(Connectivity Specialist - Tyler Office) — Sit down with Kelly Hunley and TRY not to walk away in a brighter mood. We double-dog dare you.

A conversation with this East Texas connectivity specialist may venture into playful one-liners, sly, wisdom-laden quips, or a simple joke, all delivered with that wholesome, laid-back grin. But beneath the surface of this jolly spirit lies a wealth of information on network connectivity and print technology. He’s been in the connectivity game before it really even took off. You see, when you mix his natural exuberance with his deep technical knowledge, you find the perfect formula for Creating Raving Fans.

What led me to Datamax?

After spending time working in coal mines, as a mechanic, and self-employed as a Snap-On tool dealer, Kelly moved into the computer industry. He was a partner in a computer company custom building IBM clones, and also taught computer classes two times a week.

His entrance into the copier industry just happened organically, as he found himself strategically ahead of the game in regard to office equipment connectivity.

“I made a friend who was a manager of a company called Precision Copy Systems, and he was contracting me to do their Kyocera installs. At that time, copiers were starting to move from analog to digital,” Kelly said. “He finally asked me, ‘Why don’t you just come work for me.’”

That company was eventually purchased by East Texas Copy Systems, who was acquired by Datamax in 2018.

My experiences at Datamax:

Kelly says he came into this industry, as we know it today, in its infancy.

“I saw the writing on the wall. It’s just logical that things were going to progress and everything was going to be more and more connected,” Kelly said.

Today, Kelly makes a habit of connecting: Connecting print to scan to email, device to network, etc. He also connects with people on a genuine basis by speaking kindly, and empathetically, all while mastering the art of listening.

“I grew up living by the understanding that you do unto others as you would have them do unto you.  I think it’s important to be a camellian of sorts; you want to give the customer that sense of comfort. The most important thing we can do in this role is to simply listen to everything they have to say. When they call in, the first thing I do is just sit back and listen. ”

What makes me want to stay at Datamax?

For someone who is as technically sound as Kelly, and who’s found himself on the bleeding edge of technology for so long, one might be a bit surprised to learn what his greatest reward is.

“I don’t know how to explain it, other than I just don’t know a stranger. I meet people all the time that I’ve never met, but I’ve never met a stranger. For me, it’s not about the technology, not the equipment. I enjoy hearing customers go from not happy to happy. When I hang up the phone and a customer has just told me ‘Thank you so much for helping with that,’ I get a warm and fuzzy every single time.”