Pros
Two weeks ago I attended our annual sales meeting at our Head Quarters in Syracuse, NY. The sales team was given a tour of our 35,000 sq. ft. expansion. To give some context, the original building was 40,000 sq. ft. – the addition nearly doubled the infrastructure. Touring the expansion left me incomprehensible. The only words I could muster up were simply, “I’m speechless”. It was then I realized that the dimensional plane I was standing in suddenly shifted and I was stunned with level of detail and complexities of the unmatched technology, architecture and investment. My vocabulary is paralyzed trying to describe how amazing the expansion is! You can tell that the building was carefully planned with the employees and customers in mind to maximize efficiency, promote and energize with new comfort and creative employee spaces; all while deploying the most advanced technologies available to ensure that we deliver the speed, redundancies and ultimately, the best reliable protection to our customers. It is the most technologically advanced company in our industry! However, above all, it was the hundreds of people who are hands on in the day to day operation who made all of this possible that I found to be the most impressive. Everyone I had the pleasure of interacting with was professional, intelligent and versatile. It wasn’t just the expansion, but our entire company culture that was built by design.
I have been working for Rapid as an outside account manager for three years. At the time of hire, I had 4 other competitive job offers, 3 of which were with other wholesale central stations. I was able to tour 2 other central stations. Not only was Rapid Response the most buttoned up, it was the only company that offered 4 months training in every department, beginning in a classroom as any new employee in operations would, advancing to data entry, dealer support, technical, marketing and accounting. To some that may seem cumbersome, but I saw a huge opportunity. What was most remarkable during the training was the dedicated staff. Each department had not just one, or two, but many individuals that had been a part of the team for a decade, if not decades! They were all extremely knowledgeable and cross trained. I knew I would have an army of support while out in the field. Meeting with the dealers (our customers) was no different. There was an unspoken loyalty to our company and it confirmed I made the right choice to work for Rapid. Both experiences speaks volumes of the executive leadership of our organization, meticulous attention to detail with foresight - founded with precision and intent from day one.
Circling back to my visit in Syracuse - while visiting, I was pleasantly surprised when I ran across three individuals I attended operator training with 3 years ago that were now in supervisor or elite monitoring positions. A perfect example of the on going training and promotion opportunities within the company!
The commitment to excellence has been instilled from the top down and it shows in every departmental level. It is the dedication and passion of the executive team that has proven the company successful now and will continue to propel them into the future. This position has catapulted professional and personal growth in ways I couldn’t have imagined. I look forward to the day when I have earned my time and I can join the experienced professionals in tenure to pass down the message of where we started and motivate the next generation of leadership!
Cons
I support a large territory which requires a lot of travel and a busy schedule. Most would think being away from home or my family would be a con. However, as a multidimensional working woman wearing many hats, I find that its the quality over quantity that matters and I have been able to instill that in my family and core values. If anything, I feel that the large territory does not allow me to manage all of our customers with consistency or allow me to penetrate the market effectively.
