Knowledge Powers Our Team, According to Educator Jennifer Brown

Living in various spots around the United States, Jennifer Brown and her husband settled for a time in Moscow, Idaho.  A degreed teacher, Jennifer responded to a job listing for Working Solutions, venturing from education into the business world.

“It was 2005, and I was unfamiliar with Working Solutions or the concept of WFH (work from home),” she said. “But I saw they were hiring teachers, and for me, not having to acquire a new teacher’s license in a new state was very appealing. The first client program I taught was a two-day prep class for Hotels.com.”

Back then, as it is now, educating contact center agents on a client’s brand was managed by Tamara Schroer, a high-energy colleague from Chicago, not far from Jennifer’s hometown of West Lafayette, Indiana. “We connected right away. Both of us were Midwesterners with a passion for education and a lot of enthusiasm,” Jennifer recalled. “It was a perfect match.”

An Educator’s Insights

 Jennifer, who serves as Working Solutions’ director of education, was a fifth grade and special education teacher. She also had a background in computer technology. This combination made her a valuable asset to Working Solutions.

“Like most teachers, I wore a lot of hats,” she said. “It’s about more than teaching. You need to know how to engage people.”

At the same time, the job requires a lot of attention to detail. “You design materials that can be used anytime, anywhere by anyone. That’s no small task.”

If you ask Jennifer (or Tamara), they’d tell you that fun is Working Solutions’ secret sauce in education and development. “We make it our mission to keep people engaged for extended periods. And we do that with sprinkling in games and activities throughout the lessons. In fact, my motto for this year is ‘bring back the fun in 2021.’”

Yielding Results

These programs continue to yield results unique in the contact center industry and are valued by its clients.

“One of our top clients came to us and said we have an airline partner that needs your help right away. They are starting up a new program and expect incredible call volume. Can you help them?

“And we jumped in, put together the curriculum, aligned it with their current materials and helped get it off the ground in 24 hours.”

The outcome? A home run involving the entire team. “It was a B-12 shot for our organization.”

Like others interviewed for the 25-year anniversary, Jennifer thinks corporate culture plays an important part in the company’s success. “Working Solutions encourages teamwork. Everything here is very personal, and everyone feels connected.”

She said she admires founder Kim Houlne, who sets the tone for the company. “She is a dynamo, a female entrepreneur who built a company from the ground up.”

Progress Beyond the Pandemic

Despite the coronavirus pandemic, the business continues to progress. While most agents and employees work out of their homes, they personally connect with others at regional meetings. (They’ll resume once the pandemic is brought under control.) “I go to as many of these as possible when they are in the Midwest. I love these get togethers. We get to put faces with names.”

Working Solutions isn’t all work. Jennifer recounts special programs, such as the “GreenRoom,” where they arranged 15-minute conversations with celebrities, “Stand Up to Cancer” and Jon Stewart’s “Night of Too Many Stars.”

“We connected consumers with the celebrities,” she said. In the process, she got to talk with Tom Hanks, Jason Sudeikis and Jerry Seinfeld, just to name a few. “All of them were great.”

Jennifer maintains a balanced life outside of work, raising her three children—and her two dogs. And she works hard to keep up with her husband, who is also an entrepreneur.

So, what’s Jennifer’s assessment of Working Solutions’ performance over the first 25 years of its life? “It’s been exciting to see the company grow. Working Solutions has transformed the work from home model. I’m grateful that I am on this fast-moving train and can’t wait to see what is in store for the future.

“Working Solutions encourages teamwork.  Everything here is very personal, and everyone feels connected.”