The Coeur d’Alene Press named Lead Customer Service Representative Darci Austin as Employee of the Month for September.

Austin is part of the circulation department, which is responsible for delivering papers to subscribers and newsstands each day. As a customer service representative, she connects and coordinates with subscribers, carriers and the public.

“Sometimes the customers are grumpy, but most are fabulous,” she said. “I love my job.”

Originally from Rhode Island, Austin moved to North Idaho when she was 16 years old. She’s a mom of two adult sons. She enjoys cooking, gardening and jewelry-making in her spare time. Austin is also an avid reader with a particular love for historical fiction.

She’s worked at The Coeur d’Alene Press since 2006; she was hired by longtime circulation director Dan Phillips.

“Darci is up for any challenge,” said David Shoemaker, Circulation Business Operations Manager/Customer Service Supervisor. “She has a ready smile to cheer you up and keeps chocolate at her desk for all in need of a fix.”

Circulation Director Bill Bollinger said Austin handles all her customers with the same helpful approach, whether they’re a subscriber with questions about their account or they present a more challenging issue.

“If you walk through the department, you can hear Darci welcoming a new subscriber to The Press or welcoming home a returning snowbird,” he said.

He added that Austin has developed a great rapport with both newspaper carriers and other Press employees. She’s always willing to lend a hand.

“She is a well-respected veteran here in circulation,” Bollinger said.

That respect goes both ways. Austin said that the best thing about her job, other than her customers, is the team she works with.

Though she’s “grateful and humbled” to be recognized as the Employee of the Month, she pointed out that it takes a coordinated effort to put out a newspaper each day.

“We have a great team in circulation, from the carriers to the district managers to the customer service team,” she said. “I couldn’t do it without them.”