What constantly surprises us from month to month is the courage of a successful company to rely heavily on intelligent and ambitious employees, who although are now professionals in what they do, they had had no previous experience when they were offered the opportunity to learn the industry. However, we were told that this is not always the rule, so this month we had the opportunity to talk to Irena Gorgieva, one of the few employees with previous experience in her field, before coming to Superior Dispatch Service.
How did you become part of the Superior Dispatch Service team?
When I heard about the Freight Brokerage department opening at Superior Dispatch Service, I was working for a factoring company, where I was already familiar with one side of the transportation industry and had already gained experience with the day-to-day operations of shipping companies and brokers.
I really wanted to meet the other side of the transport industry – freight brokering, and to face the challenge of satisfying both parties, the customer and the trucking company, and simultaneously to make a profit for the company.
What are your daily responsibilities?
Our work responsibilities come while adapting to the needs of our clients. Most often that is collecting and submitting documentation on time, processing and paying for invoices, as well as monitoring the payments we received from customers. But, most of all, we aim to fully satisfy both parties while providing immaculate services. The most important thing is to be in constant communication with them, both by phone and by email, so that we know what to do in a certain situation. It is strange, but the real success in our department is not measured by numbers, but by satisfied customers.
In 2021 you were at the center of the company’s greatest growth. Do you have a specific structure that allows for such rapid growth?
I can say for sure, if we did not have a certain structure and organization in the team, we would not have been able to meet all the challenges that 2021 brought us. We start with Data Entry, as a starting position, where all the loads should be entered quickly, timely and accurately in the software we are using. Next, Accounts Receivable is a very important part of our work, because this is where the receiving and processing of documents is done. And last, Accounts Payable or monitoring payments.
The structure is often subject to change, depending on the needs of the clients,
so we have new jobs, such as Client Representative and Claims, which emerged out of the need to respond to the different demands of our clients.
How is the focus maintained in an office flooded with numbers?
I can say that it is individual. Each of us, although being guided by and working according to the needs of the job position, has its own principles and a way of working.
We work in a dynamic environment, in an office full of people who talk on the phone all the time and the focus can easily slip out of hand. Most of the time, when I feel like it’s hard, I suggest watching a 15-minute motivational video to relax a bit. Also, through team building, whether it is in the office by giving topics and discussing them, or outside the office, we improve our mutual communication, which is key to maintaining the efficiency of the team.
Can you single out any situation in these 4 years that has taught you the most about work?
In our department, the focus is on the numbers, and there’s no room for mistakes – “A letter, a litter” – if you know what a mean. So, in the beginning of my carrer here, I had a situation where instead of $199, the client was paid $1099, purely due to negligence. Since then, I check each amount 10 times if necessary, before making the payment. You simply can’t be too careful!
What are the pros and cons that a candidate who wants to apply for a job in your team should know?
What profile of candidate would easily fit into your team?
We are always on deadlines. And all must be met, and that can sometimes put pressure on employees. We are also in constant communication with nervous clients, who want every question to be answered immediately and every problem to be solved at the moment, so we must know how to respond to that challenge. On the other hand, the transport industry never stops. With that, we have many opportunities to learn and improve. We are in constant communication with experts in the industry and we really learn a lot from them.
The atmosphere and working conditions are great. Everyone who comes to work at Superior Dispatch Service will be given an equal chance to build a career.
