Our mission statement shows the critical role our employees play in our organization: “Credit Management Company exists to provide world class customer experience, unmatched value to our clients, and a growth-driven environment for our employees.”
Since human resources is responsible for hiring the right people to deliver excellent customer service and creating a culture that encourages growth, we decided to sit down with the Senior Director of Human Resources, Jessica Fritz, to learn more about her process.
Tell us a little about why you enjoy your role at CMC.
I learned about this position from a recruiter, who said this role is a blend of HR and operations, which I’m super nerdy about. I enjoy putting together policies and workflows that can increase productivity and employee satisfaction. I’ve had several HR roles but this is by far the most challenging and exciting because I feel that I’ve been able to develop the HR department and really dig into all aspects of the company.
Do you think there are processes you’ve put in place that improve life for those working in the call center?
Yes, I think so. The biggest one would be improving the training process. Our employees are our most valuable asset. So we provide ongoing training and we’ve continually adjusted that training based on employee feedback. Also, we strongly believe in promoting from within. I’m proud to be able to offer different opportunities for our employees who want to grow with the company.
What’s your motivation for creating the company’s culture?
Everyone has had a crappy job, so we try very hard not to be that ‘crappy job.’ I could talk to you all day about the benefits of working here, but that doesn’t have credibility if you don’t do what you say you are going to do. That’s why we do the STAY survey and engagement surveys regularly. We want to know why people stay, what people think about the company, and what we can do to make their jobs easier. We pride ourselves on being accommodating, understanding and flexible (as much as we can be).
Last year forced all companies to be flexible. How was the adjustment to working remotely?
We talked about having remote employees for a while, but it was always something we thought we’d consider in the future. Then the coronavirus hit and everyone was sent home. We’re proud that there wasn’t a blip in our productivity. If there was anything good to come out of the pandemic, it’s that we learned to thrive working remotely. During a time when a lot of companies were closing down and laying off their employees, we have continued growing.
How did you accommodate those with issues working from home?
My children are 17 and 19 so, I can’t imagine what it’s like for our employees who had to take care of little ones. We knew it was hard for some people to work from home. We understood you would occasionally hear children or dogs in the background. So first and foremost, our response was to help. We would say, “here’s what we’re seeing in regards to your productivity; how can we help you?” We kept in constant communication with those who needed a little extra help and stayed very involved with them.
It sounds like you modeled how you wanted your employees to interact with patients; you were very empathetic to their situations. Is that true?
I never thought of it that way, but yes. Empathy is one of the essential traits of great customer service, which is what we strive to provide for our clients and their patients. We tried to be understanding and tried to help people manage their home life and their work.
What is it like to work at CMC?
We are not family-owned, but it certainly feels like we are. All of us in the company know everyone’s names and can probably tell you about their families since we’ve had conversations that don’t involve work.
We foster strong interpersonal relationships with pot luck food days, have monthly events that everyone can participate in to win raffles, and we have a recognition program where we acknowledge those who go above and beyond for CMC and our clients as a way to say thank you for what they do every day.
I never thought I’d say this but I do miss being in the office. I miss the people that I work with. I don’t know of any other job where I had that same feeling.
