Last week, I traded my cubicle for riding shotgun in a Geek Squad repair van. Geek Squad Repair Double Agent Bruce Anderson, of St. Louis, let me tag along with him for the day. I wanted to see firsthand how our employees handle environmental issues, but I witnessed a lot more than that.
At Best Buy, we are committed to continuously improving our environmental performance. We focus where we can make the most impact – such as reducing our carbon emissions in our operations and selling sustainable products. Our employees in the field help us meet our company environmental goals and help our customers live more sustainably.
Fueled on coffee, we visited five homes across the region. Over the day, Bruce would repair two dishwashers, two refrigerators and a TV. Our Geek Squad Agents make in-home visits to help customers with everything from TV installations to computer repairs. A 14-year Best Buy veteran, Bruce has seen it all. He works tirelessly to resolve the customers’ problems, preferably with the tools he has in his “mobile office” rather than ordering a new part and extending the customers’ wait time. I could see how he builds relationships and takes the time to understand the customers and their needs. I got to be part of the Geek Squad culture for a day, and I continue to be blown away by our Agents’ work ethic.
After observing Agent Anderson for the day, I learned that e-waste can be complicated for our employees to handle. Our Agents are working with a lot of parts and pieces whose disposal are not cut and dry. Agent Anderson helped me realize that with improved communication between Agents and their home location, check-ins for scrap parts will be faster, helping save precious time that we want to spend with customers instead.
I hope some of Bruce’s expertise rubbed off on me. I won’t be fixing my own dishwasher anytime soon, but I will look at my work differently – through the eyes of our customers and our Agents and Blue Shirts.