Day in the life at Clever: Abby, Customer Solutions Representative

Curious what it’s like to work at Clever? Here’s a typical day in the life of Abby, a Customer Solutions Representative.

Name: Abby Almontaser

Role: Customer Solutions Representative

Team: Customer Solutions 

Start date: May, 2022

Previous experience: Lead Disaster Recovery Specialist at the U.S. Small Business Administration

Favorite Clever tradition: I really appreciate how much gratitude and inclusivity Clever shows to full-time employees and contractors. My favorite tradition in Clever (more “the way of Clever”) is how they reward their team, by setting up really fun events regardless if you’re an employee or contractor. One of my favorite events was with OlFactory NYC, where we were shipped scents and had a workshop with an employee at Olfactory NYC who showed us how to create our own scents, and then shipped our custom scents to us! Another instance of Clever’s generosity and gratitude to its team is the gift giving, whether it be snack packs, Swag, gift cards, etc there’s always something that’ll make you feel appreciated, motivated, empowered, and special.

Pre-work routine

My mornings start really early. I wake up at 5:30AM, perform my daily morning prayer, and start on breakfast for the family. At about 6:30AM, I go to my home office to prepare for my work day. I tidy up my desk area, plug in my air diffuser, turn on my laptop, and get logged into all of my programs.

Agent work routine: Alternating shifts

At 7 AM I am locked in for my phone shift and ready to help customers. We get calls from customers all over the country, so it makes every call unique. It’s about being able to hear out customer concerns, issues, or questions, and being able to troubleshoot and navigate the Dashboard to find ways to resolve their issue. It feels like fun, detective work! My first phone shift ends at 8 AM, and then its off to my Email shift! My email shift is when I multi-task the most. I get my kiddo ready for school and take them to the bus stop, then its back to emails. I have to admit, while I get my kid ready, I do wonder about what type of tickets have been sent to my queue. I sometimes even anticipate ticket inquiries and formulate responses in my head. Once I am back in my office it is go-time! We get inquiries from all over the country with issues regarding the Clever Portal, Clever Dashboard, IDM, connecting with applications, setting up accounts, scheduling meetings with customers, and so much more. 

What I really appreciate about Clever’s customers is that they understand what it takes to be a Customer Solutions Representative, and are often kind, patient, and very grateful. There is mutual respect between us and our customers because they know how much we value their business and want to get their issues resolved.

Okay, back to a day in the life of Abby. I alternate between phones and emails, as well as attend company meetings, client meetings, Employee Resource Group meetings, and team projects. There is never a dull moment! (Don’t worry, meetings and events are not an everyday type of occurrence). There is always something to do here at Clever and your manager will be there to support you if you need help prioritizing tasks, improving your quality of work, or need accommodations. 

Lunch: From agent to chef

During my lunch break, Chef-Mode is activated. I use my lunch break to make lunch for my family. With 30 minutes in mind, I challenge myself to create a well-balanced meal. I channel my inner Rachel Ray and in no time, lunch is done with time to grab myself a plate and return to my next shift!

Afternoon: Cleaning the Q

My favorite type of cleaning would be here at Clever during “Clean the Queue.” This is the time of day when you can wind down and not worry about getting new calls or cases, it’s just you and the queue. I use this time to review my existing cases, close out resolved cases, check for updates, and prioritize cases. It definitely helps with feeling accomplished and productive once it’s time to log off. 

After work: Agent to supermom

This job was made for me, tailor-made. My shift begins when my kids are getting ready to go to school and ends before they are back home. Which allows me to be present for my family. They come home and see mom, and that I feel is the most comforting sight for them. After work, I help the kids get settled in, help them with their homework, serve them food, do some light cleaning, play video games, eat dinner together, get them ready for bed, and then once they’re in bed, I make a bit of time for myself, and then end my day. It’s really amazing to have a job with such a supportive team and a schedule that fits my life so that I never miss a beat at work or a moment with family, this is what work/life balance is all about.

All hands on deck: Clever is a Group Project

The team here at Clever is like no other. There is not a day that goes by that I do not receive support and knowing there’s a team of so many people ready to help at any point and any capacity is really comforting. I remember when I first started out at Clever, I was hesitant to ask for help even though I had so many questions and needed direction on cases. However, every day, multiple times during the day we were all constantly encouraged to ask questions, seek guidance on issues, and reach out. Managers, knowing it may be hard for some of us to break out of our shell, paired us with onboarding buddies and that made a world of difference. Not only were our onboarding buddies assisting, advising, and helping us navigate through cases, they made time to check up on us and create a safe space where we can freely talk about what is and is not working for us. This was a turning point for me because now I felt there was someone designated to help me while I embark on this new journey. Once training was done, I no longer had a designated onboarding buddy to help me, instead everyone here at Clever became my designated team, and to this day, this amazing collaboration is encouraged and gets more stronger and impactful. 

I know those who will become a part of this amazing team are going to be asked, “What most surprised you about Clever — and don’t say everyone is nice or helpful.” After working in Clever, what still amazes me is, the helpfulness, kindness, support, and empowerment I experienced on my first days has not changed after 8 months of being a part of this amazing company. It isn’t a gimmick, this is the reality in Clever and this aspect of Clever is deeply embedded in its culture.