Behind the Calls: Celebrating EcoShield’s Customer Experience Team

(Phoenix, AZ) – A customer calls with a concern. They may be frustrated by a pest problem, confused about a bill, or unsure of what steps to take next. On the other end of the line is someone ready to listen, ask the right questions, and help find a solution.

For EcoShield’s Customer Experience Team, conversations like these are part of the everyday job. Each one requires patience, knowledge, empathy, and the ability to navigate a wide range of needs and emotions. Much of this work happens behind the scenes, but its impact extends far beyond the phone call, shaping the customer experience and supporting branches across the company.

During EcoShield’s first-ever Customer Service Appreciation Week, the company turned its attention to the people who make those moments possible, recognizing the dedication and care they bring to their work every day.

“We appreciate everything that you’re doing. We see you. We know your job is not easy, so this is our way of just saying thank you,” said Lizzy, Manager of Customer Care.

A Celebration Shaped by the Team

When Kristen, who oversees training, technology enablement, and quality assurance, began planning the week, she had plenty of ideas for celebrating the team. But as the plans developed, she realized the most meaningful approach would be to involve the very people the celebration was intended to recognize.

“It needs to have a voice from everyone,” she said.

Kristen brought together a committee representing different areas of the customer experience team. Members collaborated on ideas, planned activities, and took ownership of bringing each day to life. By inviting team members to help shape the celebration, they created an experience that reflected the people at its center.

“The team needs to do this, because it’s for them,” Kristen said.

That collaborative effort resulted in a week filled with music, interactive chats, quizzes, themed activities, appreciation gifts, and opportunities for recognition. The committee also made inclusion a priority, thoughtfully planning activities that allowed in-office, remote, and overseas teammates to participate and feel connected, regardless of where they worked.

Making Room for Connection

Throughout the week, Microsoft Teams chats became spaces for more than work-related questions and customer updates. Team members shared their favorite songs, posted dancing GIFs, celebrated colleagues, and found small ways to enjoy the week together.

For colleagues whose daily interactions often revolve around scheduling requests, service concerns, or troubleshooting, these moments offered an opportunity to connect on a more personal level. Employees from local offices and other departments joined in, adding their encouragement and appreciation to the celebration.

Jim, Senior Manager of Customer Experience, recognized the team's enthusiasm and the effort made to include colleagues overseas. His message to the team was simple: “You guys all deserve it.”

That sense of connection is especially important in a role that requires employees to show up with patience and composure for one customer conversation after another. Feeling supported by colleagues can make a meaningful difference, both personally and professionally.

Heathyr, a customer experience supervisor, sees those relationships as an essential part of leading and supporting her team. While performance metrics and data remain important, she believes understanding people is what ultimately helps them succeed.

“I have to obviously look at the data and the numbers, but you impact those through connection,” she said.

Building those relationships also means recognizing that not everyone seeks the spotlight. The celebration created opportunities to include quieter teammates and acknowledge people whose contributions may not always be immediately visible. Through shared activities and team-wide recognition, employees had more ways to participate, connect, and feel valued.

The Care Behind Customer Service

Customer service is rarely one-size-fits-all. Throughout the day, team members move between different needs, personalities, and circumstances, often finding themselves balancing multiple priorities at once. One conversation might involve coordinating service with a local branch, while another requires untangling a billing concern or simply giving a frustrated customer the time and attention needed to feel heard.

Regardless of the situation, the work comes back to understanding the person on the other end of the conversation.

Lizzy captured that philosophy simply: “We’re just humans talking to humans.”

It is a perspective that speaks to the heart of customer experience. Behind every question, complaint, or request is a person looking for help, clarity, or reassurance. And behind every helpful response is another person drawing on their knowledge, patience, and empathy to make a difference.

Customer Service Appreciation Week served as a reminder that the people providing that care need to experience it, too. Recognition, encouragement, and meaningful connections help reinforce the sense of community that allows teams to support customers and one another.

Through the creativity of the planning committee and the participation of teammates across locations, EcoShield’s inaugural celebration did more than fill a week with fun activities. It created space for connection, highlighted the people behind the work, and reinforced the value of a team whose contributions are felt throughout the organization.

Ultimately, the celebration brought EcoShield’s purpose of spreading happiness back to the people who help make it possible every day: one conversation, one customer, and one call at a time.