Austin Credaroli didn’t dream about a career in customer experience.
“I hired in as an agent at $10 an hour,” Austin says. “I thought I was going to be rich!”
Austin figured he’d graduate from college with a degree in psychology, then get a real job.
But that’s the funny thing about the contact center industry – advancement comes fast to those who apply themselves and always put the customer first. Pretty soon, the Master of Ceremonies of the Stevie Awards is calling your name out in Las Vegas.
Austin recently took top honors at the 2023 Stevie Awards after winning Gold Stevie Awards for Young Customer Service Professional of the Year and Most Valuable Customer Service Professional.
The awards capped off a remarkable run for Austin, who joined our team at ClearSource as an agent in 2014. Austin, then a teenager, learned the business from the ground up and has progressed through just about every role in operations.
Opportunity Knocks for the Ambitious
For the first 6 months, Austin worked the phones on a campaign that was high stress; with 200 hundred calls in queue and wait times of an hour or more. As he processed warranty replacements better than any other agent, Austin’s natural competitive streak caught the eye of ClearSource Co-founders Rob Goeller and Nate Spears, , who promoted Austin to Team Leader even though he was just 19.
Austin occasionally learned by making mistakes, but he didn’t repeat them and that was OK with Rob and Nate.
Employees at ClearSource are challenged to “always be reading.” Austin, sensing a learning opportunity, asked Rob and Nate what they were reading. It came as no surprise that both were inspired by visionary thought leaders like Adam Grant, Simon Sinek, Patrick Lencioni, and Brene Brown. Austin Put down Lord of the Rings and began learning how to lead others.
Austin did get that psychology degree, but he decided to put it to use in other ways and stay at ClearSource.
Nate says Austin is the 3rd longest-tenured employee of the company, so he understands the culture. “Austin sees a need and simply takes care of it,” Nate says. “He has always been laser-focused on doing whatever needed to be done… I’ve thoroughly enjoyed watching Austin grow with the company rather than be outgrown by the company.”
ClearSource’s Core Values Guide Every Decision
Nate also started as an agent in his teens before starting ClearSource. He believes leadership development is the heart of ClearSource. He wants everyone to succeed and achieve their personal and professional goals. The ClearSource way isn’t the path of least resistance either. Everyone is expected to exhibit our Core Values and base every interaction and decision on them. Consistency and bench strength are also important in the engagement center industry too. So, the fact that ClearSource had multiple Stevie Award winners is a source of pride for the leadership team.
Gold Stevie Winners
- Austin Credaroli – Young Customer Service Professional of the Year
- Austin Credaroli – Most Valuable Customer Service Professional
- Anj Gonzaga – Contact Center Manager of the Year
Bronze Stevie Winners
- Jen Fernandez – Front-Line Customer Service Professional of the Year
- ClearSource – Back-Office Customer Service Team of the Year
The 2023 competition received more than 2,300 nominations from organizations in 49 nations and territories. Entries were considered in categories for customer service and contact center achievements, sales, and business development, and categories recognizing new products and services, solution providers, and thought leadership initiatives.
ClearSource is committed to delivering The Exceptional Customer Experience. We believe that our 97% client satisfaction rate, combined with the results of the Stevie Awards show we are on the right path.
