Julie Radtke, a Thrivent advanced customer care professional, remembers a call with the spouse and daughter of a Thrivent client who had died. The daughter was concerned they wouldn’t be able to pay for the funeral and that she was failing her mother.
“She was distressed to the point where I felt I needed to support these clients and the claim a little more than normal,” Julie says. “I had never done this before, but with her permission I reached out to the funeral home and spoke to the director to get everyone on the same page. All were grateful for the help, and the daughter, especially, could breathe a sigh of relief.
“They already were grieving the loss of a loved one and there is no reason why we can’t ease some of that uncertainty and sorrow by being there to listen and guide them.”
Thrivent customer care professionals going the extra mile is not unusual, says Wayne Harrington, a director in the Contact Center at Thrivent. “We want to exceed our customers’ expectations and make it a personal interaction, not just transactional,” he says. “We try to understand what the actual need is, not just what the caller is asking.”
In 2023, Thrivent customer care professionals answered 1,479,804 calls from clients and others. The calls range from questions about a death claim or the value of a policy to understanding tax implications and gaining a better understanding of the product owned.
We don't tell people what to do; we ask questions and give options.
“The level of knowledge our customer care professionals have is unmatched,” Wayne says. “They are expected to know all Thrivent’s systems and products and be able to explain them. They each use that knowledge real-time with 60 to 70 people a day.”
With every call, these professionals focus on what they can do to help. “Sometimes we may have to tell the caller that what they’re asking is not one of the options, but we can do this and this and this,” he says. “We don’t tell people what to do; we ask questions and give options.”
Riley Clark, a Thrivent advanced customer care professional, recalls a note received from the daughter of a client who had died. It thanked the Thrivent team for their professionalism, helpfulness, consideration and, most of all, guidance throughout her mother’s claim experience.
“To know that we in the call center can lighten the load in any capacity during such a challenging and emotional time for families is truly life-changing and perspective-shifting,” Riley says. “It’s impossible in this role to not become a better, more empathetic and understanding person who wants to deliver the best to the people we serve.”
2023 at a glance
