Holiday Thank-you Goes Viral

A backyard game of catch turned into a successful pitch for Agent Ryan Young.

While tossing a baseball with his 16-year-old son, shortly before Christmas, Ryan says the teen asked what happens if people have an emergency on Christmas while Ryan’s Kennesaw, Ga., office is closed.

“I explained that Customer Care Center (CCC) helps agents when our offices are closed. He was blown away by that.”

That conversation resulted in Ryan posting a Facebook comment suggesting that fellow agents consider calling the CCC on Christmas to express their gratitude for the employees working to take care of customers so agents could be home with their loved ones.

“It just took off thanks to the power of social media,” Ryan says. “Hundreds of agents started posting that they had called CCC.”

Alaska was grateful. Hawaii, too. From coast to coast, hundreds of agents called to personally thank CCC employees for their teamwork.

Tammy Higa-Seavers, assistant vice president, CCC, says she learned of the online campaign when she got an email on Christmas Day with the subject line: “This is crazy.”

“Directors and managers had collected the emails from across the country,” Tammy says. “In my seven years with the contact center, I’ve never experienced anything close to this.

“These calls had an amazing impact on our teams. It helped them feel appreciated and part of the agents’ team. That is priceless.”

Jennifer Herren was one of the agents who called.

“I called Christmas morning and thanked CCC representative Kristie Burmood for working so I could be home,” the Burleson, Texas, agent says. “I said I hoped she would get to spend Christmas evening with her family. She thanked me and said she was there to take care of customers until she could go home and relax.”

After hearing her mom make the call, Jennifer’s 8-year-old daughter was inspired. She called CCC Christmas afternoon.

CCC Rep Paul Landin answered the phone.

“The daughter of Jennifer Herren, an agent from Texas, called to thank all of State Farm for working this Christmas Day and evening,” he shared in an email to his coworkers. “Adorable.”

“It was a great idea,” Jennifer says. “Hopefully we brightened someone’s day.”

A former real estate agent, Ryan knows how thankless it can feel working odd hours and holidays.

“I don’t miss that,” says the eight-year agent. “I love being agent. But I couldn’t help customers without the teamwork at State Farm^®.”