Customer Care, Adapting to Changing Needs, and Community with Sandy Fernandez.
Customer Service Representative Sandy Fernandez has worked at City Light for 13 years. She serves the utility as a member of the Customer Operations Team in the Customer Care and Energy Solution Business Unit.
“I’ve worked as a Customer Service Representative in the Credit and Collections department of City Light since I was hired,” Sandy said.
Born in Manila, Philippines, Sandy was 19 years old when she and her family migrated to California in 1987. After living in Glendale, Calif., and getting married, she moved to the Pacific Northwest to “stay away from the crazy life in LA and be closer to my siblings who also moved from Edmonton, Alberta, to Vancouver, B.C.”
In this week’s (spot)Light, Sandy shares her latest hobbies and talks about her role at the utility.
“Since moving to Seattle, we have yet to leave the West Seattle area. We love our parish community at Holy Family Church, the diversity of people, and the general area and close vicinity to basically everything!” Sandy exclaimed. “My family and I love to travel (when possible), walk our dog, eat out, and we spend a lot of time at home watching movies on Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Prime. Lately, I’ve been addicted to watching K-dramas (Korean drama)!
“I had just finished my third year of college, majoring in communication arts, when I left my country. I was only one year away from graduating and did plan to go back to finish, but life happens! I became a wife, a mother of three, and found City Light.
“As a customer service rep, we answer calls from customers who are past due on their account. We try to work with them to resolve their issues, educate them on different kinds of discounts/assistance programs they may qualify for, and offer payment arrangement plans. It’s been quite a challenge to serve our customers during this pandemic, but we are always flexible and understanding of the customer’s needs.
“I absolutely love working at City Light because I simply love what I do. It’s a rewarding job, and it is personally satisfying when you’re able to help guide customers towards solutions. It makes a difference when you show kindness and compassion, especially during this difficult time. I enjoy working with my co-workers, and everyone has just been so helpful and welcoming over all these years.”