Meet Mary Shores, Vice president of Customer Experience at FileWave

1. Tell us… what is the best thing about working for FileWave? 

Working with people in general is my greatest passion and fostering good relationships with our customers is something that brings me great satisfaction. What I love the most about FileWave is working with a team of great people who are fully dedicated to listening to our customers’ voices, who want to understand our end user’s experience, and who are continuously dedicated to improving that experience.

I would say that proactivity is what makes my team unique in that way; we reach out to our customers before they contact us, just to check in on them, see if they are facing any issues, update them on the newest feature, etc. And I can tell you – customers are very grateful for that and their shown appreciation is immensely rewarding for both me and my team.

2. Tell us… about that time you faced a challenge and how you dealt with it.

I’ve been with FileWave for 13 years and in the beginning, neither I nor my team had any connection to the product/development side. To hear the true voice of our customers and understand their needs and problems, that needed to change; so, I would say that was the biggest challenge I’ve faced so far in this job.

To overcome that, we needed to work hard and foster inter-FileWave relationships, which meant shutting down all silos and breaking down the barriers. We had to ensure there are open lines of communication and effective, smooth collaboration between departments, and this has only improved over time. So yes, I’m very proud of our joint efforts and how we managed to build bridges between ourselves and our customers.

3. Tell us… about that time you made a success as a team.

The answer to this question rests heavily on my previous answer – I am extremely proud of my team and the connections they have made with other departments in the company. We are all aware that we play for the same team, and we are focused on doing our part, providing the best possible service, and delivering the best final result. Simply, we function as one body, one organism, because only in this way can we fully recognize all the needs of our clients and respond to them.

I am proud of the fact that we actively listen and try to understand the perspective of our customers and act upon it. Yes, there is always room for improvement, but we have done an amazing job as a team, especially in the last five years. And it’s not just my team – I’m so proud of the fact that we’ve we have managed to overcome all obstacles on a global level and that neither different time zones, distance, culture, or any other differences are no longer an obstacle for us in global communication and cooperation. There is no more FileWave USA, FileWave EMEA, or FileWave APAC – it’s just FileWave now, and it feels like a success.

4. Tell us… a little about yourself. Who is Mary outside of work?

I think that, even in my private life, I’m defined by creating, nurturing, and maintaining successful relationships (laughs). As a mother of three grown boys, the first and most important for me is my family, and quality family time is the most precious thing in the world.  Whenever I have some free time, I like to spend it at the lake or the beach, with family and friends.

I come from a big (really big) family – there are 125 of us on my mom’s side! Every two years, since 1988, my family gets together and we go to Lake James, Indiana. My extended family is very close and I grew up realizing how important relationships are. Those three days with them are the best part of this summer for me, and that’s how I rest and recharge my batteries. After a long day, I try to relax my mind by reading a good book. Of course, there are euchre (a typical US-Midwestern card game) nights with my friends, which I try not to miss.

5. Tell us… if you have any advice or something to share with other professionals in this field. What would you tell them?

I am someone who has gone through various industries and switched many roles – from Office Administration, and HR, to Customer Experience. No matter who I’m talking to, whether it’s our fellow FileWavers, our partners, social media followers, or our customers, it always boils down to one thing: whatever you do, try to actually listen rather than just hear. Listen to those around you with understanding and empathy and make sure you direct that feedback to the right address, to those who can help or do something about it. It is important to make people aware that we really listened to them, understood them, and that we want to do as much as we can to make the situation better.

Please don’t forget how important people relationships are, and what a huge influence empathy and respect have on nurturing and improving those relationships. It may not be some great advice or anything new really, but whatever you do, make sure you follow through on what you can do for others. It’s very rewarding, in every possible sense.

We truly hope you enjoy reading our People Series showcasing the inspiring and hardworking FileWavers’ success and professional journeys. Whether you’re just out of college with fresh ideas or an experienced IT pro, we’re always looking to expand our team. View and apply for one of our many open positions today!