Thousands of customer calls routinely come in to Verizon business offices every day. And on most days they are just that, routine. But one day a routine customer call turned out to be anything but that for Verizon sales and service consultant Sonja Legge, whose quick thinking helped to save the life of a woman experiencing a life-threatening emergency.
On May 18, Legge, who works at Verizon’s customer service call center in Livingston, was assisting a female customer on the telephone when the customer told Legge that she wasn’t feeling well. After confirming with the woman that she needed help, Legge immediately notified her supervisor who brought her a cordless phone that she used to call 911. She spoke with an emergency dispatcher and provided the customer’s name, address, home and mobile phone numbers.
“Employees like Sonja make us all proud,” said Paul Sullivan, Verizon vice president of operations for New Jersey.
“Sonja’s quick thinking and heroic efforts exemplify her selfless commitment to others and provide a great example for others to follow.”
The customer has recovered and had an opportunity recently to thank Legge for her assistance. The customer also shared with Legge a poem she had written to show her appreciation for what Legge did for her in her time of need.
As a result of her actions, Legge has been nominated for the prestigious Verizon Heroes Award for her actions. The Verizon Heroes Award is one of the highest awards for heroism granted by Verizon. It honors employees who demonstrate extraordinary courage, skill, judgment and resourcefulness in acts of heroism and unusual merit in service to the public. All employees and retirees are eligible for the award, as are nonemployees who perform heroic deeds or services directly related to the communications network owned and operated by Verizon.
