by Bradley Parsons
Staff Writer
Wachovia holds about $401 billion in its vaults, but Financial Center manager Lynn Peters says her most valuable assets downtown stand behind the teller windows.
The row of young women, waiting with a smile at the end of the lobby line are often the bank’s first point of contact with the customer, says Peters. If that customer walks away with their questions answered and their money safe, Peters knows she’s done her job.
“We want our employees to be able to assist our customers in different situations,” she says. “From setting up a checking account to trying to figure out how to pay for a child going to college, all of our employees are prepared to meet our customers’ full financial needs.”
When Peters says “the customer comes first,” she could be referring to her speaking style. Just about every answer to every question references her customers.
When she arrived in January at the downtown branch, she says her first goal was to create an environment where her customers found answers to their questions.
“There’s a million things that could prevent us from focusing on our customer,” she says. “A lot of my day-to-day responsibilities are making sure the customer comes first in everything we do. We have to remember, without the customers, we’re not needed.”
Since moving to the downtown branch from her former post on Beach Boulevard, Peters says she’s had a chance to meet a much more diverse clientele.
“Working downtown provides you with every single walk of life,” she says. “From the little old woman on Social Security trying to make ends meet, to some of the top financial professionals, we get them all in here, and you never know who will walk through the door.”
When the downtown commerce becomes too chaotic, Peters says she takes a lunchtime walk down the Riverwalk and “all of my worries go away.” Although hectic at times, Peters said working downtown keeps her “pumped up and focused.”
“Nothing that happens down here is out of the ordinary,” she says. “In a given day I might get a taxicab for one customer and provide equity options for college savings for another.”
It’s a good bet that Peters will find a solution for both.