We’ve always known that our customer service reps here at NEAT Receipts were a special bunch of people. But we were thrilled to find out recently that we have a bona fide American Idol in our midst!

NEAT Receipts employee Leah Guerrier attended the Philadelphia “Idol” auditions as one of 50,000 hopefuls vying for a “golden ticket” to Hollywood. However, before she got there, she wasn’t even planning to sing. “I was just going to support my friends,” said Leah. “At the last minute I decided to sign up as a joke.”

As it turned out, the joke was on her friends. Out of all of them, Leah was the only one to advance past the first round of auditions at the Wachovia Center.

“There are several rounds of auditions that you have to go through. Only about 125 people even get a chance to sing in front of Simon, Paula and Randy,” she explained.

And when it was finally Leah’s turn to rock it out for the judges, she admits that while she gave it all she got, it may have been a less than stellar performance.

“Randy’s exact words were, ‘We enjoyed your energy and charisma…too bad you can’t sing.’”

Thinking that was the end of her 15 minutes of fame, Leah headed for the door. But just as she was walking out, Simon called her back. He told her that Paula and Randy had produced an instructional DVD for singers, and if she was able to find a copy and practice with it, they would give her another chance later that day.

With a small army of producers, cameramen and production assistants in tow, Leah scoured the Philadelphia area for a copy of the DVD. She finally found one, hightailed it back to the Wachovia Center, and practiced all afternoon. At the end of the day, she faced the judges once again. This time, success!! Leah was going to Hollywood! She ran out of the room and into the waiting arms of Ryan Seacrest (a scene that was broadcast on the “Idol” commercials before the show started airing in January). Leah was one of only 17 people from the original 50,000 to make it from the Philadelphia auditions — the largest turnout in “Idol” history.

Three months later, Leah found herself once again facing the judges — this time in Hollywood, and accompanied by a band. Unlike most of the finalists, many of whom were professional singers, Leah had never even held a microphone before, much less sang with a backing band. To make matters worse, the Idol producers changed the audition song selections at the last minute, and the kick-butt rendition of “Moondance” she’d been working on all summer was off the list.

Regardless, Leah approached the audition with the same energy and attitude that got her there in the first place. However, the stress of the competition was starting to take its toll, and as the band started to play, she forgot the words!

“Then Randy made a funny face, and I started laughing,” says Leah. “After that, I pretty much knew it was over.”

Although disappointed to not make it further in the competition, Leah is no sore loser. She still plans to watch the show — if only to cheer on the new friends she made while in L.A.

“It was a very friendly competition,” notes Leah. “We all supported each other.”

So, is the real “Idol” experience anything like what they show on TV?

“At the end of the day, it’s a TV show,” Leah said. “Why else would they have featured that guy getting his chest waxed on TV instead of me?”

Seriously. We here in the office were kind of bummed that Leah’s experience was not part of the “Philly Auditions” show that aired last week. But as always, her positive attitude belies any disappointment she may have felt. If anything, she is excited about the new doors that this experience has opened, and has even started working on a single that she plans to release as a ringtone. How music 2.0!

So, the next time you call NEAT Receipts Customer Service, remember: you may be getting your tech support from an American Idol! Maybe if you’re super-nice, she’ll even sing for you. (”First you baaaack up your daaaaaaataaa…….”)

Congratulations, Leah!