Employee Profile: Olivia Hayes, Customer Service Representative

Worked at Louisville Water since 2022

Things don’t always go according to plan.

“I actually have been applying for the job since 2007,” said Customer Service Representative Olivia Hayes.

But looking back now, Hayes says she landed at Louisville Water at the perfect time in her life.

“God works in mysterious ways because if I would’ve gotten this job in ’07, or anytime up to the time period when I did get this job, I wouldn’t have appreciated it,” she admitted.

Before she ever walked through the doors as an employee, Hayes said she frequented Louisville Water’s lobby in both the old building and the current one when she’d visit to pay the water bill every other month. While she didn’t know their names at the time, she looked forward to the friendly faces who greeted her.

“I can remember when Natasha first had her baby. I remember when James was a cashier in the window. I never knew them, but I felt like I did know them because I would always come up here and they always waited on me,” she shared.

Patience is a virtue, and Hayes got the opportunity she was waiting for in October 2022. Those strangers soon became friends.

“And now we’re all family (laughs).”

Juggling anywhere from 25 to 40 phone calls a day, Hayes strives to make her customers feel valued and meet them where they are.

“I do kind of take pride in helping our older customers to get logged in, help ‘em get registered (in Pure Connect), and stuff like that to be able to come into modern technology.”

Hayes answered the phone over the summer to hear a customer visibly frustrated with a problem clearing up her online account. By the end of the call, the lady thanked her and asked for the company president’s name so she could share her gratitude. Hayes appreciated the gesture but figured it was just that.

“People get busy. Who’s literally going to take time out of their busy schedule and write this letter and put a stamp on it and put it in the mail?” Hayes thought.

Low and behold, “A couple weeks down the line and here comes the letter. I was like (gasps), ‘she really did it’. I was very surprised and shocked because it really did make me feel like I was that stellar person that made the difference.”

Making a difference in the community is also very important to Hayes. She’s jumped in to help the Louisville Water Service Board stuff school backpacks, support the Salvation Army Angel Tree, and give back to others. Most recently, stepping up to the plate meant suiting up as our beloved mascot, Tapper, for an employee night at the Bats game.

“They didn’t necessarily ask me; they put it out there. When I checked the email again, I said ‘nobody’s saying anything, I feel like I’m supposed to be doing this’.”

And she did, with her family and work family showing up for her few hours of fame.

“At this age, something to check off the bucket list,” Hayes laughed.

It turns out working at Louisville Water was in her plan right when she needed it. She just didn’t know it at the time.