The Mason Spirit

Job: University Call Center Manager

As a commuting freshman, Jeffrey (Jeff) Yu, BS Marketing ’19, found himself spending a lot of time on Mason’s Fairfax Campus and in his car. When it came time to look for a part-time job, he really wanted to work on campus. That’s when he found a job at the university’s Call Center, which is home to Mason Messengers, a group of dedicated student callers who reach out to Mason alumni, family, and friends to update them on university happenings and raise funds for important Mason causes.

“[The job] was perfect because it opened in the late afternoon, and I could go there right after classes.” Now an alumnus, Yu has worked his way up from a caller to his present position as the Call Center manager.

Jeffrey Yu, Call Center Manager. Photo by Ron Aira

Analyzing Is Key: Yu says a large part of his job involves analyzing and reviewing data. “A normal day is reviewing the stats from the calls placed the night before, and looking for special cases or pledges that have been flagged that I need to look into,” Yu explains. In addition to reviewing data, Yu plans for the next day’s calls. Often there are 20 students on site, with each student making up to 200 or more calls each night. He does make time to monitor calls to make sure that the conversations remain of a high quality.

A Personal Touch: While many of the student workers’ calls are met with a voicemail, Yu believes that these calls are important. “Phone calls make a more personal connection. You can get more details from alumni about their experience at Mason because of the natural flow of conversation, which you don’t have over email.” Building on the personal connection, Yu often gives detailed information about upcoming events to the student callers so they can share that with alumni, and he matches up callers’ majors with alumni from similar degrees to add another opportunity for connection.

An Important Role: The Mason Messengers brings in roughly $250,000 a year. The money raised goes to a variety of places, with donors choosing the specific designation or fund that they would like to support. As a manager, Yu understands the importance of giving back to Mason. “I see firsthand the impact of alumni giving back. Any gift we receive helps students in achieving their goals.”