Every unique and talented Avantee is a co-creator of the Avant culture we love. We hope the @Avant series helps you get to know who we are, how we do what we do, and what it looks like to build your career at Avant.
Ebony Williams
Department Manager on the Payments Team in Avant’s Tennessee Call Center
Joined Avant in 2013
What’s it like to work @Avant? We asked Ebony for her take on our culture, and here’s what she said:
1. How would you describe Avant’s culture?
If there’s one thing we’ve been for all my years here, it’s friendly. I’ve worked in call centers my entire life, since right out of college, and I have never experienced a more welcoming group of people. We’re also collaborative—people are just willing to help. From the Dev teams to Strategy to Ops, we are working together to achieve the same goal, and we share a mindset: “How can we meet the customer’s needs?” This environment is nothing short of amazing.
It has been a ride! We were only in business for 1 year when I started, and I was one of the first outside managers hired on the customer service team. I engage with both sides of the business, the call centers and corporate side. As we’ve grown, we have stayed true to those core values of being friendly and helpful, not just with our customers but with each other.
And it’s personal. When you’ve seen your own family struggle with finances, you know how much financial help can literally change your life. Being on the customer-facing side, I really get to see the impact we make. You feel empowered to do good when you see your own family’s experience in our customers.
2. Why are you happy/successful here?
Avant embodies an environment that allows me to grow professionally and personally. I’ve been empowered to innovate new ways of leadership, new ways of problem-solving. The leadership I’ve had over the years has extended me the grace to become the leader that I was called to be—and that same grace allowed me to be the woman at home that I needed to be. It’s so unrealistic to think you could ever just turn off “home” when you’re at work. Avant cultivates a culture where I don’t always have to separate that, because leadership also are parents and partners and have lives outside of work. They understand that if my kid is sick, or my partner is out of work or whatever, that my usual 110% might only be 70% that day. They gave me the grace and growth to make it work. That is the reason I’m happy and successful, because I’ve been able to strike a balance.
3. What’s a superpower that you get to apply at your job?
My superpower has been my tenacity, ever since I was a little girl. It’s the factor that determines my success in all kinds of situations, and in my time at Avant, we’ve seen just about every situation that can happen. No matter what’s going on, I know that culturally, I don’t have to hold back on my passion. I can respond and be unafraid to voice my opinion. This environment lets me express my courage, persistence, and strength, and that is the highest form of power in my opinion.
4. When you were little, what did you want to be when you grew up?
When I was growing up, I always thought that I would go into the medical field. I was blessed to grow up with all 8 great-grandparents, and being a little caretaker, I felt driven to help people. Everybody thought I would go into the medical field! Then I fell in love, and the partner came, and the kids came, and all of that, but my drive to help stayed strong and led me to this position. Turns out I’m a good call center manager! I’m problem-solving people issues every single day.
