PPB November 2017

Alison Peters Director of Accounts Icon Blue, Inc. Los Angeles, California Years at Icon Blue: 16 Nominators: Mark Gobert, risk control and safety manager-global, Williams-Sonoma, Inc.; Karen Carrigan, learning & development training specialist, Macy’s Logistics and Operations; Lauren Kim, west coast regional sales manager, Goldstar Pens; Brian Stidham, national sales, EMT; Alex Morin, EVP, sales & marketing, Debco; Carolyn Mohawk, graphic designer, Fields Manufacturing; Eden McClellan, president/COO, Icon Blue, Inc.; Tiffany Arhin, regional sales manager, Logomark; and Kortney Deming, field sales, PCNA What Makes Alison A Service Superhero Alison Peters jumped into the customer service vortex of retail, specifically a supermarket, while still in high school. “It can be a brutal place for a 16-year-old,” she says. “You are immediately thrown into aworldwhere you are dealingwith all types of personalities andmanagement styles.” Luckily, sheworked for exceptional managers who understood the importance of providing a great shopping experience for customers regardless of the situation. Aquick learner, she observed all types of challenges and learned how to handle thembywatching hermanagers. “I learned what kinds of approaches got the best reaction fromcustomers.” The lessons she took away fromthose early days have served her well at distributor IconBlue, Inc. One of Peters’ clients, nominator KarenCarrigan, learning and development training specialist atMacy’s Logistics andOperations, has worked with her for the past six years purchasing products to commemorate the company’s special events and for recruitment. “She can find everything fromscrunchies to clear plastic backpacks and always gives us the best prices and quick service,” says Carrigan. “I guess what I consider hermost valuable trait is her trustworthiness. She has the customer’s best interest at heart and goes beyondmy expectations tomake sure I get the best service—always.” Peters also understands the importance of providing exceptional service to her suppliers. Sheworks with nominator Brian Stidham, national salesmanager at supplier EMT, on customproducts for her clients. “Alison goes above and beyond, providingme all the little details of the project to helpmake it go as smoothly as possible,” he says. “She also answers questions quickly—any time of day. On huge projects with a quick timeline, we are often able to deliver early because she provides such detailed information.” How Alison Saved The Day “I remember having to determine the best way to decorate an extremely elaborate and color-filled order,” says nominator AlexMorin, EVP/sales & marketing at supplier Debco. “When the pre-production sample didn’t meet the end user’s expectations, Alison used her creativity to reimagine the logo, and it resulted in one of my favorite imprints to this day.” In Her Own Words Best Part Of The Job: I like working with an outstanding team, the quick pace of the work we do and how each project is different and challenging. Biggest Challenge: There really isn’t much I dislike about my job and that’s a big part of why I’ve been doing it for 16 years now. I like challenges and figuring out how to do things. Bring it on! Most Valuable Customer Service Lesson Learned: Honestly, I don’t know that there has been one lesson I would deem most valuable. I think there is something to be learned from even the smallest experiences. Being able to learn and grow from each experience and carrying that forward is what brings value to me. Never stop learning. No. 1 Tip For Great Customer Service: Be honest and treat people how you would like to be treated. In my opinion, you can never go wrong with that kind of approach. Most-Wanted Superhero Power: With a five-year-old son, I’m surrounded by Batman at home. I’d have to say that I would utilize his genius-level intellect to come up with new ways to improve service that I couldn’t imagine otherwise. Best Personal Customer Service Experience: When an order goes wrong, you usually don’t think of the great service that you received. But not in this case. We had a rush order deliver a few days before an event. Everything went perfectly and the customer was thrilled. But while the customer was setting up the crystal awards for the ceremony, the table came crashing down. The customer called us in a panic to see if there was anything we could do. We contacted the supplier and explained the situation. Shortly thereafter, the supplier started remaking the awards so we could deliver new pieces in less than 24 hours (on a Saturday). The supplier was amazing and did such a phenomenal job. What was so impressive was that the supplier never said no—the attitude was so positive and proactive in providing a solution. We felt that they truly understood the importance of the order and how we could make or break our customer’s event. To this day, I look back on that experience and think of how professional and exceptional the supplier’s service was. As a distributor, having that support is priceless. Service Superheroes | FEATURE | NOVEMBER 2017 | 31