Gal Gadot has got nothing on Brenda Peralta: Crystal D’s (asi/47759) own wonder woman has racked up over 30 years of customer service experience while raising her daughter on her own. She’s “moved heaven and earth” during snowstorms and other service interruptions to make sure clients received their awards for important events, even going so far as to recreate an order and send it overnight after the original order got stuck in delivery limbo. Plus she has a bevy of loyal fans to boot. Take Kellye Smith for example. The sales manager of The Gift Shop at Eastman says Peralta “has been nothing short of impeccable,” and is always quick to respond, adding “she must sleep with her laptop.”

Crystal D’s President Chuck Dahlgren is an eyewitness to Peralta’s zest for her job and compassion for all people she encounters. Dahlgren relays his admiration for Peralta’s deep dedication to her family, understanding what a struggle it can be for a single mom, especially when the budget is stretched thin, saying at one time she took a second job on weekends to help her loved ones. “During the busy season, when the teams work Saturdays, I’d see Brenda here on Sundays by herself working and she would never complain, that’s how she is, she’s not a victim,” Dahlgren says. “She’s such a strong person of character, integrity and sincerity – she’s just a quality person. Everyone loves her – she’s got this huge, huge heart for other people and that has carried over to her customers. That’s Brenda. We’re so lucky she’s part of our company.”

Peralta’s early years in customer service began in the restaurant industry, including an 11-year stint working for Caribou Coffee at the Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport. Waking up at 2 a.m. to start her shift at 4 a.m. however wasn’t cohesive with raising her daughter, so Peralta found a job with more “normal” hours at the National Bone Marrow Registry. Dealing with such serious matters in which time is of the essence ingrained in her a desire to bring the best service possible with lightning-quick response.

Brenda Peralta, the 2019 Customer Service Rep of the Year.

For over five years now, Peralta has worked at Crystal D, a St. Paul, MN-based awards and gifts supplier. She’s in charge of southern region accounts, which covers 11 states and over 400 customers. By 8 a.m., Peralta is at her desk that consists of a phone and computer system with four monitors all humming with requests and a constant flow of daily emails and calls. Once a sale is made, Peralta takes over until the order is shipped and even after. “I’ll always be there if something happens in shipping,” Peralta says, “or if the customer needs an extra award they forgot to add, I’m still with them – I never really let them go.”

Indeed, Smith can attest to Peralta’s tenacity with seeing orders through. “When I place my order, Brenda immediately responds with a confirmation and all updates,” Smith says. “If I ever have any errors, she’s quick to catch them and notify me. She stays with me through the entire process. I know we all get busy at times and it’s difficult to be that ‘superstar’ person, but Brenda always makes it happen and with a smile in her voice.”

Jake Calleja, customer service manager at Crystal D, says Brenda always goes the extra mile for her clients by making sure they’re happy and satisfied with Crystal D’s products and services. “Brenda not only takes care of her customers, but creates a bond with them that will last a lifetime,” Calleja adds.

On top of all the everyday magic Peralta performs, she’s also training three new employees. “I’m so blessed to work with the greatest team,” she says. “There’s a lot of passion here. It’s a family, and everyone wants to make sure the customers are getting the best because we have ceremonies too and know what it’s like to receive awards, and we’ll do whatever it takes to make sure that happens.”

Since Peralta works with distributors, she doesn’t usually get feedback from the end-clients, though as she states “often no news is good news.” But sometimes she’s delighted to hear how wonderful things turned out. “There’s nothing better than making someone’s day and having them appreciate what you did,” she says. For instance, during the Thanksgiving holidays when two shipping days were lost, some clients had events the following week and asked if the items could ship sooner. “I called production to see if we could do this and make someone smile, and I managed to make that happen for two events,” Peralta says. “It’s very rewarding.”

When it comes to feedback, the responses and nominations from Peralta’s co-workers and distributor customers couldn’t be more glowing. Mercy Nunez of MGN Promotions, for instance, appreciates Peralta’s wow service: “Brenda goes above and beyond to communicate all the details of our orders and works magic with deadlines to assure my customers receive their products on time for their events,” Nunez says. “As a result of the awesome service, I use Crystal D exclusively when quality awards are part of the order because I know the end result will be a happy customer which means more business for the both of us in the future.”

Crystal D’s VP of Operations Kari Hurtis calls Peralta the anchor of the customer service team who always has a smile. “Servant heart means being helpful to a person no matter their situation and having compassion,” Hurtis says. “This is the exact model Brenda lives by. She’s genuinely thankful for the opportunity to speak and work with her customers under any circumstance.”

The five-star-rated supplier’s mission is to “turn emotions into memories” and its employees are known as “memory makers.” “Brenda is creating memories through her day-to-day interactions with her customers and her love of service,” Hurtis says. “I’m thankful every day to have her on our team because she makes our team the strongest it can be and makes us who we are.”