It’s not a qualification for working in customer relations at Facilities Management — but it doesn’t hurt that employee Ebony Moore has a therapeutic background. A certified transpersonal energy healer, Moore is adept at tapping into the therapy’s hands-on, gentle approach when it comes to helping Bruins in distress with a facilities issue.
Moore, who was recently featured in the UCLA Newsroom opens a new window, is a customer relations agent with Facilities Management, a role she’s been in since 2009. And employment at UCLA is a family affair. Her mom works for the university, too, previously with Facilities Management’s Custodial Services and now at Housing & Hospitality.
“I grew up on the Westside, in Santa Monica, and a lot of friends went to school here, so I felt close to UCLA. When my mom started working here, she spoke so highly of it,” Moore said.
“She’s a great employee, gotten a lot of awards, and I liked how they treated her. I talked to other people in her field and her supervisors, so it was already a home to me.”
Moore has a daughter, a 9-year-old who wants to work in emergency medicine when she grows up. Grandma is already encouraging her granddaughter to join her and her mom at UCLA and enroll in the nursing degree program when that time comes.
In customer relations, Moore supports Bruins seeking Facilities Management’s help, assists the manager at Trouble Call, and tackles requests as a dispatcher, along with other duties. Dispatches come by phone, email and through the UCLA 311 app. Each initial “call” is not complete until the job is closed.
Every day is different. When she encounters a tough case, Moore’s specialized skill set is an asset.
“I think this may have to do with me being a certified therapist,” she said. “It helps to be aware of people’s feelings. I try to stay as calm as possible, break everything down, and explain the solution to help the person feel acknowledged. That is my favorite part – I love offering clarity and peace when someone is dealing with a problem. Hearing their tone change, from the beginning of the call to the end, makes me happy and means I’m doing my job.
“It’s an adrenaline rush, and it’s rewarding.”
While just a voice and not a face in these instances, Moore understands that the person on the other line is often juggling a lot, now with the added pressure of something not working or going wrong. She says you never know what someone may be going through or stressing about, and in these moments, Moore likes to make it as easy as possible to resolve their issue. And in some cases, she goes the extra mile.
During last year’s heavy rain season, when Facilities Management was short-staffed, Moore answered 43% of the calls that came in, which equated to 700 work orders. While acting as a dispatcher, she also trained another employee and handled other customer relations responsibilities.
Moore aims to continue employing her therapeutic touch in her work on campus, soothing Bruins coping with ceiling leaks, broken elevators, unlocked doors, flooding and other concerns. She is currently working on recording a short, guided meditation with breathwork and other positive affirmations — something she can perhaps recommend the next time she handles a dispatch at the Trouble Call Desk.
