Meet Brian Schaeffer — A Natural Born Leader
When Brian Schaeffer joined Direct Energy in September 2013, he didn’t realize he would be making history. Brian, along with 14 other new employees, was one of the first to take calls for DER US North when it transitioned to the Phoenix Contact Center. Over the last year, the team has grown to more than 30 employees (and includes most of the people that were in that first class with Brian).
With sales in his blood, Brian was a natural when he hit the phones. Month after month, he earned the top performer spot for DER US North, but while he enjoyed what he was doing, he really wanted to do more. “I have worked in call centers my whole life,” said Brian. “Inbound sales, outbound sales, cold calls — you name it, I’ve done it. I’ve always been on the phones and while I’m good at it, I wanted to step up and start leading. I just never was given the opportunity.”
That all changed in June when a supervisor position became available on the DER US North team. Brian threw his hat in the ring, hoping that the months he had spent going above and beyond hadn’t gone unnoticed. Since December, he had been helping his supervisor in building call flows and training presentations while coaching and mentoring his fellow team members.
All of his hard work did indeed pay off and Brian was selected for the supervisor position. He hit the ground running and focused on immediate improvements with his team. “I felt like it was my time to prove myself and I knew there was a lot to do,” said Brian. “It was a tough time because we had lost some leaders on the team, our rates had gone up, and call volume had dropped. I knew I had to focus on not just helping my team with their performance but with their morale as well.”
Brian rolled up his sleeves, got to work, and never looked back. His impact was evident right away. Today his team is consistently holding the top spot in the department. “We have increased our conversion rates by more than 10% and we were the first team to hit an unadjusted goal since March,” shared Brian.
However, hitting the numbers isn’t the only thing that’s important to Brian. “I really get to drive development now and be a mentor,” he said. “A lot of this position is understanding who you are working with and moving hurdles so they can do what they do best, which is sales. You also have to understand that everyone is different and may not be motivated in the same way. As I learn these things, I feel like I am growing into a true leader for my team.”
While Brian is enjoying his new supervisor role, he knows that not every day is going to be good. There are always challenges to overcome and opportunities to learn from. “There are many things that can increase frustration level on the floor like low call volume or not fully understanding a specific initiative that is coming down the pipeline at us,” said Brian. He pointed out that it would be helpful to be involved more proactively when new things are coming that will affect the team. “It would give us an opportunity to ask questions and give suggestions in the planning stages versus finding out about something once it is set in stone and we can’t really give any feedback. I think that would help everyone in truly understanding why something is set up like it is so the team can perform at their highest level.”
Outside of work Brian keeps himself plenty busy with his two young boys, ages three and five, while also playing basketball a couple of times a week. A native of Phoenix, Brian actually has quite the skills on the court, even earning a basketball scholarship to Texas A&M International University where he received his Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and Information Systems. “While my passion is business sales, I felt having a degree in technology would be helpful for my resume. It gives me the ability to go a lot of different directions with my career.”
Brian even talks about going back to school one day to get his Master’s degree. In fact, Texas A& M already has invited him back, telling him the cost is on them as long as he plays basketball for them again. “When I was at Texas A&M our team won back to back conference championships and we even made our first NCAA appearance.”
Looks like sales isn’t the only area Brian excels in! Thanks for being a part of our DE team Brian!
