Father of four. World Traveler. Department Manager.

Name: Topher A.
Job Title: Card Operations Department Manager

Deciding on Discover

I was working at another local call center, as a supervisor. I became friends with a few Team Leaders from Discover and was really impressed with the way they spoke about their jobs. They told me about all of the training and development they received to become better managers and leaders. I decided to invest in my own career by joining the Discover family. I started as a Team Leader in Discover Student Loans. Since my start, I’ve worked in Customer Service and Engagement (CSE) and Cardmember Assistance (CMA). Discover delivered on my need for professional development and offer some great benefits that’s hard to match anywhere else.

Invest in yourself
Discover offers its employees many professional development courses. I have learned how to better handle difficult conversations and how to prioritize activities so that I am working on what is most important. Today, we are rolling out the Discover Management System (DMS) to the field. DMS is a tool to help us deliver more value to our customers as efficiently and effectively as we can. I am being further stretched to follow its principles. I am excited with the thought that my work will be more closely tied to creating value for our customers.

Coming together for our customers
Discover is different than any other company that I have worked for. They truly put people first. While other companies may focus solely on the bottom line, Discover is constantly evaluating the impact of our decisions on our customers and employees. While working with our Balance Transfer group, I visited our Balance Transfer team in Phoenix, with whom we engage in friendly internal competition. However, upon my visit, the department manager for Balance Transfers in Phoenix rolled out the welcome wagon. He invited me to spend a few days with him, where he shared all of his strategy material and best practices. He was a great example of collaboration, despite the fact that our departments were competing with one another. This is just one example, where people have put the best interests of the company and our customers above their own.

Coming together for each other
Not only does Discover celebrate diversity, the company is truly inclusive of all types of people. Discover values every individual, as long as they are willing to treat others with dignity and respect. I had the opportunity to live in South America for a few years. As a result, I speak Spanish and Portuguese. I participate in the HOLA (Helping Organize Latino Achievement) Employee Resource Group at Discover, where I work side-by-side with other HOLA members, a really great experience over the last few years, as we celebrate and promote inclusion of the Latino culture here at Discover. They make me feel like I am a part of the family.