Stephanie Shaw’s previous commute consumed over 70 minutes of her day for a job that provided little more than a make-ends-meet paycheck.
“My job at DTE offers me less than a five-minute commute and provides compensation and benefits to make sure my family is cared for, which means I no longer have to worry like I did before I joined the Cass City customer service team.”
To best understand this story, let’s look back to September 2019.
DTE announced plans for creating the Cass City Contact Center, which, with a new customer care team, would help our company create and maintain strong customer relationships. DTE found the site in partnership with Jamykal Badger, Local 223 Union Chairman, who suggested they consider Cass City.
Together with the community, and in partnership with local community officials and a Michigan Works! team, DTE’s customer strategy and recruiting teams, including W. Noble Billingsley and Mia Johnson, set out to source and hire local talent by launching several social media recruiting campaigns, which garnered more than 400 applicants.
Of these, 34 candidates were extended offers at a February “interview blitz,” held just outside Cass City.
In mid-March, this customer care team joined our company just as the full brunt of the COVID-19 pandemic hit Michigan. DTE paired our commitment to the Cass City effort with creative uses of technology to onboard and train the new group, who complete their 12-week customer service training this week.
LaKeshia Sledge led the team’s training.
“This pandemic, unexpectedly, offered us an extraordinary opportunity to advance one of DTE’s long-term goals of moving training to virtual classrooms,” said LaKeisha. “The positive outcomes we’ve seen through assessments and surveys show us we can build highly-skilled customer service teams remotely, which is a game-changer given the challenges of the ongoing pandemic.”
The Cass City team will take the reins of their new roles at DTE on July 6. For one member, Stephanie Ellicott, her new analyst leadership role represents more than just a career for her.
“I’m part of the group starting up the Cass City Contact Center, which has brought incredible opportunity to this community, which is my home. We grew up with a strong work ethic, and now we can put that to work serving those we know through our roles at DTE.”
Congratulations to DTE’s Cass City team for their adaptability and flexibility in coming on board and completing their training during the pandemic!
We’re adding to this team beginning July 1. Interested? Learn more and apply