October 24, 2021

To say Customer Service runs in the family for siblings Anna, Caleb and Andrew Tousley, and their cousin Daniel, is an understatement.

All four have found employment in recent years as Customer Service representatives at FirstEnergy’s West Akron Contact Center, where they’ve garnered stellar reputations and praise for successfully assisting customers, being eager to learn and helping contribute to a strong safety culture.

“They have a thirst for rewarding careers at FirstEnergy,” said Rick Schroth, general manager, West Akron Contact Center. “The Tousleys see the opportunities that exist here and have top-notch values of discipline, hard work and consistency that have really allowed them to thrive and succeed.”

Anna Tousley was part of FirstEnergy’s inaugural 2016 recruitment program for recent high school graduates interested in working at the West Akron Call Center. She started out as a contractor with hopes of finding a rewarding career path with growth opportunities for her future.

“I was looking for a full-time job and I’m so glad I took advantage of the opportunity,” said Anna, now an advanced Customer Service associate. “I enjoy being part of such a great team. Everyone works so well together. And my supervisors have really helped me advance in my career and push me to grow and be my very best every day.”

Since being hired full-time, she has been promoted several levels. Today, she handles more advanced, escalated customer calls and is part of the contact center’s Skills, Transition and Reinforcement Training (START) program that supports and coaches new hires as they transition out of training and start working independently.

“The most complex aspect of the job would be handling difficult customers,” she said. “We’re not always able to make every single customer happy or give them exactly what they’re asking for. It can be difficult at times to provide them with answers they may not want to hear.”

Caleb followed in Anna’s footsteps by joining FirstEnergy via the same recruitment program in 2019. He also has been promoted since his initial hiring, having made tangible contributions to the department’s work with customers – and to safety as well.

“My typical job duties include assisting customers, whether that’s starting service in their name at an address, entering outage tickets or discussing their bills,” said Caleb, Customer Service associate. “I am also on our Safety team.”

Caleb values the lessons learned in the call center – including an emphasis on workplace safety – as he considers applying to the company’s Power Systems Institute training program for line and substation workers. “I think Customer Service experience teaches patience, focus, accountability and openness. Those qualities can be used in almost any career path.”

Continuing the Trend

Completing the Tousley family tree are recent new hires, Andrew and Daniel. Both began working in the West Akron Call Center as contractors last fall and became full-time employees this summer.

As new hires, they’ve been tasked with taking entry level calls related to concerns such as outages and move-in/move-out requests, in addition to assisting with back-office billing projects. According to Rick, they bring the same Tousley brand of enthusiasm and hard work that Anna and Caleb displayed when they first joined the company.

“My supervisor and the management team here are very informative,” said Daniel. “Leadership feedback on improvement and recognition has allowed me to perform well and take pride in my work.”

Andrew agreed: “The mentorship and support I have been given from management and other employees have allowed me to succeed in many areas. My supervisors have helped me look into my future with FirstEnergy.”

A future that certainly looks bright for all of FirstEnergy’s Tousleys.