Anyone who has had the opportunity to spend time with Kelly Williams can attest to the fact that she is a remarkable woman who embodies the values of hard work, compassion and service to others. Hailing from the small East Texas town of Gladewater, Kelly comes from a family deeply rooted in a tradition of industriousness and a spirit of giving back to the community.
Kelly is the lead contract administrator in our Dallas office. She has worked for Portfolio for 16 years and frequently wins the monthly Reputation Management contest. How does she accomplish such a feat time and time again? What is her secret sauce?
“It’s my Nike mentality,” she explains. “I take the Nike ‘Just Do It’ mentality when it comes to work and my personal life. I don’t give up. I don’t quit.” Kelly takes this determined attitude to heart. Even the purse that she carries every day displays the famous Nike slogan. “I believe that what you see next to your brain every day becomes you. It’s always with me so I never forget it.”
Kelly makes sure to answer every call with an enthusiastic “It’s a great day at Portfolio!” Her days consist of sorting through calls, emails and text messages to prioritize requests from customers, agents, dealers and fellow associates. Kelly and her team, managed by Rose Nester, help solve issues with contract adjustments, changes, cancellations, invoicing questions and more.
“My goal is to see how quickly I can solve problems. I want to figure out how to fix issues by working smarter, not harder,” Kelly says, adding that providing the best customer service means “you’ve covered every point that you could to ease a customer’s mind and making sure you’ve gathered all the ammunition needed to effectively solve their problems.”
When more information or data is needed, Kelly applies her hard-won company and industry knowledge to seek out those who can help or point her in the right direction. It’s one of the aspects she loves best about working at Portfolio — our people. Kelly has worked at different companies in various industries. However, Portfolio was not like those other firms.
“Portfolio was the first company that I came to where people treated you like people — no matter what your title is, no matter who you are or at what level you are within the organization,” she explains. “At Portfolio, it’s OK to be human and it’s the people who make the difference.”
One may wonder how Kelly obtained such values and ideals. Without hesitation, Kelly says they were instilled in her and her identical twin sister, Karen, by their grandparents. And the lessons they learn continue to pay off daily. “It’s important to be honest in customer service. People are not always going to like everything that you have to tell them, but one thing you owe them is honesty, even when you mess up. Tell them what you can do to help make it right and then do it.”
Many others benefit from Kelly and Karen’s spirit of determination and unwavering commitment to excellence. They are dedicated to making a difference in people’s lives. “I have no free time,” she says. “In years past, I worked at a before and after school program I started for the City of Duncanville. The program had over 60 kids in it before COVID shut it down. Now my sister and I work at the Duncanville Fieldhouse, a center for youth sports, entertainment and community events.”
Kelly endeavors to impart her grandparents’ values to her two young adult children, Amber and Darrien, and aspires to one day share her secrets to success with other Portfolio associates, perhaps in a customer service workshop.
“I’d like to teach people what I know about serving others and about the customer service world, because that’s what I love to do. I’d teach everyone that true customer service is when you’ve turned every corner, gone the extra mile and done everything that you can to solve the issue.”
Until that time, Kelly will keep competing for — and winning — the coveted monthly Reputation Management award while also inspiring people to work hard, be positive, serve others and embrace the transformational potential that lies within every one of us.
