Athena Matthews is an artist and a trainer in the Quality Assurance department here at Answering Service Care. She joined the ASC family four years ago and is responsible for training new agents on the best practices of answering phones and providing exceptional customer service. Below Athena shares what she enjoys most about her job, how she ended up working at ASC, and the painting she’s been working on for over a year!
What is your role at Answering Service Care?
I am a trainer in the Quality Assurance department. I coach the new agents on how to do what we do. Some agents have never worked in customer service before and some have. Either way, I get to teach them what we do and how to take an accurate message. They also receive tips on different things to say in various scenarios. I show them how to navigate the phone systems and remind them that they are learning something new because people need that reminder and it gives them confidence.
When did you join the Answering Service Care family?
I joined the ASC team about four years ago. I’d worked for my mother’s answering service, Around the Clock, since I was a teenager. I was going to school to be an animator. My mother, Gay, was ready to slow down and toyed around with the idea of selling her business. She found Answering Service Care and learned that they too were family-owned and operated, and that appealed to her. The agents at Around the Clock had the option to stay, so I did. I was an agent that helped with training for three years before I officially joined the training team.
What is your favorite part of your job?
Taking calls. I enjoy getting a caller that’s cranky for whatever reason, empathizing with their situation and collecting a detailed message. They are usually calm by the end of the call. I also enjoy training new agents. I love the eureka looks I see in class when something clicks.
What is the most important lesson that working in the answering service industry has taught you?
I have learned to never assume.
Where are you originally from?
I live in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, and I’ve lived here pretty much my whole life. I have moved to different towns inside Nash County and traveled to different states up and down the east coast, but always end up back in Rocky Mount.
What do you enjoy doing in your time off?
I like to draw and paint, both digitally and the old-fashioned way. The last thing I painted was a portrait of an empty Queen Anne chair. I started it a year ago and I’m still kind of working on it.
What is something people may not know about you?
I’m spoiled.
What is something on your bucket list that you haven’t had a chance to complete yet?
I would love to paint or draw something that becomes famous, but that usually requires the bucket to be kicked.
What are you most excited for in the upcoming months?
I am about to move into the weirdest house with rooms that I’m not sure what they’re supposed to be used for. This should be an adventure.
