Customer Care: Your Reliable Connection to Tape Solutions
Customer satisfaction is the cornerstone of success within any business. In the world of manufacturing, where products, services and processes are continuously evolving, the Customer Care team plays a huge role in forging long-lasting customer relationships. Serving as a bridge between Tape Solutions and our customers, this team is vital for answering questions and explaining new processes, products or procedures. They troubleshoot issues and ensure a seamless experience throughout the customer journey.
In this blog, we’ve interviewed our North American Customer Care Manager, Megan Killenberger, to gain a better understanding of her team and the pivotal role they play in proactively growing business opportunities and brand loyalty.
Can you explain the role of the customer care team?
The customer care team is designed to answer all questions. You can think of us as the “Magic 8” ball of Tape Solutions. When customers connect with us, we guarantee a response, no matter what the question is. We have access to all internal teams and departments. Even if we get an engineering or product-chemistry specific question, we can connect that question to the right people and provide the answer that is being sought. Our role is to be there for the customer — always.
How does the Tape Solutions Customer Care team stand out from a traditional customer service team?
Our biggest differentiator is our customer longevity. Many of our customers have been with us for over 20 years and we pride ourselves on being intimately acquainted with the needs and internal business practices of these customers. We are their source and supplier. With such long-term customers, we are invested in their success and do everything we can to ensure it.
Whether it is a customer we’ve had for years or a new customer, we try to go the extra mile to communicate challenges and tailor interactions to ensure we meet each customer’s unique needs. At the core of brand loyalty is a team that strives to provide exceptional customer care, allowing our customers to be heard, understood and valued.
"Customer Care has its pulse on so many aspects of the business from entering an order, resolving an issue, assisting credit or answering questions."
— Barbara Myers, Customer Care Specialist 2
How do you implement customer-centricity into your day-to-day work?
Our team prides itself on the ability to respond and follow-up quickly and efficiently. The manufacturing business is unique. Often, we must work minute-by-minute and update customers with real-time information about their specific order or account.
How does your team handle customer issues or challenges that are encountered?
When we have a problem arise, we approach it in a 3-step process:
- We try to figure out exactly what happened.
- We determine the next steps that need to be taken, whether that be placing a replacement order or checking in with the customer to identify immediate needs.
- We ensure that all Tape Solutions departments involved understand the issue so that it can be prevented going forward.
What do you identify as the top 3 skills required for a successful customer care team member?
Patience, empathy, and problem-solving skills are essential for success in this role. The customer care team role extends far beyond troubleshooting. We need to be able to listen patiently to hear and meet the customer’s specific needs. The team needs to be able to take a deep dive into a challenge or issue, seek out necessary answers and provide a resolution. We need to see things from the perspective of the customer and represent the customer to internal teams to ensure any needs or challenges are met.
How do you implement service accountability when things don’t go according to plan?
We are a very human-centric business. Sometimes, we run into mistakes, whether that be in processing purchase orders, filling customer requests that arrive in multiple languages, or working through something that may need multiple conversions. When things don’t go according to plan, communication is key. We encourage our teams to spot and communicate mistakes so that we can respond to them, resolve them and learn from them.
How do you feel team culture impacts the success of your team and customer success?
It is embedded within our culture to support each other with each customer and work together to ensure challenges are combated and needs are met. We’ve found that pigeonholing customers to one customer care representative does not mean support. Instead, we want our team and our customers to understand that they can look to any of our team members for support and assistance. Training documents and job aids have been created to support specific customers and to aid our team in providing consistent support.
“Interaction with colleagues is vital. We all work together to ensure customer satisfaction and support."
— Michelle Mackey, Customer Care Site Supervisor
Now you know a little bit more about the team you work with when you contact our NA team online or via phone. This team serves as the nucleus of the Saint-Gobain® Tape Solutions team, ensuring a reliable connection between new, existing or potential customers as well as our internal teams. The work and dedication of this team enables forward-moving momentum, receptiveness to feedback and continuous improvement of our services and interactions.