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The Simulator That Went on Vacation
When a customer sent a simulator back to the team for service, Shannon Drew and her colleagues could have simply repaired it and sent it home.
Instead, they decided to give it a vacation.
The simulator was dressed in a Hawaiian shirt and sunglasses, taken outside by the lake, and photographed enjoying a drink with a tiny umbrella. The team documented its “trip” as though the simulator were spending a week or two at a spa.
When it was time to send the simulator back, the team included a letter signed by everyone who had been part of its stay.
“We had such a great time with him,” Shannon remembers.
It was a small gesture, but it captured something Shannon had come to appreciate during her years with the company: the relationships behind the work.
Shannon joined the company more than 15 years ago after working in contract manufacturing. She knew how to build components, but medical simulation was completely new territory.
Over time, she learned the industry, the technology, and—perhaps most importantly—the people who make it what it is.
That includes the customers.
Customers sometimes give their simulators names and personalities, Shannon explains. When those relationships develop over time, the team can have a little fun with them, too.
The “vacation” was one of those moments.
The simulator came back to the customer repaired, but it also returned with a story—and a reminder that the people behind the technology care about more than simply completing a service ticket.
That spirit has stayed with Shannon throughout her time with the company. From her early days learning an entirely new industry to becoming part of a team that builds lasting relationships with customers and colleagues, she has seen how the human side of the business can make the work more meaningful.
More than 15 years later, Shannon is still part of that journey and still appreciates the people and relationships that make the work memorable.