In The Lobby
Last week while training some of our new hires I heard from that we had a customer waiting in the lobby. Seeing how we're a call center people around me seemed to have no idea what to do. It was almost like they had no idea how to interact with someone face to face. A panic went through the call center. You would think we all lived here and never left. Having years of retail experience I knew I could talk to someone face to face so I decided to head downstairs to see what the hubbub was about.
As it turned out our visitor (Bob) flew in from Arizona...no not just to talk to us…he had some family matters to attend to and thought he would stop by X10 to get some issues taken care of. Somehow he made his way from across town to our well off the beaten path call center. Sadly he received some bad directions from a road sign and spent a few hours in traffic. I offered a treat from the snack tray at the front desk and an ear to listen to his concerns. After a few minutes I realized all he needed was our software sent to him. It was that simple. I took his information and sent him the software. He was tickled pink. I gave him solid directions to get back to his hotel and he was on his way.
It reminded me about the thrill of face to face interaction with customers. It's a totally different ballgame without the veil of secrecy of the phone. Being the trainer I decided to use this as part of training. Act as if your customer is right in front of you. You can't hide. It changes everything.
In the end Bob got his software and was happy he made the trek to X10. For everyone else looking to make the flight to our home in Kent I would save some gas and give us a call or send us an email. While you miss out on the candy at the front desk you’ll still get the one on one support you need without the travel expenses.
-Tony