Fiber internet doesn't show up in an apartment building by accident.
Before a single resident signs up for service, there are plans to review, timelines to align, details to confirm and relationships to manage. That work rarely fits into a neat daily routine, and it's exactly where Deena Doerflinger, Senior Account Manager, spends her time.
Deena works with developers and property managers to bring Ziply Fiber into new and existing communities, often juggling multiple projects at once. Her role sits at the intersection of sales, coordination and problem-solving, requiring both long-term planning and quick decision-making when priorities shift. It's a job defined less by closing a deal and more by making sure everything works the way it should well before anyone ever plugs in.
No two days look the same
If there's one thing Deena can count on in her role, it's that no two days will look alike.
"I don't really have a typical day," she says. "My typical start is figuring out what I'm going to do and what needs immediate attention."
She starts early, reviewing emails, updating her handwritten task list and setting priorities for the day ahead. Mondays are often spent catching up on paperwork and activity from the weekend, while the rest of the week might include property visits or meetings with developers and managers.
Her role requires constantly balancing long-term planning alongside quick problem-solving when something unexpected comes up.
When plans unravel, experience takes over
That balance between planning and problem-solving isn't just theoretical. Sometimes an entire community's launch can go sideways before a single resident gets connected, and it takes someone with Deena's experience to quietly untangle it.
Recently, Deena was asked to take on a newly built community that had just become available for sale under difficult circumstances. The addresses had been mishandled early on, leaving the community's properties incorrectly categorized in Ziply Fiber's systems as business accounts rather than residential ones. Residents were already beginning to move in, orders were being placed and service installation appointments were on the calendar. But behind the scenes, the technical groundwork wasn't in place.
"Because of the multiple issues leading up to move-in, I knew there would be a lot to untangle," Deena says. "And there was."
Several customers had already placed orders for service, but because their addresses were still flagged under incorrect codes, the orders couldn't be fulfilled. Fiber drop requests—the process of physically running fiber to each unit—hadn't been submitted to the subcontractor. And none of the affected customers had been notified that anything was wrong, even as they were expecting technicians to show up.
Deena got to work immediately. She personally called each affected customer to explain the situation and what was being done to fix it. She reached out to four additional customers who hadn't yet placed orders, to make sure they didn't run into the same issues. She worked with the internal operations team to get the address codes corrected, rewrote the orders from scratch, and reached out directly to the team to request the fiber drops be completed on an expedited basis.
"I called everyone, explained what happened and made sure they knew Ziply Fiber was going to take care of them as fast as possible," she says. "They were my priority."
The team came through, completing the fiber drops within two days. Deena rescheduled installation appointments as quickly as slots opened up and monitored the queue closely to catch any cancellations that would let her move customers up sooner.
Then, on the morning of the first customer's installation, a new problem emerged. The technician had completed the in-home work, but there was no active signal at the neighborhood connection point, meaning the customer still had no service. That customer had baby monitors set up for a terminally ill child at home and was counting on the connection.
Deena called in her most trusted senior technician, who dropped what he was doing, went straight to the site and had the signal restored within the hour. He then spoke with the customer directly and walked through the setup to make sure everything was working.
"That's the kind of team I work with," Deena says. "When something matters, everyone shows up."
With the first installation complete and the address issues resolved, the remaining residents in the community are now on track for smooth installs, the kind of outcome that only happens because someone was paying close enough attention to prevent a bigger problem.
Selling at scale, staying personal
While Deena's work often involves large properties and bulk service agreements, her approach to sales is anything but distant.
"I don't just write a sale and walk away," she says. "I talk customers through what's going to happen from here all the way through the install and beyond."
That means setting expectations early: what the installation process looks like, what residents need to prepare for and what happens after service is live. By being proactive, Deena helps reduce confusion and prevent issues before they start.
"If people know what to expect, they have a much better experience," she explains. "Everything goes more smoothly."
That attention to detail helps everyone involved—from property managers to technicians to residents—have a better outcome.
Ownership beyond the close
Large properties come with a lot of moving parts, and Deena sees ownership as a critical part of her role. When something isn't working, she doesn't assume someone else will handle it.
"If there's an issue, I'll go figure it out," she says.
That might mean coordinating with internal teams, answering resident questions or stepping in to make sure a problem doesn't derail a project. For Deena, sales aren't just about closing deals; it's about seeing them through.
Her hands-on approach helps ensure that what's promised during the sales process is delivered once service is live.
Confidence built on experience
Deena's confidence in Ziply Fiber comes from experience. She's seen the network evolve and improve over time, and that history shapes how she talks to customers today.
"I love my product," she says. "I can confidently tell customers what's going to happen and it actually happens."
That reliability is especially important when internet service plays such a central role in work, school and daily life. Knowing the network delivers allows Deena to build trust and long-term relationships with the partners she works with.
Building communities, not just connections
Much of Deena's work happens behind the scenes, but its impact is felt by entire communities. By combining planning, persistence and follow-through, she helps bring America's fastest home internet to places where hundreds of residents will rely on it every day, proving that sales aren't just about making connections, but about building something that lasts.
For more information on available roles at Ziply Fiber, please visit our careers page.
