Oh, deer! How technology keeps drivers safe on the road

Peter Lass was on his way home when he saw something run out in front of his car. It was a deer. In an attempt to avoid a collision with the woodland creature, the North Carolina native slammed on his brakes.

That’s when a second deer hit his car.

“Boom. Like a big bang happened,” Peter retells the event that left him shaken and his windshield shattered.

Right after the collision, Peter heard a voice: someone was asking him if he was alright. “It was somebody from Hum,” Peter explains that the Verizon car product, which provides emergency assistance, stayed connected with him until police arrived to the scene.

Peter remembers the exact moment he laid eyes on the the car technology. “We have a Verizon store literally around the block,” he explains. “I see this thing on the wall and the name of it says Hum.”

According to Peter, that’s when he met Ezequiel Perez. The Verizon employee, who goes by Zeek, walked over to Peter to give him more information about the Hum, explaining everything to him from the tech’s vehicle diagnostics to the mechanics hotline.

“I said, ‘This is kind of neat. I like it,’” the gadget-lover recounts. While Peter was on board to purchase the product, his wife needed a little more convincing. “My wife was going, ‘Oh, I don’t think we need this,’” Peter says. But after a few more minutes chatting with Zeek, the couple walked out of the store with the Hum. 

“To be able to give customers the ability to stay connected and safe — it makes me really happy to be a part of that,” Zeek says, explaining why the Hum product is near and dear to his heart. “My older brother actually passed away in a car accident. So it’s something that rings really true to me.”

Zeek explains that when his brother lost his life, he thought of ways that he could make him proud. “How can his legacy live on?” he asks, already knowing the answer. According to Zeek, he honors his brother’s life by helping others stay safe on the road with technology.

Following your passion

In December 2015, Zeek started his first sales job with Verizon as a Solutions Manager.

“I was a Verizon customer before I started working there,” Zeek says, noting that he understands how customers think and feel because he is one. His mission is to analyze customers’ problems and fix them. But he doesn’t just solve their problems, Zeek anticipates them. Zeek can see his customers’ problems before they even realize they have one.

“I see if I can find a product that fits the customer’s need, like the Hum,” he says, explaining that he would recommend the car technology if a customer mentioned having a new driver in the family or if they happened to live in a wooded area — just like Peter.

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