I’m thrilled to share this remarkable and insightful discussion with Sonia Roldan, UnitedAg's Member Services Manager. Together, we unravel the significant role of empathy in healthcare and its impact on forging a sustainable business model. Throughout the conversation, Sonia's unwavering commitment to helping others shines through, emphasizing the significance of personalized care and empathy in the healthcare industry. She shares her upbringing in the agriculture industry and how witnessing her family's struggles became the driving force behind her life mission of assisting others, rooted in the golden rule of treating people as she would want her family to be treated. We delve into Sonia's approach to cultivating a team that embodies empathy, fostering a positive work environment. She shares her goal of instilling passion within her team, highlighting the authentic member-centric approach at UnitedAg, where going the extra mile is not just a statement but a genuine commitment. Sonia concludes by sharing one poignant moment that showcases the emotional depth of her work, even in stories that may not always have a happy ending.
I’m thrilled to share this remarkable and insightful discussion with Sonia Roldan, UnitedAg's Member Services Manager. Together, we unravel the significant role of empathy in healthcare and its impact on forging a sustainable business model. Throughout the conversation, Sonia's unwavering commitment to helping others shines through, emphasizing the significance of personalized care and empathy in the healthcare industry. Sonia shares her upbringing in the agriculture industry and how witnessing her family's struggles became the driving force behind Sonia's life mission of assisting others, rooted in the golden rule of treating people as she would want her family to be treated. We delve into Sonia's approach to cultivating a team that embodies empathy, fostering a positive work environment. She shares her goal of instilling passion within her team, highlighting the authentic member-centric approach at UnitedAg, where going the extra mile is not just a statement but a genuine commitment. Sonia concludes by sharing one poignant moment that showcases the emotional depth of her work, even in stories that may not always have a happy ending.
This episode is sponsored by UnitedAg, one of the largest association health plans to offer healthcare to the agriculture industry of California and Arizona.
Kirti Mutatkar, President and CEO of UnitedAg.
Reach me at kmutatkar@unitedag.org, www.linkedin.com/in/kirtimutatkar
UnitedAg website - www.unitedag.org
Episode Contributors - Sonia Roldan, Kirti Mutatkar, Dave Visaya, Rhianna Macias
The episode is also sponsored by Brent Eastman Insurance Services Inc. - https://brenteastman.com/Blue
Shield of California - https://www.blueshieldca.com/Elite
Medical - https://www.elitecorpmed.com/Gallagher
Medical https://sainmedical.com/
Kirti Mutatkar: So, Sonia, welcome to This Is Ag. This is, believe it or not, my second year [00:00:10] we're starting; 2024 will be the third round of the season. So excited. Yeah. Are you excited to be here?
Sonia Roldan : Thank you for having me here. I'm really excited and [00:00:20] honored.
Kirti Mutatkar: How long have you been at United Ag?
Sonia Roldan : Nine years and a half already. Nine and a half years.
Kirti Mutatkar: It's been a long time. It has been. Yeah, I think this was a couple of months before I [00:00:30] came into my role as a CEO. You joined UnitedAg, right? But before we get to all of that, let's introduce ourselves. And we do this all the time [00:00:40] at United Ag. Right. So when we have other vendors come in or anybody from the outside, usually we say, how would you describe or how [00:00:50] would you introduce yourself? Right? I mean, I can say I'm the CEO of United Ag and that's one title, right? President and CEO at United Ag. But is that really [00:01:00] what I do? Right. So there's a way I introduce myself. Yeah. So how would you introduce yourself?
Sonia Roldan : Well, I'm a facilitator, a delegator. [00:01:10] I monitor daily activities of my department. I assess situations and I address issues [00:01:20] before they arise.
Kirti Mutatkar: That's awesome. And you are our manager of member services, right? We call our customer service services department [00:01:30] member services. And you head that department. And in that role you see yourself as a facilitator and helping.
Sonia Roldan : Yes. Correct.
Kirti Mutatkar: Is that more [00:01:40] for internal with your staff? Is that external? How do you define that role?
Sonia Roldan : I think it's both. It's internal for my team. You know, I get to be there [00:01:50] for them. I'm their resource when they have questions, when they have concerns, but also for external. When we get those calls and they don't know what to do. [00:02:00] So I become the facilitator to make sure that those things get handled as well externally.
Kirti Mutatkar: And do you find, just going through my experiences and when I [00:02:10] have an issue and I reach out to you, there is a need in our industry for that role, right. Because somebody I mean, you go and go in to [00:02:20] a provider's office, you don't know what's going on with you. You sometimes have find out something that you don't understand and you don't know where to go next. Right? So [00:02:30] you see your your role as that person holding my hand. And making sure I'll be okay. Very much so that that's your role. Does that affect you as you go through [00:02:40] your day? Does that get exhausting?
Sonia Roldan : Sometimes exhausting, but in a good way, because there's some joy to it. You [00:02:50] get to help people, and when you do that, it brings joy to me at least, to know that I'm helping someone with whatever issue [00:03:00] they're having. Does it get exhausting to go through that process? Yes. It's mental.
Kirti Mutatkar: Yeah, yeah. Mentally and physically. Right? I mean, yeah.
Sonia Roldan : Because you don't just make one phone call sometimes you got to make [00:03:10] 20 phone calls, right? And sometimes, you know, it's not just a one day situation. It could be two days, sometimes it could be three days. And yes, [00:03:20] it does get because, you know, you want those providers that you're calling or those offices that you're calling to be the same as you. [00:03:30] You want them to, you know, help their patient as much as you want to help our member. But you don't always get that. So, yeah, it's frustrating and exhausting sometimes.
Kirti Mutatkar: That's [00:03:40] true because when I notice this, even not just today, but every time I talk to you, you're passionate about taking care of our members. And [00:03:50] sometimes that's not reciprocated across the industry. And that gets frustrating. And how do you deal with that? Yeah, because people forget that there's a person at the end [00:04:00] of everything that happens in healthcare. People forget that becomes a number or work. It's a job for them.
Sonia Roldan : Exactly. And I just feel like in the past few years [00:04:10] that quality of care, it's gone down a bit. What I used to do -- I used to work at the doctor's office --and what I used to do for them [00:04:20] I'm doing it now, today, here at United Ag where those offices are no longer doing that. You know, they're having the members call for benefits. They're telling the members, [00:04:30] you know, go check if this requires authorization. That's something that as a working for a doctor's office, that's your responsibility. But that doesn't happen today. Not as much as it used [00:04:40] to before.
Kirti Mutatkar: So I wonder why that is. I wonder, is it a lack of empathy in our industry? I wonder why that happens. Yeah, [00:04:50] but that's what, uh, through United Ag, that's what we're trying to study, right? So if I introduce myself, I usually start this podcast saying I'm the [00:05:00] CEO and the president of United Ag, but what I see my role is, is to see if we change the conversation around healthcare or if we [00:05:10] bring empathy back into healthcare. Do we create a sustainable business at United Ag? Right. Because if you do right by a human being, right. [00:05:20] Is that just something like a fluff thing and does not have a business sense behind it?. Or can you create a business sustainable business with that? [00:05:30] And the same is true for our employer groups. How do you create this and make sure on their income statement it's not a number that's so high that it's [00:05:40] not sustainable for them. And at the same time, the end member has to be given quality care, good care and all of that. So it is that's what we are trying to study [00:05:50] through United Ag. That's what I see when you introduce yourself. That's your role.
Kirti Mutatkar: You're saying if I hold this person, hold that person's hand [00:06:00] through the process, right. Is that what I need to do? Is that what other people need to do? Or should I just be treating that person like anybody else would as a number? [00:06:10] And where does that come in from? Is that how you grew up? Is that where does that role. Because as I'm talking [00:06:20] to you, for you, that's not a job. You are not taking care of people because it's good customer service skills. That's not what's going [00:06:30] on in your mind. Right? You're saying if I'm in that person's shoes. What how would I like to be treated? That that's what is going on in your head. So that's a very different [00:06:40] take. Not a lot of people can say that about their jobs. We all checkmark and say, well, do I have the customer service skills? Do I have this? And I need to do this, I need to smile. [00:06:50] I need to put on a smile when I get on a call because they can see the smile. You do it because you were asked to do it. You do it because that comes from your heart, right? Why [00:07:00] is that?
Sonia Roldan : I grew up in the agriculture industry. I was raised by my grandmother. You know, she owned a farm and she did a lot [00:07:10] of men’s job. And so I was out in the fields myself when I was a kid, and I was also feeding the field workers. So, you know, seeing that [00:07:20] side of it, I know the struggles. I know how hard that work is. And I also know how hard it is for people that don't have the [00:07:30] language, you know, that don't speak English. Coming to the United States, I had to become the translator for my mom. She cleaned houses, so I was [00:07:40] her translator to schedule the appointments, reschedule, cancel, give quotes. And I was only in third grade. So seeing that and being the translator [00:07:50] not just for my mom, but for my uncles and aunts to see how much they struggled, I think that kind of led me to live my life [00:08:00] helping others. That was just who I became and it was a fulfilling feeling of being, helping.
Kirti Mutatkar: Being in a position that you [00:08:10] can help others.
Sonia Roldan : And I think my biggest thing is if I'm doing it for others, if I now, today, I do it for somebody else's mother, for [00:08:20] somebody else's grandparents, aunts, uncles, then I have this feeling in my heart that somebody else is doing it for mine. You know, it's really the golden [00:08:30] rule treat others as you want them to treat you. So in my case, I treat others as I would want them to treat my family. Um, so yeah, it's, uh, I think that's where it comes [00:08:40] from. And just being a good human being, right?
Kirti Mutatkar: You just do it for others. That's going to go through like a chain. You do the other way around. You treat somebody like a number, then [00:08:50] that's going to be like you're going to be treated like a number. And United Ag and our members are so, so fortunate to have somebody like you in this role. [00:09:00] Because it goes beyond numbers. When you're helping someone, it's coming from the heart and they know it and they feel confident [00:09:10] going through whatever issues they're going through because you and your team are next to them. When we're looking to see, I mean, Sonia [00:09:20] cannot do it all. And we are looking at a department I know each and every team member in your department will say exactly the same thing that you do. [00:09:30] You just said, right. And if I say describe what you do, I'm sure they will not say I'm a customer service rep. I'm a member service rep. But they will say [00:09:40] what you just said and how you introduce yourself. How do you do that? How do you build a team that lives and breathes this every day?
Sonia Roldan : Yeah, [00:09:50] I'm really proud of my team. They do an exceptional work, but it all starts in the hiring process. You're looking for those people that are empathetic, [00:10:00] that are kind and patient. And you want to hear their stories. So when I hear them through the interview process as to why do you want to be in this role, why customer [00:10:10] service, why do you want to help other people and to hear their story: because my parents sick or because my grandparent, you know, passed away, [00:10:20] or because my brother, my sister, you know, those are the stories that I want to hear because I know that those are the people that are going to help others. And of course, you know, that comes [00:10:30] with the experience and the knowledge. It's a win win. And so once we have them in here, I think we start to build them from the bottom up. We teach them what [00:10:40] is United Ag. We give them a really good foundation of our benefits and what we do. And and they they go with it. And it's people that really [00:10:50] want to help other people. This job is you have to be passionate and you want to have that feeling of wanting to help, because if you don't [00:11:00] have it, you not.
Kirti Mutatkar: Going to work. It's not going to work, right? And that is so true. I think what we give, including me, the reason I get up in the morning, or the [00:11:10] reason I find this fulfilling, is the sense of purpose that we have. And you're giving that to your team members, right? And I really like what you just said. So [00:11:20] when you are looking at hiring process, listening to what stories the people are telling you and what they have lived, [00:11:30] right? That is, does that align with what we are trying to do? That's extremely important. And because if you come into United Ag and your focus is [00:11:40] how do I grow in my titles or how do I get the next title, how do I get the next raise? What about the bonuses? That's not going to work at United Ag. Right. But [00:11:50] you will get the titles. You will get that. But it's what are you driven by. Right. And that's that's very important and that's reflected in the way we provide service. [00:12:00] Yeah. Because when you think customer service right. Everybody else does customer service and everybody else says do it different than the others. But that's [00:12:10] just kind of you just say it and you do it. I'm sure a lot of other companies do an amazing job at it, but to have that feeling where you really actually care [00:12:20] about people and want to take care of them, that's a very different feeling. And we don't want to ever, ever lose that.
Sonia Roldan : It is. You become very attached to the people that you talk to on the other line, some [00:12:30] which you never meet, right? But when you hear their voice and they call you by your name and you know who they are and you've already know that they have grandkids [00:12:40] or they have kids and they start telling you their stories, you know, you get attached to those people, right? So it is a that human connection that you make with them.
Kirti Mutatkar: Right? [00:12:50] Remember, I remember you recently when we were traveling together, you were telling me a story about somebody who called in. They were very unhappy. I think they almost done, like, [00:13:00] I think close to retirement or whatever in their jobs and just kind of upset with a lot of stuff going on and talk to you, and you [00:13:10] helped them through it and called you back, right, and thanked you or something with that. And the way you made them feel was what was [00:13:20] important to them. Right. But what they also did for you is when that person called you back, and the way that person made you feel by giving you that feedback. Yes, that was [00:13:30] what is fulfilling to you.
Sonia Roldan : It was a very nice call, and I think it was just the way how much I care for that person and me wanting to give the information [00:13:40] and the fact that he called me back to make sure that I got the information that I was asking for, he made my job a lot easier, but also made me feel that [00:13:50] he cared. Yeah, he wasn't going to leave me hanging. So that's awesome. Yeah.
Kirti Mutatkar: And when we look at what we do in the member services department or the customer service department, most [00:14:00] of the time you don't know if this group has left United Ag, you don't know if this group is a large group. You don't know if it's a small group, right? We treat each [00:14:10] and every person the same. And what about let's say a group has left United Ag, but they still continue to have benefits for that last. They still have claims [00:14:20] and stuff that's kind of incurred from before. Right. Have you had any incidences where somebody felt, oh, we've left United Ag. I know they're not going to help me. Right. Whatever. [00:14:30] So what do you mean? I have to call United Ag to resolve this. But somebody from our member services that you got on the call and the way that person was treated, that person was like, floored. I'm [00:14:40] like, I'm leaving them, and they're treating me this way.
Sonia Roldan : We do have we actually have someone now that are no longer with United Ag. [00:14:50] But they keep calling and we keep helping her and I, I know she was it was tough love. Um, it was one of those people that gave [00:15:00] you tough love. But now that she's gone. She obviously feels it. And so we got the call. And when I talked to her, she says, I'm sad that I'm gone because [00:15:10] I know that where I'm going, it's not going to be the same. And she was calling because she still has some claim issues that she wanted to resolve, and we said, we'll take care of it, no problem. [00:15:20] We'll make sure that this all gets resolved. And whether you're here with us or not, this is going to be handled. So she says, well, at least I still get to call you, at least for the next talk [00:15:30] and next couple of weeks until this gets resolved, because she really didn't want to leave. But yeah, it wasn't her choice.
Kirti Mutatkar: She'll get good customer service. But like I said, [00:15:40] it's the human part of it and we get attached and we know that. So Sonia, usually when I talk about you and the way I introduce you, I say our [00:15:50] health plan has Sonia. What does yours have? Right. When I say that, how does that make you feel? Sometimes I wonder about that because I say that and I'm like, [00:16:00] I hope Sonia takes it the way I mean it. But does that put, like, pressure on you? Do you feel that as a good thing? How does that make you feel? Yeah, I've [00:16:10] always been curious about that.
Sonia Roldan : I don't like to bring a lot of attention to myself, so that always makes me, you know, just uncomfortable. But [00:16:20] it's something that I do, you know, it's what I like to do. So I don't mind helping as many people as I can. And it's not just me. It'sI have a huge team [00:16:30] behind me that helped me make calls. And, you know, it's we're really a team. It's a team effort. Sometimes it requires three people to be working on one thing. [00:16:40] You know, I'll be making calls here. Somebody else will be making calls there. So it's really, you know, I have a big team behind me supporting me and helping me. So it kind of [00:16:50] makes me feel like I'm doing it all by myself. But it's not just me. It's, you know, it's everybody at it.
Kirti Mutatkar: And saying, I know Sonia was a generic name, I [00:17:00] know you, you're Sonia, right? But it's a generic name for anybody in Member Services because we have the whole everybody in the member services team in that role right? [00:17:10] It could be a Mary. It could be a Mary. It could be a Yadira, it could be Sonia. Whoever it is, it's like a Christina, right? I mean, we could say our plan [00:17:20] has Christina. What is yours? Right. So it could be anybody in that role. It's that what we have, what our idea of a Sonia is what we are replicating. [00:17:30] Exactly. That's that's what we're trying to do.
Sonia Roldan : And I think that's been one of my goals is to do that, to have everyone in my team can do the same thing that I do and [00:17:40] have the same passion and have the same results, because that's really what we're trying to build here.
Kirti Mutatkar: I don't know how you guys do this because I send texts when I need something and I know [00:17:50] it's after hours. Sometimes it's Saturday. Sunday. I know quite a few people who have talked to me say they do the same. And each and every one I talk to, [00:18:00] they say the response time is within less than 10-15 minutes, right. Response time and the issue gets resolved. So how do you [00:18:10] do it? How do you and your team do this? Because that's a lot of people who have your cell phone number. That's a lot of people texting you and you have your usual everyday [00:18:20] job to do. Right. But this gets done. How does that happen?
Sonia Roldan : Well, you know, again, it's it's a big team that we have and we prioritize. [00:18:30] We make sure that everything gets handled within a day's response as much as we can. There's certain things that they just cannot be done in one day. But majority of them, [00:18:40] you know, we get on it. There's certain things that we know that need urgency when it comes to medications, when it comes to an appointment or a procedure being scheduled. Somebody [00:18:50] that was just diagnosed with something, it's urgent for them. You know, you don't want someone that was just diagnosed with something or were just giving some bad news [00:19:00] to have to wait a whole day to get a response from us. So we try to handle those things as soon as possible, because we know how stressful that can be for [00:19:10] someone. So having everyone just pitch in and, you know, we say, okay, this is priority, let's get this done. And like I said, sometimes it takes more than one person [00:19:20] to do that.
Kirti Mutatkar: Yeah. Yeah. That's that's awesome. I don't know how you guys I mean you explained it and but it's really, really good. And our members are really fortunate to do that. And like I always say, [00:19:30] my son turning 26, he's feeling bad about it because he loses Sonia and the team. Right? I mean, that's the concern because every health plan, everybody needs to do that. That's [00:19:40] the interesting part is this should happen across the board. What we do at United Ag, it shouldn't be something unique, right? We shouldn't [00:19:50] be saying, well, what are we saying? We're not saying anything new. We're saying be human, care about people and just treat someone like you would want to be treated. So [00:20:00] this is when somebody listens to that, they'll say, oh that's easy. We all do that, right? It's not a big deal, but wonder why that doesn't happen. It's interesting [00:20:10] just treat somebody else like a human being. That's all you need to do. Your employees, your members, your brokers, your vendors, everybody. Everybody. I don't [00:20:20] know why we don't do that in business.
Sonia Roldan : I think that's one of the unique things about United Ag is that we just don't say it. And it's funny because when we go through the interview process, we stress that [00:20:30] a lot. We're very member centric. We like to handhold our members hand. We like to, you know, treat them this way and we do this and they're nodding their head, okay, okay. [00:20:40] But once they start working, you know, we get those statements of, oh, you really are member centric. Oh, you really do go that extra mile because we really do. It's not just a [00:20:50] saying we we do it right.
Kirti Mutatkar: Funny though even employees. Sometimes someone new they start off at United Ag and they say oh yeah yeah of course culture. Yeah we know the culture. We know this, we know [00:21:00] that. And then they’re like oh, what? Okay. This is really different.
Sonia Roldan : We get that a lot. Yep.
Kirti Mutatkar: Yep. So when when somebody says member centric or customer [00:21:10] service that number that keeps kind of thrown around that. So how would you define it. How do you if I'm a new employee at United Ag or you're interviewing me? And I said, [00:21:20] Sonia, what do you mean by member centricity or centric ness? What is your definition of that?
Sonia Roldan : It's treating the member as you would want to be treated. [00:21:30] Is being compassionate, understanding, educating the members, teaching them how to use their plan. It's not just [00:21:40] about, you know, let me do it for you. And you know, I'm here. So whenever you you need me, let me. You know, it's also about educating because we want to give our members [00:21:50] the tools that they need and providing them with, you know, all the information that they need so that they can be informed. So to me, that would define member centricity. You [00:22:00] know, also, we're not just I don't want to give the impression that we give out free service. Because it's really not about that. [00:22:10] It's you go to the compliance.
Kirti Mutatkar: We follow the rules. We do everything right. Sometimes people get confused with that. And even when a new employee comes in and you explaining that. [00:22:20] And they are when we in the claims committee and we are making a decision about something or we're doing something like decisions around what we do at United Ag. Exactly. People [00:22:30] think that's what it is. People think we are saying, here, let me open my door. Come take whatever you want. But that's not what that member centricity [00:22:40] is, right? We still do it within the compliance. Yes, we still do it where we follow the rules. We follow the financial business rules, we follow the legal rules. We follow all of that. Yeah, exactly. We do it within [00:22:50] that.
Sonia Roldan : And sometimes, you know, there's been times where it just doesn't work out. Unfortunately, it happens. But we still care, right? We still try to help out. We still [00:23:00] try to find resources, even if it's not within United Ag, we still go that extra mile to to help the person see what else is out there for them. But, you know, [00:23:10] it's I don't want to say that 100% of the time it's always a success. It's not.
Kirti Mutatkar: It's sometimes a pre-authorization. So stuff that happens, right? I mean, there's a process to it. We don't say, [00:23:20] okay here, right. Let's sign off on it. But but then how do you do it with compassion. How do you? Because it's not like people pay the deductibles. Sometimes it's money, [00:23:30] right? 80% or 20% of what they are owed is a big number for someone. Right? But how do you tell them that that's what is owed exactly with compassion? [00:23:40] That's that's the difference. So, Sonia, you started 9.5 years, nine years ago. I started around the same time. At that point we were $80 million [00:23:50] company. Today we are around 250. That's almost tripled in size. Have you noticed in all these years as we are growing, have [00:24:00] we stayed true to who we are? From your role and what you do?
Sonia Roldan : Yes. We're not your normal company of being [00:24:10] in a call center. Your calls have to be below three minutes or, you know, you have to answer it 100 or 200 calls in a day [00:24:20] or we don't put a quota that way. What we do is we build relationships with members. And I think that's a culture that you brought in. We cared. And [00:24:30] the couple of months or the few months that I was here before you took over, it was a whole different culture. The feeling was different. The people were different. [00:24:40] And when you took that role, that change that you you know, I talk about it all the time, but that change to me was a big difference. It made a difference [00:24:50] to me whether I wanted to stay with United Ag or not.
Kirti Mutatkar: Can you tell what that was?
Sonia Roldan : Yeah, we were in the conference room and you said the first thing that you [00:25:00] wanted to do as CEO that you were going to remove the signs in the parking lot that have CEO, legal counsel and things like [00:25:10] that. So there was no parking spaces. So we had to struggle to find a parking space. And some of those were empty. And when you took over, you said that's the first thing. Why? [00:25:20] Because we were all a team. Yeah, we were going to work as a team. And so throughout these years it's been the same. We are a big team. I know it [00:25:30] sounds cliche.
Kirti Mutatkar: It's a cliche, yeah.
Sonia Roldan : When they say we're a family.
Kirti Mutatkar: But we truly are family.
Sonia Roldan : We really are. You know, we've known each other and we collaborate [00:25:40] with each other and we go through projects together and we agree to disagree. And we can speak our minds and say how this why this is not going to work, [00:25:50] why this should be different. And I think that has brought us together as a team. And so any department that you talk to collaborates with everyone, right?
Kirti Mutatkar: So [00:26:00] we don't have any silo. We actually we say Team United Agis one, right? We don't have different departments. And so even when I was as you were explaining that right, we've [00:26:10] grown. But I actually do not even see it in those terms because we are who we were ten years ago. Right? I mean, it's the same company and we want to stay [00:26:20] true to that, including from employees, including from members. We should never, ever get into our heads that we have tripled [00:26:30] in size or we are this big ag association for agriculture in California now expanding outside, because that will kill it. [00:26:40] I mean, that's because that's not our intent. We did not set out to be $250 million or $300 million or whatever that would be in the future. [00:26:50] We did not set out for that. What we set out to do, what we started to do a walk towards, was just caring about people and saying, [00:27:00] if I treat someone in a very human way, does that help have a business sense? And that could be growing, that could be a financially sustainable organization, [00:27:10] any of that. So that's our goal is that our goal is nothing else but taking care of people.
Sonia Roldan : Exactly.
Kirti Mutatkar: That happens. Right? I agree, I mean, it's just a simple when you [00:27:20] think even that's a cliche. When somebody says, what happened? How did you guys triple in size? What are the tricks or what are the things that we can learn. Just take care of people. It seems very [00:27:30] cliche.
Sonia Roldan : Yes. It's true. Yeah, yeah. And I think the other thing that you've always put in in our minds is we're not about titles at United [00:27:40] Ag. That's why sometimes when you have me introduce myself, I don't say I'm the manager. You know, I work in the member service department. This is what we do. And sometimes I've seen that [00:27:50] you go back and you say, okay, Sonia is, you know, the manager of the department. But here at United Ag, it's just a big team working together towards one common goal.
Kirti Mutatkar: Yeah, we hold [00:28:00] that very sacred. We don't want to mess it up. It's a learning everyday thing as you kind of learn and grow from it. Because anytime you notice, [00:28:10] right, things can go in a different direction very quickly. So we have to self-correct and make sure we headed in the right direction. So what we do from an internal culture, we do that from external from our members and stuff [00:28:20] like that. Is there anything, Sonia from stories or anything that else that you want to share?
Sonia Roldan : Well, there's a lot of stories. But you know, I [00:28:30] think the stories that I have that touch my heart, they're from people that I've seen them from the beginning of when they get diagnosed, [00:28:40] when they start struggling with whatever it is that they're going through to see how it affects their families, to see how, you know, maybe they [00:28:50] got better, maybe they gotten worse, and you follow them through that whole process to hearing where some made it and they're good where [00:29:00] others didn't make it. And have passed. And so those stories can be sad. You know, there is one story [00:29:10] in particular that I always think about. I never met her, but she recently passed, and, um. And I never spoke to her. Never once that [00:29:20] I talked to her directly, but the love that her husband showed for her, the attention, the concern [00:29:30] that he had for her. You know how he was always by her side, and he made sure that she was taken care of. No matter what happened, [00:29:40] he would always call me and say, you know, we have this problem, or can we make sure that this gets done or can we look into this? And being on top of it, it was [00:29:50] to me, it was just the type of person that I would say, hey, one day that's who I want by my side, right? Someone that's going to take care of me like that because [00:30:00] she was very loved. And that's just from talking to her husband. So yeah, I wish I could have given you a much happier [00:30:10] story, but.
Kirti Mutatkar: But that's that's inspiring. And, I mean, that touches your heart. And I see you getting emotional about it, because those [00:30:20] are, unfortunately, in our industry, you start building those relationships with, like you said, and you never know which direction it goes.
Sonia Roldan : Exactly.
Kirti Mutatkar: But [00:30:30] just going through that process, it just it still warms your soul, right? I mean, either way it does.
Sonia Roldan : And so it's, uh, those are stories that touches you, that you just don't know how else to help them. I don't know, [00:31:10] I don't have the words to. What do I say? I don't want to get too personal, right? I don't want to get too impersonal. So you have to be in the middle, [00:31:20] you know, you still have to be professional even though you're feeling your feelings, but you still have to maintain some type of professionalism.
Kirti Mutatkar: As a role of a customer [00:31:30] service rep or member services. And what we do in that role. That's emotionally exhausting at the end of the day, right? Because you are when you empathize [00:31:40] with someone, it's actually takes a toll on you too, because you're putting yourself in those shoes. So what do you do for yourself to recharge [00:31:50] every day?
Sonia Roldan : Well, I recently started going to the gym. I find that that has helped me a lot, but my kids [00:32:00] recharge me. It's my home. I'm not much of a party person. What recharges me is being around my family and my kids watching [00:32:10] a really good movie. Maybe, you know, crying a little, you know, I, I like to eat and most recently taken up the gym. [00:32:20] So that helps me with my, uh, stress and, um, just feeling good. So it makes me feel better. But I think that the happy stories kind of you kind of forget. Right? Because they were successful stories because they, you know, you you fixed them, you were happy, [00:33:40] you moved on. But the sad stories are the ones that stay in your heart, the ones that you feel, the ones that you wish you could have done more. You know, the ones that you, [00:33:50] you take with you.
Kirti Mutatkar: Right. And as we are recording this, this is almost the end of 2023. So this [00:34:00] episode is going to go live 2024. And it's a good reminder for all of us. Like you just said yeah the [00:34:10] sad stories stay. But to help someone in that situation, they stay with us for a reason. Right? And they've touched us [00:34:20] somewhere and we've grown through that. And we've helped someone. And what a fulfilling way to end our day at the end of the day.
Sonia Roldan : You learn from those [00:34:30] stories, you learn from those experiences, and at the end of the day, you know, if you just helped one person. Yeah, like the story of the starfish. If [00:34:40] you just help one person, that is more than enough. And I remember my early years with United Ag, that was the feeling I had when I would go home. It was a feeling [00:34:50] of fulfillment, like I accomplished something I was proud of, that I was proud that I helped so and so, you know, even if it was something very small, but to them was [00:35:00] something big. I would go home feeling happy, content, which is something that I didn't find in my previous jobs. I didn't find that fulfillment. And it was here where I realized, [00:35:10] like, I never had that. I never felt that before. And I knew United Ag is my place.
Kirti Mutatkar: So thank you Sonia. This has been awesome. [00:35:20] And, uh, more than anything, thank you for caring about people. Because at the end of the day, when it's all said and done, that's the [00:35:30] most important thing that we can do for someone. And so thank you for being who you are. Thank you for having a team that is reflects who you are [00:35:40] and building that into a culture, because we need more people like you who care. So thank you.
Sonia Roldan : Thank you for having me.