I take back over until 1:00, so my wife can finish her meetings. After 1:00 pm, I am open to any meetings and discussions. I don't like my customers waiting for more than an hour or two before I get back to them. Luckily my clients and the parents at her school have been so kind and understanding when we need to move things around to help each other out.

We are blessed to have a spare room that was already made into a home office. I work two screens and have a pretty sweet setup to be able to multitask on the phone and my computer. I don't think that I have any specific next-level ideas. Still, I am working hard to over-communicate with our customers to assure them we are in there to support them but also being mindful that safety for our staff is paramount. If we have scheduled service calls with customers I remind them that they are there in a support role and that they should be keeping distance from our crew to keep them safe. I also don't focus on the negative with any potential TAW customer and just remind them we are here to help them when they need it. Most of these people are working and anxious about being out every day and what their jobs, the economy, and all the other stresses of life are going to hold in a month. I just want them to know before, during, and after this we are here, answering their calls, and listening to their problems.

I think, for those of us on the sales side, we tend to focus so much on tracking down leads and making sure the opportunities we do get that we convert on. This time has allowed me to get more organized in my sales territories and potential customers and look at how we can be smarter when it comes to pursuing customers. I feel I have already become better at my job just through using new resources I wouldn't have expected to.

I want to be there in the shop and the field with our crews. I miss seeing them and collaborating, but I know staying home is safer. I am very thankful for the extra time I get to spend with my son and extremely grateful for those crews still working to give the same level of customer service I have come to know my year and a half at TAW.