PPB November 2018

FEATURE | Service Superheroes goes above and beyond every day to give back to the company. “Brandy never stops working, never stops smiling and is committed to doing much more than her job description would ever suggest,” says one of her nominators and customers, Laura Martin, president of Red Rover Promotions. “She takes true ownership of everything that happens both under her umbrella of responsibility and everything else that crosses her line of vision. Who would ever expect to hear from an inside rep outside of business hours, let alone on a Saturday morning? Ariel is lucky to have her.” Another nominator and coworker, Martin Guthrie, says, “I am very, very lucky to have Brandy Laster on my team. Because of her, our territory has been up $1 million in new business three of the past four years.” Best Part Of The Job: I enjoy being able to use my creativity and ability to think outside of the box when it comes to helping with ideas for projects. Biggest Challenge: Fulfilling our rush production requests during busy season. When a customer needs the order tomorrow, we want to make that happen. We want to not only make them happy but make their customer happy as well. Making this happen can sometimes be challenging due to production capacity and time constraints. However, finding a resolution and being able to make it happen is also very rewarding. Motivation To Deliver World-Class Service: Our motto here at Ariel Premium Supply is “Taking Care of You.” This applies to our internal and external customers. I want to make sure that I am treating our customers and associates with the same respect and service I expect to get from anyone. Knowing that I am dependable, reliable and helpful in every way I can be is a big motivator for me. No. 1 Tip For Great Customer Service: Treat every customer like they are your biggest customer. Build a relationship, be honest and always treat the customer how you would want to be treated. Best Personal Customer Service Experience: On a recent trip out of the country, I stayed for two weeks at a hotel with amazing customer service. The desk clerk was very attentive and remembered our names from the minute we checked in until the day we left. The doorman took it upon himself to be a personal security guard for me as I am a wanderer and he would not let me out of his sight when I was outside alone. Being away from home in a foreign place, it felt great to come “home” and be greeted by name with a smile. All the staff we encountered made sure we felt welcomed and taken care of. I will always suggest this hotel to anyone traveling to this destination. ADAM PEFFER Customer Service Lead Hit Promotional Products Years At The Company: 7 A damPeffer is one of those customer- centric people who just gets it. If he doesn’t have an answer, he finds it. If a package gets lost, he ensures it’s found and delivered. If a customer is looking for a product, Peffer will locate it—and get the order fulfilled. And his follow-up and attention to detail are legendary according to his seven nominators. “I call himAspirin Adambecause he is always fixingmy headaches,” says nominator and customer Jackson Conrad, sales rep at CC Creations. In every nomination was at least one story that started with “We had a large, complicated order…” or “We had a rush-minute order …” and every one ended with how Peffer saved the day. Best Part Of The Job: I enjoy that each day brings new challenges and tests one’s knowledge and skills to handle a variety of different situations. Biggest Challenge: That may also be the biggest challenge of customer service in a promo products environment. Motivation To Deliver World-Class Service: Taking pride in a job well done and receiving responses from customers that my efforts have affected them and their customers in a positive way. It motivates me to always work hard to ensure that I provide the best service possible to my customers and I am proud to do so. No. 1 Tip For Great Customer Service: Treat each interaction with a customer as though they were a guest in your home. Essentially, they are. Best Personal Customer Service Experience: My best personal experience was with UPS when handling a particularly tricky international shipment. The rep’s 32 | NOVEMBER 2018 |