Meet Our Department VIP Savannah Pflueger
Meet Savannah Pflueger, Ovation Fertility Donor Services Coordinator
It takes a special person to hold the hands of intended parents as they move through a challenging fertility care journey. That’s especially true for people choosing donor eggs to complete their families. Savannah Pflueger offers compassionate support at every step, creating positive experiences for ODS customers.
How Did You Get Into Your Line of Work?
I have a tenured past in customer service and sales, so I have dealt with the public for a very long time. I enjoy it because I enjoy getting to know people and talking with them. I was a store manager for many years, then was department head for a laser liposuction clinic, so I have a medical background, but this is very different.
My family has a personal connection with needing IVF. Because 1 in 6 couples struggle with infertility, it was on my heart, so when I found this position with Ovation Donor Services, it was a beautiful melding of both worlds. I can help people, learn about their journey, and make a difference in their lives during a truly stressful time.
This journey can be a lot for people, so it is nice for them to have someone walk them through every step. Ovation Donor Services is very good at doing that, as we provide a single point of contact for intended parents. We are hand holders for patients, helping them through every step, from accessing the donor database to understanding whether a donor is right for them and getting information to their care team.
I’ve been with Ovation for about a year and four months. My first year was amazing, with me acclimating to different choices, backgrounds, and learning techniques. Today, my whole team is remote, and though I’m in Nashville, I help people from everywhere.
What’s an Average Day Like for You?
I start every day checking emails and messages from the current intended parents we are working with, and I follow up on those, as typically there is a sense of urgency. Then I go to our database and look at new intended parents who have just signed up to view our donor database and get them converted to Salesforce, so they get the correct coordination and starting point of contact to help them find a donor. After that, I’m going through my list of people to call or check in with by email to see where patients are in their process.
We are working with anywhere from 40 to 60 patients a week, on average, all in different steps of their process. We juggle quite a bit as we are seeing a big influx of intended parents. It’s a lot, to be honest. Wherever they are in the process, it’s my goal to get them on to the next step in a timely manner. It’s wonderful we are getting to help people.
What’s Your Favorite Part of Working for Ovation?
My favorite part of my job is when we get those calls and find out that a patient whose hand we have held through this process finally got the outcome they wanted – they are pregnant. The best part of my day is getting outcome forms when we contact clinics to check progress. It’s more than just data to us. We spend time with these folks. I received one this morning, and I cried. It’s wonderful. You get to hear their stories and hear in their voice how much they want these babies. It’s so great when we get to be a small part of their process.
Why Is Ovation’s Work So Important?
I have family ties to fertility care, so I know how important it is. Getting to see what goes into creating miracles for folks is amazing. It’s a long process that can be tough for many people. What we do is so important. So many people desperately want a child, and we are at the forefront of making that happen. We are a company that is the very best at what we do, and it shows, and it’s great.
Donor Services is firing on all cylinders now, which is really great. It was hard to get donors to come in, but now we have been able to get that wonderfully sorted out, and it’s really shown. Our work has drastically increased. It’s a beautiful thing to help people.
What Do You Like To Do Outside of Work?
My partner and I live in Nashville, and there are many concerts, music shows, and wonderful art galleries we love to see. It’s really hot in Nashville, but we are getting more outdoorsy and finding places to hike. We have been traveling recently – we just saw every coast of the United States in about three months. My partner works remotely as well. I have a dog and a cat that I love, and I spend lots of time with them. I also enjoy reading and love movies and music. And my partner and I are foodies; we love to try new restaurants.