People Project - Meet Sara

One person who has that ability in abundance is Sara Mays, our Business Support Specialist in the United States. Frequently involved with customer service, it’s a trait that comes in handy, but by no means is she limited to just pleasing others.

Many will be wondering what role a Business Support Specialist has to play, and the truth is, it’s a bit of everything. The key with Sara is that she really is a specialist in every area she covers. “I’m kind of all over the place!”, she exclaims. “I’m on customer service and I’m responsible for the middle to west part of the United States. I’ve also got the office management duties, so I do all the ordering and the inventory work and I’m also doing accounts receivable right now, so it’s just like a mix! I always think that systems are the hardest part, so there has been a lot of training and a bit of understanding how everything works.”

Initially recruited to cover the customer service function, Sara knew that whilst her focus would be customer service, she would have to take on extra responsibilities as she became acquainted with the world of Limbs. Now well into her second year as a Limbs employee, Sara has accumulated the extra responsibilities, but in keeping with her do-it-all attitude, she’s taken to them like a duck to water. Diving deeper into what motivates her to be the best she can be, Sara says: “I do have a lot of experience in a lot of different fields, and I just think in general I’ve been able to build on those first responsibilities.” Her willingness to succeed is not centered on self-fulfillment, but instead on building an efficient team dynamic that makes the lives of those who surround her easier on a daily basis. “If I take on a responsibility, I try really hard not to drop the ball, and if a customer comes in with a question, I’m going to give them all the information possible and just try and make their own job as easy as possible.”

The distribution of information is absolutely paramount for Sara from a customer service point of view, especially when you consider that she supports three Regional Area Managers (RAMs) on a regular basis. Sara admits that there’s a feeling of wanting to do the best for them when dealing with their customers: “The RAMs work so hard to go out and get those sales. I know they’re waiting on me to carry on with what they need to do so I need to drop what I’m doing and get what they need as quickly as possible.” Keeping those relationships healthy and transparent is an essential cog in the Limbs Inc customer service machine, and a cog that turns the wheel of success in the right direction. Knowing the approach and tone to take with customers from different corners of the country could be seen as a daunting and possibly wearing task for some, but not for Sara. Explaining the way in which she approaches customer interaction, she says: “When you have an experience where someone has just been so friendly it makes things so much easier; I always want to be that person. I really believe that when somebody is frustrated, they just want to be heard so if you just listen to what someone is saying a lot of the time, they don’t even expect something to be done. If say they’re unhappy about a situation, they just want to know that somebody has heard them and heard their frustration.”

Whilst her expertise and role in our success of is well-documented, something that may go under the radar is Sara’s general upbeat demeanor. It’s a demeanor that reverberates through the team in the United States and allows her to spread her positivity through a bi-monthly newsletter and the plethora of events she organizes for the team. It’s a sentiment Sara’s line-manager, and US Customer Care and Logistics Manager Colleen echoes: “Sara is a linchpin member of the team, bringing a warmth and energy that binds us all together. She truly is such an ace at turning frowns upside down, and you feel so happy to work with her.” For Sara, it’s a way of life rather than a work-implemented mentality. Outside of work she’s on the board of directors for an organisation that provides service dogs for children with disabilities and veterans. Once again we arrive back at the people pleasing aspect Sara strives for, and as she discusses her life away from Limbs she can’t help but say: “I think in general my philosophy is to just make life easier for others. Being positive is an easy way of doing that with other people, so I really try and be positive and to make somebody’s day better.”