Meet the Inside Sales Team
GenComm is excited to introduce you to our Inside Sales Team, comprised of Jennifer Luchsinger and Deirdre Vanko. This team is responsible for supporting all customers with ordering, quotes, and other customer service-related items. They are also the first line of support for our Outside Sales Team, so you may hear from them if you send a quote or question to your assigned representative. And if Jennifer or Deirdre doesn’t have the answer or is unable to help you, they will point you in the right direction.
Both ladies have years of customer service experience and are happy and ready to assist. We sat down with them to learn more about their positions and their interests.
Can you tell us about some of your past experience?
Jennifer: I have been with GenComm for 15 years. I guess you could say that I am kind of a jack-of-all-trades here at the Madison shop. I have done both inside and outside sales, and I am cross-trained in our shipping & receiving department. Currently, I work with our inventory & stocking levels, which is a skill I learned through my years working at several Harley Davidson dealerships. I also work with pagers, for firefighters as well as hospitals. (Yes, people still use pagers!)
Deirdre: While I am new to GenComm, I am not new to customer service: I have always been in a position to serve and educate customers, across different fields. I have a strong background in real estate, as a licensed real estate broker and a level 3 assessor for the state of Wisconsin. As the assessor for many municipalities throughout the state, I worked with various departments at local, county, and state levels. I also have experience in the cell phone industry, and in the automotive industry, where I worked as finance manager at automotive and powersports dealerships.
What brought you to this industry and specifically GenComm? What do you enjoy most about working at GenComm?
Jennifer: I found GenComm through my now-retired fire chief, who started working here about a year before I did. Thanks to Marlyn Wahl, the current Operations Manager in GenComm’s Wisconsin Rapids office, a door opened for me to an industry for which I already had a passion, I just hadn’t realized it yet. With my experience as a firefighter, coming into an industry like GenComm was exciting. Having used radios, pagers, and emergency vehicle lighting gave me an edge to not only understand the product better, but also help find solutions for our customers more easily, through sharing some of my firsthand experience. I have met so many customers, who over the years just become your friends. We share stories about our families and really get to know one another.
Deirdre: I enjoy both technology and vehicles, and value the ability to continue working with municipalities, so GenComm is a great fit for me. Ultimately, I chose GenComm because of its history, values, and large footprint of customers throughout the state. I find that good challenges and multiple learning opportunities always make my days go by quickly.
What does a typical day for you as part of the Inside Sales Team look like?
Jennifer: Every day is different. Sometimes you spend most of your day working on quotes; other days, it seems as though you are answering phone calls non-stop. I work on everything from product research, order placement, and logistics for our 5 locations to greeting customers at the front counter.
Deirdre: There is no such thing as a typical day here—we are so busy! Many sales are in varying stages of the transaction, which pulls our attention to different tasks throughout the day. And I get my steps in by collaborating with multiple departments throughout the office and the shop on research and ultimately completion of projects. As a quick learner and a high-energy person, I really have fun in this environment.
What are you most passionate about at work?
Jennifer: I always strive to find the best answers for our customers; I want to provide quality products and safe, reliable solutions. There is nothing better than a happy customer, and for me, sometimes those customers are co-workers. As part of the Inside Sales Team, I have to look at other GenComm employees as also being my customers because they come to me with the same challenges and questions, and they need solutions too.
Deirdre: I am passionate about researching options, and then educating both our internal and external customers regarding the best solutions we can provide for them. We recognize that our customers are all unique, with different needs—so when we create the winning solution, it feels great. It is also important to me to learn something new every day, both at work and outside of work.
What activities do you enjoy in your spare time?
Jennifer: I love to garden, go 4-wheeling, and play with my granddaughter.
Deirdre: In my spare time, I love being outdoors, whether it’s playing golf, walking, kayaking, or downhill skiing. I also like to travel to places near water, with good sunrises and sunsets—preferably somewhere with warm weather by the ocean! And I enjoy listening to audiobooks, both motivational and business-related.
Jennifer and Deirdre are truly valued members of the GenComm family. If they can provide assistance to you, please feel free to today!