Our Customer Care Department

Terri (blog reader/commenter) asked, on our March 11 posting, how we handle customer relationships. Our most important customer contact point is Customer Care. I asked Bill Casey, Volvo’s Customer Care manager, to give us an insider’s POV.

Bill: After holding several positions at other companies, I knew I wanted to pursue a career in Customer Service. The problem was I needed a product that I believed in and would be proud to support. In 2005, I found Volvo, and happily joined their Customer Care team. The company’s core values of Safety, Quality and the Environment deeply resonated with me, and I knew this was a brand I could believe in.

Working with customers can be challenging, but without customers you don’t have a business. That being said, my team and I have one of the most important responsibilities at Volvo – taking care of our customers.

We share the same philosophy as other Contact Centers do, in defining “A Customer”:

• A Customer is the most important person ever in the office, whether by phone, mail or in person.
• A Customer is not dependent on us we are dependent on them.
• A Customer is not an interruption of our work…the customer is the purpose of it.
• A Customer is not someone to argue with or match wits. Nobody ever won an argument with a customer.
• A Customer is a person who brings us his or her wants. It is our job to handle them.

Volvo’s Customer Care department responds to our owners and prospective customers through communications via phone/email/mail, monitoring several surveys (yes, we do read and respond to comments!), as well as social media. Customer Care then works as case managers, trying to fix the issue and hopefully satisfying our Volvo owner. We rely on the expertise of our fellow Volvo colleagues, and our retailers, to help find solutions to the various issues we face every day.

Dan: So what is your favorite really strange call/request?
Bill: I love the email sent late at night, with fictitious names and contact information where there is a legit problem and no way to get back in touch with the person that wrote it. Oh, a gal bought her Volvo, was dating the salesperson, and broke up. She wanted us to buy her Volvo back.

Dan: How many staff are in your department and do you have separate functions or do they all handle one type of call?
Bill: We are small, intimate group of 16 including myself and one team leader. We cross train each of the member across all disciplines so they are well rounded and prepared to handle most contacts that come in.

Dan: Are you able to always help?
Bill: We set out to help turn a problem into a positive experience, basically to exceed expectations. Does it always happen? No. We ask the customer to outline their expectations, it’s easier then hiring a telepath.

Dan: How do you guys stay calm? Daily Yoga sessions, chamomile tea and scones at 3 pm, or?
Bill: Constant stream of comfort food…unfortunately my waistline is suffering. All kidding aside we try to have some fun every chance we get…we try art therapy, desk yoga etc…

Bill’s group is our most outward facing department in our Rockleigh office. We all have expectations in life about situations we can and cannot control. When I have to deal with other companies, I often wonder if the person I’m talking to would want to be treated the way I’m being treated. Bill’s group does a very Volvo family service to our customers who need help.

Good week to you all.
dan

Tags: customer care