NATCHEZ — Selma M. Harris has been selected as employee of the year at United Mississippi Bank for  outstanding customer service.

Harris was chosen by her peers from among 12 finalists in a blind selection process, having been previously selected as a service superstar in each quarter since the inception of the program.

UMB started a formal customer service training program in the first quarter of 2014.

“Our management team made a commitment to provide the best customer experience possible, so we invested in professional training for each employee in the bank,” UMB President and Chief Executive Officer Sammy Porter said. “ We hired Charlotte Englund with the Solutions Group out of El Campo, Texas.  She … started the process by mystery shopping each branch to identify the strength and weaknesses.  We customized our training based on her actual experience in these branches.”

UMB Vice President of Customer Relations Ty Rasberry said the bank has always prided itself in customer relations, and employees submit names of individuals they thought  provided outstanding service to the community on a daily basis.

“(The nominations) are collected by a committee of their peers and each good deed is blind judged by the committee and these finalists are invited to the presidents’ luncheon each quarter,” Rasberry said. “ They are rewarded for their community service and they are put up for election as employee of the year..”

Harris said she learned her customer service skills at a young age.

“I am not doing anything different than what my parents taught me, and that is to treat everyone like you want to be treated,” she said.