Q & A
WENDAL GIVENS
Describe the most stressful situation you have had at work. How did you handle the situation? What would you have done differently?
The most stressful situation I’ ve had was dealing with the death of a young child of a family friend, which was sudden. This couple was expecting a wonderful baby girl. I had participated in all the pre-celebratory activities because of our family bond. I received a call that the baby was born but was not in good health at the time of birthing. Totally unexpected, the little girl passed away 5 days after suffering severe breathing complications. It was difficult to minister to the family because of the situation, but I managed to encourage them, even in the midst of such of tragedy.
Tell me about a situation when you were able to have a positive influence on another person or group of people.
I was able to host an informative seminar for area seniors entitled,“ Get Your House In Order,” which covered wills, power of attorney, and pre-burial options. I developed a great relationship with this group of older ladies and gentleman, and have been their guest speaker for the past 3 years at their annual event. They continually express their gratitude for the information and always remind me of the amount of fun we have together at each year’ s event.
Describe a time that you went above and beyond when consoling someone.
One situation that arose, which I was glad to help with, was when the mother of a church member lost her husband while they were on vacation. The family was unsure how they were going to get the remains back to the United States, and also concerned about their mother’ s welfare on the cruise without their father’ s guidance. I was able to get the mother to an area of the ship where they provided her with computer services so family members could video chat with her. We made the necessary arrangements to have his body sent to the morgue on the ship, and made arrangements to get the wife back to the states as soon as possible.
Tell me about a time you served as a team leader for a project. How did your leadership help the team accomplish its goals?
I served as team leader for a back-to-school drive that was done for the community. I worked closely with local agencies that brought a great deal of
support to this effort. We were able to give away over 200 book bags and school supplies. I also connected the local sororities, fraternities, and masonic family to support this effort.
Imagine that there is a conflict between two people at a funeral service. How would you resolve the conflict?
I would resolve the conflict by first identifying any immediate dangers to the family, my staff, or anyone else present. I would try to diffuse the situation by getting the parties involved to respect the place setting, a funeral service. If my attempts were to no avail, I would call authorities to assist in the matter.
What does excellent customer service mean to you in this industry?
Excellent customer service is when a family can come home after a celebration of life for their loved one and call the funeral director to merely thank them for the wonderful service and embalming work. Other examples of excellent customer service include a family noticing the extra limousine we provided to them free of charge, or perhaps lapel flowers we may provide if a family member does not have one; that’ s great customer service.
What demographics are you most comfortable working and interacting with?
I can adapt to most demographics. Being a country boy, its evident that I’ m well versed in the country lifestyle. I enjoy serving the rural areas, the customs, and traditions that come along with it.
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