Exceptional Customer Service Results in Public Recognition

Carrollwood resident Matt Cole was recently honored as a Verizon Service Hero.

The reward?

His 12-foot smiling likeness is now part of the downtown Tampa landscape and the installation will remain on the Verizon building at 610 Zack Street, “through the fall,” said Bob Elek, a spokesman for Verizon.

Employing over 10,000 people, Verizon is a local company with a history in Tampa Bay community spanning over 70 years.

The Verizon Service Hero program has been in place for two years and has showcased its employees with both photo recognition and local TV advertising. The program highlights local employees’ commitment to customer service and to the communities in which they live and do business.

Since he was hired in 2009, Matt consistently ranked among the top sales associates in Florida, and received over 40 customer commendations within a 12-month period.

Incoming Verizon CEO Lowell McAdam surprised Cole with a visit to the Tampa facility, and Cole was awarded an internal CREDO award before learning he was being recognized as the newest Service Hero.

 “I am honored to be a Service Hero,” said Cole. “I am surrounded by capable folks who make what I do a seamlessly easy job. Verizon gives me the tools to bring tomorrow’s technology today to friends and family in the local community.”

Elek said Cole is deserving of the honor.

“Matt’s work is stellar,” he said. “He puts customer focus outward, and makes each customer interaction a positive service experience.”

When Cole isn’t exceeding customer service expectations at Verizon, he enjoys traveling with his wife, Carolyn. He is a history buff, who is also a member of the Tampa Kiwanis Club and a proud parent to Puddles, a rescue from the Tampa Bay Beagle Rescue.  

“I am honored to be working for a great company like Verizon," he said. "It’s a joy to go to work, and I love technology."