PPB November 2017

Service Superheroes | FEATURE NancyWaters Senior Key Account Manager Image Source Kirkland, Washington Years at Image Source: 18 Nominators: Hsin Chia Chao, president, Twintech Industry, Inc.; Mark Shinn, MAS, president, Incentives West; Mark Jenkins, MAS+, managing director, Pioneer Balloon Company; Brian Haner, CEO, Image Source; Reggie Gonzalez, vice president national accounts, iClick; Tom Goos, MAS, president, Image Source What Makes Nancy A Service Superhero “There is no onemore service-oriented than NancyWaters,” says nominator TomGoos, MAS, president of Image Source. “Her passion for our clients is shown in every action she takes. She is always looking out for their best interests and works tirelessly day and night to deliver a solution for them. It is not because she has to, it is because she wants to.” For Waters, it’s all about being responsive. “I respond to well over 100 emails a day andmake sure I get back to each person,” she says. “While I might not have the answer immediately, I still respond so they know I’ve received their correspondence.This goes far in helping the client to feel important and to know they aremy priority. Which they are.” It’s not just clients who receive top service fromWaters. Nominator Mark Shinn, president of multi-line rep firm Incentives West, is a beneficiary as well. “Having to schedule 40 weekly showcases and over 100 different supplier events throughout the year, she always finds a way to accommodate our supplier partners who would like to spend some time with the team.” He also likes the way shemakes sure that the presentation room is equipped for the day’s needs and that everyone there has the opportunity tomeet and discuss projects and ideas. Hsin Chia Chao, president of supplier Twintech Industry, Inc. is another one of her six nominators. “We are a supplier vendor, not her client,” he says. “However, she treats us like a VIP. It is a great example of true partnership between distributor and supplier.” How Nancy Saved The Day Nominator and Image Source CEOBrianHaner recalls his favorite, over-the- top customer service story: “Nancy was in charge of the t-shirts for a company picnic for one of our largest customers.The order delivered on time, two days prior to the event. When the client opened the boxes, they realized that our silk screener had printed an incorrect design on the front of the shirts. When we found out, we had about 20 hours to reprint 1,700 t-shirts.The client’s location is three hours south of our office. Nancy coordinated everything with our suppliers, and then decided to rent a truck to drive down to deliver the shirts personally at the event. When she got there, only hours before the picnic started on a Saturday, she decided to stay all afternoon and help distribute shirts to their employees. Nancy is our rock star!” In Her Own Words Best Part Of The Job: What I enjoy most about my job is helping our clients and feeling appreciated. There is nothing better. Biggest Challenge: On the flip side, the biggest challenge is when things don’t go as planned. However, one of the first things I learned when I started in this industry is that it’s all in the recovery. Most Valuable Customer Service Lesson Learned: The most valuable lesson I learned was from my boss, Tom Goos, MAS [president of Image Source]. In every situation, whether you agree with your client or not, you need to show empathy and understanding of how they are feeling. When you have a client who seems impossible to please, it can be difficult. But continuing to provide support and understanding of their situation is the difference between retaining or losing a client. No. 1 Tip For Great Customer Service: Responsiveness, responsiveness, responsiveness. Most-Wanted Superhero Power: To create more hours in a day. Because it’s my own personal requirement to get back to each person before the end of the day, I often work 10- to 12-hour days. Best Personal Customer Service Experience: Just recently, my screen printer mistakenly shipped a t-shirt order to me rather than to my client. Luckily, my client is in the same town, so once it arrived I decided to take it to her. My screen printer insisted on driving 30 miles from his shop to pick up the order and deliver it to my client. He didn’t want to inconvenience me in any way and he respected my busy schedule. Many decorators would have just set up a courier to redeliver the goods but he wanted to do it himself. This is a true partner— someone who thinks not only of the job he’s doing for us but how it reflects on our clients as well. | NOVEMBER 2017 | 33