Samantha Vance, concierge at Grand Rapids State Bank, has a straightforward role: ‘do whatever I can to be helpful.’ While not too many people are visiting the bank on a walk-in basis during the pandemic, her desk is positioned so she is the first person who makes eye contact, gives a smile, and personally greets anyone who walks in the west entrance in the bank’s downtown main office. Her primary function is to answer all phone calls placed to the general bank number and provide the first point of contact with people as they walk in the door. In addition, she administratively assists multiple departments within the bank with miscellaneous duties as time permits.
“I was hired as a teller in August 2019, and in November I accepted the position of concierge,” Sam (as she prefers to be called) explained. “I wanted to know our customers on a first-name basis, and this position really gives me that opportunity. The more I know about our customers and anticipate their needs, the more helpful I can be. I have even formed relationships with customers whom I’ve never met except over the phone.”
Sam lived only a block from the bank as she was growing up in Grand Rapids. Thanks to PSEO (post-secondary education option), she graduated from Grand Rapids High School and Itasca Community College simultaneously in 2017. She then began taking classes as a full-time student at the College of St. Scholastica, and many of those classes she was able to take locally or online.
“I have been able to work full-time while going to school full-time the past nine months, and I have to admit it’s been a bit of a challenge,” said Sam. “I’ll earn my degree in psychology with a minor in organizational leadership in May, but we unfortunately won’t have the traditional graduation walk. I’m hoping we can have some sort of ceremony later in the year, but we’ll see.”
Sam’s career goal is to grow into a position such as human resources management, some job where she can put her degree to good practice. Even in her current position, though, she is using what she’s learned so far in college.
“As people walk in, or after I greet them on the phone, it doesn’t take long for me to determine their needs,” Sam explained. “I’m able to use interpersonal skills that I’ve learned in my college studies to help respond appropriately and to help them feel comfortable. I can’t always answer their questions myself, but I can help point them in the right direction so that my colleagues can help them more readily.”
In this position, given as many duties as she is assigned, she has effectively been able to prioritize and switch gears at a moment’s notice when the call volume is high or when there are multiple customers in the lobby who require assistance.
“In this role, I often use the ability to empathize with others,” said Sam, “I greet customers with a smile and inquire about what each person needs assistance with and respond accordingly. Considering where I’m sitting, I’m often referred to as ‘the face of the bank.’ It’s very important that I offer kind words to everyone who walks through the doors, even while I’m fielding a call or asking someone to wait while I find another bank representative to help them.”
When she’s not studying, which until now has occupied nearly all of her waking hours when she’s not at work, Sam and her boyfriend are working on expanding their small hobby farm in the area. She enjoys spending time outdoors with her two dogs, too, and after graduating in May, she’ll breathe a bit easier and enjoy that time a bit more.