Opportunity Knocks
My voicemail light was winking at me this morning. It was triggered by a message left by a woman looking for information about a medicine cabinet from MedicineCabinetShop.com for her daughter's new home.
This may not sound that unusual, but I work in the Creative Services department and rarely do I have the chance to interact directly with our customers. I welcomed the opportunity and gave her a call. When I asked how she found me, she explained her strategy for finding a human voice when confronted with voice automation, which was to depress random buttons on her handset until someone picked up. Not too shabby. Evidently her random sequence began with my extension.
We had a brief, pleasant conversation, and I got her in touch with someone who could help her. I don't know if she made the purchase, but I'm willing to bet that our product expert was ready with the information she needed.
When people apply for open positions at NetShops, they send resumes and cover letters to opportunityknocks@netshops.com. I thought that was a fresh and clever presentation of the job back when I applied, but after a few years with the company, I've come to realize it's more than that.
Opportunity continuously finds its way into the workplace, and it doesn't always knock. It beeps. It flashes red. It comes in a question from a co-worker, a recommendation from a customer.
Whether opportunity arises here more often than in other offices around the world, I couldn't say. But I can tell you this: the people at NetShops seem to have an uncanny knack for recognizing it when it does.