Recognizing Customer Experience Stars

Think back to the best customer service you experienced recently.

According to a State of Global Customer Service report by Microsoft, 96% of consumers across the globe said customer service is an important factor in their loyalty to a brand. While there are plenty of dismal stats on poor service, more businesses consider exceptional customer service an upside advantage.

As the leader of a global customer service organization, I often try to recall the most recent great customer service experience I’ve had. We hear about the negative, but what about all the times a customer has had a phenomenal experience? While it’s imperative to learn from any missteps, it’s also time to flip the script.

Let’s talk about all the best customer service experiences and the people who make it happen so that we can model and design the right behaviors, processes and outcomes for our customers.

To do the work of servicing you, there are qualities that I consider table stakes — in-depth, specialized expertise and execution excellence. But to make it truly heroic and exceptional, here are some key values and behaviors I look to foster within my team so we can move the needle from good to greatest.

• Have empathy. There is a clear difference between empathy and sympathy. When a customer contacts you for assistance, sympathy can cause more friction. I stress the importance of empathy because it’s about understanding the needs of others. Being able to put yourself in the customers’ shoes — to truly understand what’s causing their distress so that you can guide and enable them toward the right solution.
• Show up as a leader. Leadership isn’t just reserved for managers. Leadership isn’t about title; it’s about how you show up. Are you making sure you can help customers succeed? Can you motivate and inspire others on your team? The ability to lead is a talent that I seek in all of my team members, regardless of title. It’s a way to behave, think and take ownership that can make the difference in delivering the best customer service experience.

At the end of the day, it comes down to each of us — connecting the moments for exceptional service. Today, I want to take an opportunity to recognize some of our Genesys customer service professionals who many of you have recognized as being your Customer Experience Stars.

Genesys Customer Experience Stars

Aaron Kesler: He owns his role like a business owner. He commits himself to being available any time, including evenings and weekends, when customers require additional assistance. And he leverages his deep expertise to orchestrate holistic plans. Aaron brings together the right experts to solve some of the most complex situations for our most complex cloud deployments.

 

Adam Firestine: Professionalism and empathy are core values that Adam brings to every interaction — whether it’s de-escalating a customer issue or mentoring his colleagues. His deep understanding and ability to step into another’s shoes are traits that help us through some of our most difficult and intricate work.

 

 

Brian Burton: Customers know to request Brain when faced with highly escalated situations. He has the ability to guide them and give them a deeper understanding of the platform. He proactively shares his knowledge with junior team members and continuously pursues new ways to sharpen his expertise.

 

 

David Istanovszki: Clarity and simplicity is what David offers — even during the most complex issues with some of our largest customers. He can constructively and expertly clear up confusion and resolve issues efficiently. He’s built trust and credibility with large customers — and his mentorship of colleagues has enabled us to become a stronger team.

 

 

Dioric Pingol: Amazingly patient and helpful; very detail-oriented and shows great mastery of case — those are just a few traits customers say Dioric possesses each time he works with them. His motto is to address all the cases being assigned to him via calls. He’s been the champion in contacting customers through phone — whether the case is low priority or a critical one. He treats every task with high priority and utmost standard, ensuring that customers get 100% solutions to their problems.

 

Ekaterina Kochetosvkaya: Time and again, customers have recognized Ekaterina as a “master example of how the care support should work.” She truly understands what a global business means, and whether mentoring junior colleagues or assisting a customer with an escalation, she’s always prepared. She provides thoughtful, accurate, and technically deep and clear solutions.

 

 

Eric Berkshire: Major customers look to Eric for calmly and expertly navigating them through some of their toughest challenges. He proactively works with product development teams to ensure the right fixes are being prioritized. He never hesitates to take on both coach and player roles to demonstrate to his peers what it means to deliver world-class customer service.

 

Jeffrey Jani: Jeff is one of our analysts who knows the product inside and out and invests time to continuous learning. His expertise enables him to easily understand customer needs and articulate the answers to resolve issues. This leaves them happy and satisfied.

 

John Laird: Major customers count on John to not only identify the problem quickly, but also to fill in the gaps that lead to the right resolution. His approach to customer experience excellence is: “Always be open and honest with our customers — to not only answer the immediate question or issue they are reporting but look beyond to what they are trying to achieve and, where appropriate, provide the technical details necessary for them to know how to solve similar issues.”

 

 

Kiko Mengual: Customers have said, “Seeing Kiko has been assigned to our case is like opening your presents on Christmas and getting exactly what you wanted.” Kiko will work through challenges, such as a ticketing system closure, to ensure that his customer sees resolution and restoration of their platform

 

 

Luis (LJ) Cubelo: Making sure you know what’s going on clearly and often is an essential communication skill that Luis masters — not because it’s expected of him, but because he knows it’s critical to delivering exceptional customer service. Customers have praised his ability to resolve cases in a “timely manner with great explanation.”

 

Mark Domingo: With a global care business model, it’s imperative that team members across the world are trained to handle everything — from the simple to the complex. Mark is a master trainer in our Manila global office. He not only provides new colleagues with the technical know-how, he also ingrains in them the core values of what it means to provide exceptional customer experiences with every interaction.

 

 

Mike Gehring: “No customer left behind” can be a motto for Mike. No matter the size or complexity of the customer, you can count on him to give the best of his expertise and can-do attitude. Customers have said they know that, “When things hit the fan, Mike the one guy that you know will help get you out of it quickly and efficiently.”

 

 

Scott Thornley: Setting expectations is a skill necessary to deliver exceptional customer experience — and it’s one that Scott has mastered. He works with our largest and most technical customers and is able to translate idealistic vision into effective actions.

 

 

Talida Elena Ionescu: Proactive and high standards are just some of the ways customers and colleagues describe Talida. From a weekend seven-hour endured code red issue to committing her time to mentor new colleagues in different time zones, Talida leads by example and exemplifies what it means to put the customer first.

 

Zach McDaniel: Zach is known for building strong relationships with his customers who, in turn love him for his reliability and knack to always be present when they need him most — during a technical crisis or challenge. He has been instrumental in adding efficiencies to existing processes or creating new ones to ensure the organization always puts the customers’ best interests first.

 

To learn more about providing a great customer experience, check out our webinar “Get personalization right for your customers,” with Genesys CEO Tony Bates and customer experience industry pioneer, Jeanne Bliss. And keep up with all CX Day activities online.