Get to know the team – Interview with Sona

Sona is the Senior Customer Service Associate here at ihateironing. Standing out from the crowd with her striking blue hair, she can often be found in the morning with her arms laden with breakfast treats for the team. Alongside Helen she is the first port of call for ensuring our customers are always met with a professional, personable and friendly customer care that really stands out from the rest.

Time with ihateironing: Two and a half years
Star sign: Sagittarius
Hair colour: Blue
Favourite band: Anything from the early 80’s

Hi Sona, let’s start with telling us a bit about where you’re from.

I’m from Slovakia in Eastern Europe. It is a beautiful country with lovely mountains and nature but unfortunately it is a little too quiet for me which is one of the main reasons I moved to England.

How did you first learn about ihateironing and what was it that originally drew you here?

I was looking for a new challenge in my professional life and when I came across the position it was the name that really stood out to me, it was so catchy and definitely not easy to forget. It made me so curious so I did my research in to the company and it seemed like such a fresh and new setup which was really appealing.

What three words would you use to describe ihateironing?

Caring, efficient, convenient.

What do you most look forward to every day when coming to work?

New challenges. Speaking to new people and getting to know their needs and requirements. It’s always nice to hear the same friendly voices that I recognise as well. Interaction with customers is definitely my favourite part of the job.

How has ihateironing changed since you first started?

ihateironing has always been about making people’s lives easier – this has been the main aim of the company from its inception, and this hasn’t really changed. The main thing that has changed is the business has got bigger; more customers, more orders and all dealt with in a more efficient way.

Where would you like to see ihateironing go from here, for the next ten years?

I would like to see the brand expand to not only other major cities in the UK, but other countries as well. I would like to see the company continue to grow and become the leader in the industry, whilst simultaneously supporting big corporations as well as the everyday person who leads a busy life that we have been helping since day one.

What do you attribute to the success of ihateironing?

Because ihateironing genuinely cares about the customer. That is the main basis for us. We have our policies and procedures like all businesses do, but ultimately we are here to help and this is something that I feel keeps drawing people back to us.

What is the most gratifying part of the job for you?

When I can help people. I like helping people in general, providing a service and saving their time. It’s about helping people in their daily lives. It’s not easy to find the time to do laundry, a working single Mum with three kids for example, so it’s really nice to genuinely make a positive difference to people’s lives.

What do you feel you have gained from working at ihateironing?

I have to say it’s made me a better person actually. This may sound weird, but helping and supporting people, customers and colleagues alike is so rewarding it’s actually quite unbelievable.

What three things would you look for in a prospective candidate who wanted to join the ihateironing Customer Care team?

Someone that likes tea (laughs). Are you going to put that in there? OK, joking aside – a good person. Someone who really cares, is genuine and really enjoys their work. If you don’t like what you do I don’t think you can ever achieve your full potential and be the best version of yourself you can be. Everyone I work with fulfils these criteria and it’s one of the reasons that it’s a genuine joy to come to the office every day.

What has been your proudest moment working at ihateironing?

My proudest moment? Wow… that’s a good question… Ummm, can we come back to that? (Laughs again). No wait, I got it! I would say making my first customer happy and receiving feedback that I’d made a real difference in their life.

If ihateironing was an animal, what would it be and why?

(Instantly answers) A panda! (Even more laughing). Well, it’s a bear so it is very strong, but it’s also cute and friendly. Does that make sense?

If you could do another job for just one day, what would it be?

Look after pandas! I’m just kidding. I think I would do something completely different, although I do think it would involve animals. Go to Africa and look after elephants or something like that. It’s one day so I’d do something I’ve never done before, in a new destination with new people.

If you could choose the ability to either teleport, fly, or become invisible, what would you choose and why?

I would fly. I wouldn’t teleport because I like to travel and see where I am going from point to point and see everything around me. Being invisible? What would I get out of it? That doesn’t seem exciting either. Definitely flying, but only really because I would say no to the others.

If you had the ability to time travel, where would you go and why?

I would definitely go into the future because I know what has happened already in history, but I don’t know what is going to happen. I would go into the future a few hundred years and see if we have managed to save the world or not.

Finally, I’m loving the blue hair, any plans for a new colour on the horizon?

The blue is for ihateironing you know, I’m living the brand! Definitely yes, I’m going to go back to my red-haired roots. I haven’t had it for about eight years so I am going to go back to natural.

Thanks Sona.