Dearbhaile Culhane speaks about why she loves her job with Three Ireland

Dearbhaile Culhane pictured above works as a Social Media Team Lead at Three Ireland and has been with the company 11 years

Dearbhaile manages a team of seven customer care executives who strive to deliver a positive customer experience over social media

Dearbhaile Culhane is a Social Media Team Lead at Three Ireland. Dearbhaile has worked with Three Ireland for eleven years at their Limerick headquarters, and started as a prepay agent and then worked her way up. Dearbhaile now manages a team of seven customer care executives who strive to deliver a positive customer experience over social media, through private and public interactions.

Tell us a little about where you are from and who you are?

I’m Dearbhaile Culhane, a born and bred Limerick woman. I grew up for most of my life in Castleconnell moving to a local town just outside of Castleconnell at 14 where my parents live to this day. I recently settled back into my roots in Castleconnell 4 years ago where my son goes to school, the same school as I did when I was younger which is very sentimental to me. I’m a mum to an 8 year old son, so if I’m not at work or walking the roads of Castleconnell, you will find me taxi-ing my son to all his hurling and gaelic football training sessions or matches.

What makes you a proud Limerick person?

I’d have to say the Cranberries, one of the best things to come out of Limerick. I grew up with my dad playing their music and I now play their music to my son. 

I also think the sense of community you get with any area of Limerick you set foot in is near the top of the list.

Tell me about your job?

I am the Social Media Team Lead within Three and have been for the last 4 years. I manage a team of seven customer care executives who strive to deliver a positive customer experience over Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, through private and public interactions. My main job is to support my executives through coaching and development to ensure their skillset is maximised. I also look at improvements that can be made within the social media care channels to improve customer experience when they interact with my team and I.

Along with this I would be a subject matter expert within numerous projects. Currently, I am also involved in the introduction of accessory and lifestyle product sales within our customer care touchpoints, making sure the executives and customers have a positive and memorable journey during the selling and purchasing of these products.

What attracted you to a career with Three Ireland?

When I started with the company 11 years ago I had just finished travelling and it was time to settle down and build a career. Three was close to home and I had briefly worked in a call centre before so said I would give it a go when open roles became available. I started with Three not knowing how significant the company would become in building my career and supporting me in obtaining the experience, skills and role I hold today.

Dearbhaile Culhane, a Social Media Team Lead @ThreeIreland
who has worked for 11 years at their Limerick headquarters speaks about Career Longevity & why she loves her job #jobsatisfaction #careergoals #careergrowth #careersuccess #threeireland #limerickandproud #lovelimerick pic.twitter.com/TeK4utUPuZ— #LimerickandProud (@ilovelimerick) October 23, 2022

What do you do on a day-to-day basis?

No two days are ever the same within my role. On a normal day I would work with my team to ensure the smooth running of the operational element of our social media care channels, ensuring all customer queries are answered, and supporting my team with any complex situations that arise. When it comes to some complex queries I would work closely with our corporate PR team to resolve them.

Other days you will find me supporting recruitment with assessment centre interviews for new recruits or completing testing and attending meetings for various projects.

What do you enjoy most about working with Three?

Three cares about their people and appreciates all their employees, which shines through when you enter our Limerick Experience Centre. The support and encouragement you get from all the people you cross paths with gives you a sense of belonging and it makes you challenge and push yourself to be the best version of you.

Three supports a work/life balance which means you can enjoy your personal life while developing your career. I had the opportunity to complete a higher certificate in Supervisory Management with Three and DIT a few years ago and internal courses like this still run today.

I like the variety of what my role entails and the fact that each day is different keeps the job interesting.

What work achievements are you proud of?

I think last year was my best year within the company as my team and I scooped three awards which I am very proud of. It’s nice to be recognised for the work that you do and I was a proud Team Leader to say the least. We won “Best in Class: Care” in the Khoro’s Kudo’s Awards along with being finalists for the “Keep Calm & Carry On” award. We were also highly commended for “Team of the Year” in the Customer Contact Management Association (CCMA) awards. Personally, I won an internal “Three Hero” award for my work within a project and have also recently been nominated for “Team Leader of the Year” in this year’s CCMA awards.

What advice would you give to someone who would like to do what you do?

Believe in yourself and challenge yourself. You’re only better than the person you were yesterday so never compare yourself to someone else. It’s all about finding the company that supports and pushes you to achieve your career goals. Three is that company for me and if you are to work at Three, I hope that it will be the same for you.

Who are your greatest inspirations both in work and life?

My work inspirations have to be my team and the managers I have had throughout my time with Three. My team are very hard working and always give feedback on ways we can improve both for the customer and the business. Throughout my development within Three, any manager I have had has supported me and pushed me to challenge myself and if it wasn’t for them I wouldn’t have gotten to where I am today.

I would have to say my godmother is my biggest life inspiration. She raised my two cousins while holding down full-time jobs and developing her career. She recently graduated and completed a degree in law while working full time throughout. She pushes herself to be the best she can be every day and that is what I want to achieve in both my work and personal life.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years’ time?

I will still be here in Three. I make a joke about still being here in my old age with my zimmer frame, as I never want to leave. While Three has helped me develop my skills so far, there’s always more skills to develop so definitely no matter what job I have, that is what I will be doing. I love the idea of improving our customer’s experiences with the company so maybe within a specialist role making a difference.

What’s your favourite thing about Limerick?

If I didn’t say our sporting achievements and culture, would I be a Limerick native? The way Limerick comes together for all sporting events, big or small, is great to be a part of. I think since my son has got involved in sports this has become more evident to me.

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