Position Plus Points: Flexible hours to accommodate the 'Mom Factor', stable company, comfortable working environment, feelings of personal success, autonomy on the job.

Beverly Legere had a great career when she first got married, but four children later, she found there was a point where day care expenses were sapping away her entire salary. So she decided being a full-time mom was the course to travel, and it was a happy road for the next eight years.

Now, with her youngest child in school, Beverly thought she faced an impossible task. She wanted to work, but just during the hours her child was in school. She needed to be out of the office by 1 p.m., to be home for her daughter's arrival at 2 p.m.

The Harrison Trimble High School graduate who also had successfully completed accounting and administrative secretarial courses at the New Brunswick Community College started scouring the job ads in the Times & Transcript.

She saw three possible positions available a year ago. One was for retention, one was for customer care, and one was for classified advertising.

"The next thing I knew, I was a customer care agent. I started working 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., and I was home every day at 2 p.m. when my daughter arrived"

"I knew I could do the customer care," she said confidently. "But I wasn't sure if they would hire me given the hours I wanted to work. So I went in for the interview and I was very up front with them."

It turned out not to be a problem at all.

"The next thing I knew, I was a customer care agent. I started working 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., and I was home every day at 2 p.m. when my daughter arrived," she said.

That was a year ago last month. Since that time, Beverly has accepted full time work with Brunswick News, and her shift now is 6 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., one that really works for her.

A former employee of a finance company, Beverly says her past experience of working with the public was a big plus in her new position.

She said the secret to being a successful customer care agent is not to be afraid to ask questions.

"Take your time. Don't put too many expectations on yourself," she says calmly. "You can help the customer, but you need to understand what the situation is."

Some calls she handles are about newspaper delivery, some about motor route areas, some about payments or vacation holds, and some are people praising their carriers. Some are complaints, but many are not.

"Just deal with everyone as pleasantly as possible and don't take it personally if they are upset," she said. She added that if a newspaper is late and a person is upset, in a way that is gratifying to deliver a product everyday that people are waiting for and really want.

"I'm here to help and I really take that seriously," she says. "I understand that for our readers, our newspaper is a lifeline to their community and they really care about it. I am respectful of that, and they sense this right away."

When she was looking to come back to work, Beverly said one of the reasons she sought out Brunswick News was because she had always heard good things about the company. She knew her husband's uncle had worked with the firm, and enjoyed it.

"And I knew from my friends that many of the retail outlets that are crying for workers aren't necessarily ready to adapt to the 'mom factor'," she added.

Beverly's life outside her workplace based in the Times & Transcript building in Moncton is also busy. She commutes to work each day from her home at the end of the Trafalgar Road in Kent County.

Besides her family, which includes Daniel, 17, Rachel, 15, Cara, 12 and Laura, 7, she is a big reader and loves to curl up with a good love story or Christian novel. She's also a soloist performing at her church, Lewisville Baptist, and she plays the piano. She's been married 18 years to husband Ron Legere, who is a mechanic at Moncton Honda.

"And I'm also a taxi service," she laughs, noting how she often has to drive her children to and from town for different activities and events.

"I get a chance to learn how to do various management functions, and I really enjoy that. I am learning these skills, and that will allow me to progress

Beverly said she feels Brunswick News is a company in which she can get further training and has options down the road to move on and advance her career.

"I get a chance to learn how to do various management functions, and I really enjoy that. I am learning these skills, and that will allow me to progress," she added.

For persons thinking of becoming customer care agents, Beverly advises that they develop their people skills and above all else, "be personable." Typing is handy to have as well, along with data entry.

"And it helps if you really know how to listen, to listen beyond what the words are and hear the real concerns," she said.

Beverly also finds it helpful to set goals for herself and progress to new levels of giving customer care.

"And you learn as you go too. You have to be willing to make mistakes and learn from them."

Beverly's quick guide to being a customer care agent:

• Skills Needed: Ability to work with the public.
• Pluses of the job: Flexible hours to accommodate the "mom factor," stable company, comfortable working environment, feelings of personal success, autonomy on the job.
• Negatives of the job: Some people will be very angry when they call. Never take that personally. When everyone calms down, you can help them.
• Best advice to someone hoping to do this job: Be considerate and compassionate. It really works. And listen, really listen.
• Salary: Starts at $10.25 an hour, moves up regularly as the months pass to the $12 an hour range. Opportunity for advancement exists.
• Pace of the work: There is no down time on this job, says Beverly. You have to pace yourself.
• Most unique aspect of this job: In some businesses, poor service can be hidden for awhile before a crisis exposes it. In the newspaper industry, people will call that very day if they don't get their newspaper. It is a very immediate business, but also very satisfying to know that you are delivering a product people really care about.