The COVID-19 pandemic is not only changing where and how we work, it is reinventing job roles — possibly permanently.

As part of a Q&A series, Samsung employees across business areas are sharing their views on how they have redefined their roles for today and what they expect their roles to look like in the future. They are also are offering advice to those now entering the profession as the collective workforce discussion shifts from what now to what next.

Name: Jeffrey Stowell [LinkedIn] Title: Vice President, Customer Support and Digital Transformation Location: Greenville, SC Years with Samsung: 2 months

I was more than likely inspired to pursue a career in Customer Support Operations because of the ten summers I worked as a kid at my dad’s fruit stand in Sunnyvale, CA. I handled all aspects of the business and knew how to anticipate customers’ level of quality, service, and resolve to make for a great brand. Unknowingly at the time, I became more attached to having an innate ability to keep things simple, which proved to be a beacon for me as I moved into complex organizations.

Pre-COVID-19 proved to only be three weeks for me as I’m new to the company. During that time, my main priority was to soak up information and the company culture. Had the pandemic not occurred, my day-to-day would have centered around identifying procedural CX gaps with ideas on betterment through cross-functional collaboration. In addition, I would have focused on refining the magic that exists between the interaction of our front line customer care representatives and our consumers to ensure that we build in more humanity in our service touch points, our voice, and our execution.

To transcend beyond basic execution and merge into the customer manage journey. Basically anticipating needs and delivering not on just a procedural level but an emotional one.  That requires ensuring our front line team has the autonomy, mastery, and purpose built into their environments each and every day.  This role requires the ability to listen and adapt our all of our consumer needs and provide the ability to enable our team to make great judgement calls on behalf of the customer and company when there are gray areas.

Without question, we’re implementing a more dynamic and expeditious “disaster” recovery plan. The ability in customer care to be geographically broader and more nimble with WFH, where we can flip on a dime to ensure business continuity, should remain in full operation without a hitch. Having navigated site closures due to weather (i.e. hurricanes) in my previous life, the days of being tied to brick-and-mortar locations are gone. Transitioning 100% of your workforce to remote work environments within 24 hours is the new normal. In addition, there’s a tremendous need to ensure we structure ourselves as an emotionally intelligent (EI) supportive environment with characteristics like empathy and adaptability. EI becomes the North Star as we dig deep into people, process, and technology.

On a personal level, my six kids have – no question. On a professional front, I would say Tom Peters’ book, “Thriving on Chaos: Handbook for a Management Revolution,” was a good start in my early years. Over time, while having encountered many leaders, I would call out Sean Ludick at Intel Media. He pushed me forward in an innovative space that required tremendous cross-functional influence to make incredible customer-centric change. I also observed him quickly pivot in the midst of uncertainty and ambiguity. And, of course, my current supervisor here at Samsung, Steve Kim. I’m amazed each day by his vision, direction, and support.