PPB November 2018

Service Superheroes | FEATURE L iz Thill’s title sets a high expectation for her clients and she lives up to it every day. “Liz makes the entire process of getting virtuals and quotes so easy,” says her nominator and coworker, Jen Jezierski. “She’s always looking for new ways to make her customers look like rock stars. And she does it all with the most positive and upbeat attitude.” Customer service is an area Thill is well-versed in. Before she joined the Crystal D team, she spent six years at a collection agency collecting on pre-charge off accounts. “These were the hardest accounts to collect on,” she says, “and it’s where I learned and mastered the bulk of my customer service skills.” Best Part Of The Job: My favorite part of working at Crystal D is making sure my customers are always happy. Having a bubbly personality helps a lot. It’s my job to make sure my customers always look good. I keep things simple, easy and fast. It’s a great way to build trust, and I know my customers can rely on me. Biggest Challenge: I think the most challenging part is keeping my response time low while juggling all of my customers’ projects and keeping them all straight. I want to make sure I don’t leave my customers hanging while I work on their various projects. I’ve learned to take really good notes. Motivation To Deliver World-Class Service: My biggest motivation is being my customers’ first choice in awards. It’s not about the money or the hours; it’s about the personal connections. My customers think of me first because I make sure the service they get is the best service I can give. You can’t change your product line, pricing or things like that. But you can change how you treat your customers. Providing an incredible customer experience is 100 percent in my control. No. 1 Tip For Great Customer Service: I live by the motto, “It’s not the big that eat the small, it’s the fast that eat the slow.” I always over-communicate exactly where we are in the process. Speed of delivery and keeping my customers in the loop is always something that makes a difference. Also, never say “no.” Always provide a solution to their problem. We may not be able to do XYZ for you, but we can do ABC instead. Sometimes the solution is referring them to a competitor who has a specific product that only they can provide. Your customer will remember that you went the extra mile, even if it meant you lost that order. Best Personal Customer Service Experience: My personal banker at Wells Fargo is amazing. This gentleman continuously goes above and beyond, and he always blows my expectations out of the water. He knows all of his regulars by name, and he remembers previous conversations he’s had with every one of them. He caters to my style of doing business which is a true talent. Not everyone can change their way of doing things to cater to each of their customers. What impresses me the most is that I always feel important to him, and he genuinely cares about my day and appreciates my business. I was so impressed with my first interaction that I emailed his manager directly to compliment him on his amazing customer service. It’s the little things that go a long way, and those are the things people remember. SHERYL WILLIAMS VP, Finance & Operations Image Source, Inc. Years At The Company: 10 S heryl Williams is affectionately known as the office mom, Wonder Woman, the Queen Keener, captain of the ship, the smartest person on the team and one of the company’s hardest workers. “There’s constantly a line at her door—which is always open—and she can tackle any type of question or issue that comes up,” says co-worker Jeff Holt, one of 18 nominators. Williams is appreciated across the organization for the long hours she puts in on a regular basis to streamline processes and make things easier and more efficient for the entire team. She’s also genuinely admired for the energy and enthusiasm she brings to the workplace, as well as her ability to listen to employees and turn the spotlight of appreciation on others. Employees describe her as | NOVEMBER 2018 | 37