As a Customer Advocate Specialist in the Written department, my role is to assist lower level Correspondent Advocates and Senior Correspondent Advocates by answering their questions and processing complex claims that they may not be able to process. I play a heavy role in training new hires to this department, which involves holding daily, weekly, and monthly meetings with them to ensure they are properly equipped with the knowledge and skills they need to excel in their role.

In this role I assisted our members via webchats and secured messages, which is similar to an email. The amount of "Thank you" messages I received from our members, (including my peers, my supervisor, and other supervisors in the department), attests to the level of customer service I provided not only to our members, but also the people I worked with, in this rewarding role.

As a Group Benefits Specialist, I worked with Account Executives, Marketing, Brokers, and Groups (Employers). I handled around 300 small-large groups with complex issues, benefits questions, claims questions, audits, etc. I dealt with irate brokers and employers, and always came out with positive results. Everyone told me that they were lucky to have me in their corner because I go the extra mile to made sure the job was done right. I like helping people, and by educating employers on how certain benefits work I gave them the ability to relay that information to their employees in a way they can better understand, which ultimately resulted in happier members (and employers). I also tested benefits during open enrollment to ensure that any changes that had been made were coded and functioning properly. If a system issue arose, I set up a workaround for said issue in order to ensure claims got processed accurately. Whatever the issue was, I did what it took to get it resolved.

I promoted into the Customer Advocate Specialist position in a little over 2 years. Here, I trained new employees, assisted them with questions they had while on the phone with members, and took irate callers. In the 2 years I was a CAS, I did not have to transfer a single irate caller above myself; I had a 100% rate of deescalating the situation and/or finding a solution to the issue at hand.

I started at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois on October 22, 2012 as a Customer Advocate. From there, I learned how to speak with people professionally, and teach them about insurance. I helped with claims issues, quoting benefits, and more.

Sales Associate in the Pets department. I fed the fish, cleaned the tanks, dipped the fish, and stocked the shelves. During my time in this department I also learned to do my Department Manager's job so that she could focus on her other department. I also learned the Cosmetics department, Lawn and Garden (driving the forklift and scissor jack when everyone else was busy), Housewares, Hardware, and Sporting Goods; so I knew how to, and helped with, half of the store. every day I would check sales from the year prior (when I wasn't in Pets), and it was always an increase; I knew what product sold, and how to place it where people would see it. I also took pride in the fact that if someone needed help, I would not just point in the direction of what they are looking for, but actually take them there, even if it was on the opposite end of the store.

Started in Maintenance doing a little bit of everything. From cleaning toilets, spills, door greeting, pushing carts, and unloading the truck.