Teamwork, Tenacity, and the Digital Transition

Upgrading a digital banking platform for commercial clients is a massive undertaking. Our recent system transition naturally brought its share of technical hurdles, unexpected bumps, and a heavy surge of urgent inquiries. Yet, in the face of a high-stress situation, our incredible staff stepped up to meet the challenge head-on.

We are thrilled to recognize four outstanding individuals from our Business Services Team as our September Employees of the Month: Michele, McKenzie, Nick, and Lauren. When our customers came calling with urgent needs, this group responded with tremendous calmness, care, and patience. By prioritizing critical issues and tackling every challenge together, they showed us all what exceptional service looks like.

We sat down with them to learn more about their experiences at BOS, their approach to customer care, and what makes their hard work rewarding.

The Anchor of Communication and Care

At the heart of the Business Services team's success during the recent upgrade was a shared dedication to teamwork, something Michele lives out every single day.

What does teamwork mean to you?

To me, teamwork means working together toward a common goal, communicating openly, supporting one another, and treating everyone with respect. It means being dependable, willing to help when needed, and understanding that everyone brings different strengths to the team. I contribute by being someone others can count on, sharing information, staying positive, and offering help when I can. I believe a strong team is built on trust, accountability, and a willingness to work together to find solutions and achieve the best results.

- Michele S.

How do you approach problem-solving?

Michele's philosophy of open communication and accountability guides exactly how she helps support the needs of our customers. She prioritizes listening closely and remaining patient, which helps ensure that complex situations are resolved smoothly.

By listing carefully to the customer and understand their specific needs and concerns. I remain patient, ask questions to get a clear understanding of the issue, and look for the best solution that meets their needs while following the banks’ policies. My goal is to make sure every customer feels heard and that I’ve done my best to help them.

- Michele S.

Empowering BOS Through Knowledge

McKenzie believes that continuous education in the workplace is essential to providing the best possible support to both clients and coworkers. 

How do you approach problem-solving?

The best thing I can do to best solve our customers problems is to continuously be learning something. Whether it’s a new program we just launched to customer, what documents a banker needs to open an account, understanding details on a line of credit, etc. Here at BOS, we pride ourselves on our customer service, and knowing as much as I can about our products and services makes that so much easier and makes the customer experience that much better.

- McKenzie S.

How do you ensure that fraud prevention is always top of mind in your role?

Part of the appeal of banking local is you get to know your customer base and their normal activity. By doing so it makes it so much easier to see things out of the ordinary and want to dive deeper to ensure that our customers’ money is being protected. This year alone we have been able to save numerous customers and hundreds of thousands of dollars by putting a stop to fraud before their money ever left the bank.

- McKenzie S.

What advice would you give to someone starting in your role?

McKenzie encourages newcomers to lean into hands-on learning, mastering the systems and services one step at a time.

My best advice would be to take it slow. Our business customers have access to several services, and you aren’t going to be able to learn them all overnight. Start with the services that are most relevant to the day-to-day job and start to learn the ins and outs. Once you get the feel for one start on the next. And don’t be afraid to play, click around and see what each system does and how it works. You don’t get better at a hobby by just sitting around thinking about it, you’ve got to drive in and try some things out first.

 

- McKenzie S.

Finding Reward in Times of Change

For Nick, navigating any major system conversion successfully comes down to the environment and culture built within the team.

What is the best part of working at BOS for you?

There are many reasons why I enjoy working at BOS, but the biggest one is the people and the culture. The team consistently goes above and beyond to support one another and our customers. Everyone is approachable, friendly, and willing to step in whenever assistance is needed. That positive environment makes BOS a great place to work and contributes to our overall success as a whole.

- Nick P.

That supportive culture was put to the test during the recent business online conversion, a period where the department handled thousands of phone calls to guide customers through challenging technical changes.

What is a recent experience where you felt you made a positive impact?

As a bank we recently went through a business online system conversion. During this transition, our department handled thousands of phone calls to assist our customers with many challenging changes for them. Knowing that I helped reduce stress and kept their businesses moving forward was very rewarding. It confirmed the importance of providing exceptional customer service and being a reliable resource during times of change.

- Nick P.

Solving the Customer Service Puzzle

Lauren approaches high-stress situations with a unique perspective: she views each complex customer scenario as a puzzle where every single piece matters.

How do you approach stressful situations?

I try to view each situation as a puzzle. Every piece matters, and assisting someone in a stressful situation takes lots of patience and sometimes lots of questions. It’s important to remember to slow down and focus on one thing at a time. Being able to solve the puzzle brings me satisfaction and gives the customer peace of mind, and I always remind them that we are here for them and that they can contact me at any time and that I am always happy to help with whatever they need.

- Lauren L.

What part of your work do you find most rewarding?

The most rewarding part of my work is honestly helping other people. I love being able to talk to someone who is frustrated and turn the conversation around and make them feel supported and leave them with a smile on their face by the end of the conversation. Building up those customer relationships has been incredibly fulfilling and I just genuinely enjoy assisting people in any way I can.

- Lauren L.

What advice would you give to someone starting in your role?

For anyone looking to step into a similar customer-facing role, Lauren emphasizes giving yourself grace.

Take your time learning. You are not going to understand everything all at once, and that is 100% okay! Ask questions (even the “stupid” ones), question the answers you are given, explore different aspects of the job, always ask “why”, and focus on building relationships with your team and your customers. Don’t stress because you don’t know everything right away. Your team will be there for you when you need help, and you will be constantly learning and changing as you grow, and that is part of being human! Always be open to new ideas and mindsets, and never ever limit yourself.

- Lauren L.

Thank You, Business Services Team!

Michele, McKenzie, Nick, and Lauren embody the absolute best of what it means to be a part of the #BOSFamily. Thank you all for your extraordinary dedication, your patience under pressure, and your unwavering commitment to our business customers. 

Congratulations again on this well-deserved recognition!