Press Release

ANTELOPE VALLEY CUSTOMER SERVICE REP CALLS IT IN FOR NATIONAL AWARD
Employee Helps Keep Customers Calm with her Warmth and Concern

Antelope Valley, Oct. 9, 2006 – As a customer service representative for Waste Management, Rosalyn Vasquez is at the frontlines handling anywhere from 90 to 160 calls every day. Although many callers may not think much about the company employee on the other end, Vasquez prides herself on being a good listener and for having empathy for the customer. In fact, Vasquez is one of nine employees – and the first from Antelope Valley – recently recognized in Waste Management’s Be a CS PRO! national competition.

Each month, supervisors select calls to submit to the monthly contest, which recognizes the efforts of customer service representatives in various areas. Vasquez’s award-winning call was from July and she was judged on three different criteria: paraphrasing the caller’s issue, responding accurately to caller’s inquiries and obtaining the caller’s name at the start of each conversation.

Having been a WM employee for 12 years, Vasquez has worked in different departments and has a good understanding of how the company operates. She draws upon this knowledge on a daily basis and says she always maintains a polite tone of voice and gives customers her word that a problem or complaint will be taken care of. “I never take the calls personally since I’m kind of a moving target for the company,” she explained. “When they call, they’re growling and by the time I finish the call, they’re calm and appreciative—and I feel good, because I can usually help solve customers’ issues.”

In addition to receiving a plaque commending her “Dedication to Excellent and Outstanding Quality Customer Service”, Vasquez was awarded $50, which she used to buy pizza for her CSR colleagues. “The award shows how hard I work and how seriously I take my job,” she noted. “But I shared the wealth because we are a team and we all work so hard to go above and beyond the expectations each and every day.”

“Rosalyn is a warm and caring person and I know that comes across over the phone to our customers,” Blanca Gutierrez, Customer Service Manager. “We are so happy that she’s part of the Waste Management team in Antelope Valley.”

Waste Management, based in Houston, Texas, is the leading provider of comprehensive waste management services in North America. Our subsidiaries provide collection, transfer, recycling and resource recovery, and disposal services. We are also a leading developer, operator and owner of waste-to-energy and landfill gas-to-energy facilities in the United States. Our customers include residential, commercial, industrial, and municipal customers throughout North America.

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