When you call or email Skwala, you don’t get connected with a call center or passed off to a third-party customer support network. You talk to one of us, our core team of anglers right here in Bozeman, Montana. Chances are, you’ll probably talk to Scott Battista.
Scott’s the newest member of the Skwala team, but he’s no stranger to fly fishing or hard work. Scott’s a hustler—he runs social media, shoots photos and video, tests and repairs waders—but his main job and first priority is customer service. He’s here to make sure you have the best possible experience whenever you reach out to us, so we wanted to take a few minutes to introduce you to him. You’ll learn how he left a promising career in medicine to live hand to mouth in the fly fishing industry and how working in a fly shop is actually kind of like working in a hospital with far lower stakes.
Squandering a Career in Medicine
I graduated from the University of Kentucky in Lexington with a biology degree on a pre-med track and then took a gap year to do surgical technician training at a hospital in Denver. Secretly, I moved to Colorado for the fishing. I planned to continue my career path in medicine but wanted to live, and fish, out West. Working at the hospital, I got to be friends with a surgeon who was also into fly fishing. We talked more about fly fishing than we did about surgery. One day he asked me, "Do you love medicine?”
I was like, “Yeah, I love medicine. I've given the past five years of my life to it.”
Then he asked, “Do you love it more than fishing?”
I said, “Well, they're different. Fishing's a hobby. Medicine is a career.”
He looked at me and said, "If you love fishing as much as I think you love it, you should pursue that. Medicine will always be here but chasing a dream of making fishing your life and work, that's not always going to be an option.”
I wouldn’t say he steered me away from medicine, but he explained that getting into medicine is a serious commitment, and not something anyone should do lightly. If I really want to pursue fishing as a career, this is the time to go do it. So, I took that advice and got out of there.
Selling Flies is Kind of Like Assisting with Surgery
Two days after that conversation with the physician, I was buying used waders off a guy on Facebook Marketplace, and he asked me what I did for a living. I told him I was looking to switch careers and start working in the fly fishing industry. He offered to put in a good word for me at a local fly shop, and the owner called me the next day and asked if I was interested in coming in for an interview. The day after that, I changed career paths.
Working in a fly shop is a lot more similar to working in a hospital than most people think. They’re both service based. You communicate with people and figure out what they need. In medicine, we call it chief complaint. What are you in for? Same thing applies to a fly shop. Everyone's got a chief complaint, whether they need new waders, help preparing for a destination trip, or guidance buying their first premium fly rod. Everyone's got something that they are in for. The stakes are a lot lower in a fly shop than surgery, but success in either requires effective communication with your customer, figuring out what they need and how you can solve their problem.
Shop Dog to Road Warrior
After three years working in the shop and fishing as much as I possibly could, I was looking to spread my wings. I had started learning to shoot photos and was able to get quality material right out of the gate because I lucked into some excellent mentors. Not only are they skilled photographers, they’re really, really fishy, which resulted in some excellent shots. Trading the rod for a camera opened a lot of doors.
I reached out to the Fly Fishing Film Tour, sent them some of my photography, and asked if they needed a staff camera operator. They didn’t, but they were looking for road crew. Three days later, I flew to Portland and met two people who are now a couple of my best friends. I became one of two full time tour employees and traveled all over the country hosting events, meeting interesting people, and fishing. I learned a lot about what does and doesn’t work in fly fishing media, which improved my photography and helped me produce some video projects.
Landing at Skwala
On tour, I got to meet and work with quite a few people in the fly fishing industry, including Rich [Skwala’s Chief Marketing Officer]. Sometimes you just hit it off with a brand and the people behind it—their values, the way they carry themselves, what they're doing and how they're doing it. When this position opened up, it felt like a natural fit.
Streamers or Dry Flies?
Dry flies.
What Would You Say You Do Here?
First and foremost, it's customer experience. I’m the one answering phone calls, emails, and social media messages. I make sure people are happy with their experiences, with our products, with our brand, and with the fishing that they do while wearing our gear. I also handle warrantees. If someone sends in a pair of waders, I’ll physically test them, figure out if they’re salvageable, and repair them myself if I can. I also run our social media accounts and help with marketing. My job fluctuates every day, but the biggest priority is customer service.
IPA or PBR?
PBR.
Behind the Scenes at Skwala
The Skwala dynamic is pretty funny. We don’t have internal emails, because if you need something you just stand up and ask. We’re all in the same room together. Everyone is looped in on every conversation. When I take a customer service call, everyone can hear the problem and the solution I offer. When Kevin [Skwala’s founder and CEO] is talking product, we all hear about it. It’s a super fluid and transparent environment. There’s nowhere to hide, but I always feel supported. The capabilities of this team are insane. Everyone's doing a million things at once to a high efficiency.
Tarpon or Permit?
Permit.
What Happens When I Call Skwala Customer Service?
If you call the number doing working hours [9:00-4:30 Monday through Friday Mountain Standard Time], that rings through to my headset and sends a notification to my computer. Usually, I’ll pick it up and you’ll get to talk to me right here in my little office in Bozeman, Montana. If I’m away from my desk, someone else will pick it up, but 90% of the time you’ll talk to me.
What About Emails?
I personally monitor the customer service email account, and I try to respond to every email the same working day that it arrives. If it comes in at the very end of the day, I might respond the next morning, but usually I’ll get back to you that same day. I’m always looking for that chief complaint; what is it that I can help you with? The more specific information you give me, the faster and more effectively I can help solve the problem.
Scotch, Irish, or Bourbon?
Bourbon.
After Working with So Many Brands at the Fly Shop and The Film Tour, Why Did You Come to Skwala?
In the simplest terms, I just believe in what we're doing. I'm a pretty serious angler. I spend most of my free time fishing, and I want to get the most out of it. If I'm going to spend a lot of money on this hobby, this passion, I want to know that the stuff I'm wearing is working as hard as I am. That hasn't always been my experience.
In my previous jobs, I got to sample every brand's best, and frankly, I was kind of unimpressed with a lot of the stuff. I mean, it was okay. It was fine. About two years ago, when I was on the Film Tour, I tried out the Fusion Hybrid Jacket and the RS Wader and I never wanted to go back to wearing anything else. Having waders that actually fit me, that move with me and don't restrict me in any way, was completely new. Every time I try a new piece of ours, I have that same experience. I just got back from Belize and wore the Tropic Hoody the whole week in 100% humidity. Everyone else was complaining about how hot it was; I felt fine. I just believe in what we’re doing. We preach that it's built to fish, and that’s exactly what it is. I don't see anything else that's even comparable.