Give thanks and give credit

We cannot escape one immutable truth; all things will eventually falter. Once we expect and accept this aspect in our lives, we must also embrace the necessity to compile a list of customer service individuals upon which we can rely, when the need arises. Last month was a busy month on the homestead, and it felt like everything was failing at once. Fortunately, my ‘go-to’ list was properly vetted long ago.

Beyond living essentials such as water and electricity (which includes heating at my place), there are two other services that have become dominant: internet access, and home security. These two became intermittently unreliable during the months leading into this winter, causing a great deal of anxiety and unease. And although all issues have since been addressed, it is the manner in which they were tackled that struck me as worthy of report — great customer service rarely gets the credit it is due, especially of late.

As a contractor, it is imperative to me that project tasks are completed in a professional and timely manner, all-the-while within the budgeted costs. Going ‘above and beyond’ is a state of mind, that I try to invoke each and every day. My company is very fortunate to have associated with several suppliers upon which I can implicitly rely, whereby accountability is of the utmost importance to them, as well. As such, these workplace relationships have influenced my desire to, as a customer and consumer myself, seek out individuals to whom these customer service attributes are just as important.

In today’s fast-paced online environment, it seems customers are quick to dispense their negative impressions regarding a recent service call, while the positive experiences are for the most-part left untold — this is a shame. During these trying times, when everyone is on edge due to on-going restrictions and societal upheaval, it is more important than ever to praise those who do a good job. And it should be done so, without provocation, as often as possible.

When my security system began sending false alarms triggered by an aging keypad and/or garage door floor sensor, it wreaked havoc on my already hectic schedule. Once the alarm goes off and a call is received by the monitoring station, I must make the quick decision to either send the police or stop what I’m doing, jump in my truck and race home to investigate. Fortunately, the multiple surveillance cameras installed on my property can relay important real-time information to ease that decision. It is still time wasted.

When my home was purchased in 2003, the complex alarm system that was installed is tantamount to a commercial install that provides multiple zones, and three separate partitions. As such, and because it is a primarily hardwired system of old (despite numerous upgrades that now allow virtual access and control), only a handful of technicians have the adequate knowledge base required to service the system proficiently. In the past, when a tech with inadequate training on commercial installations has been sent out to my residential location, one name always came up — Trevor, “I gotta call Trevor”. In recent years, I ask for him by name for service calls.

This BellMTS Smart Home technician is extremely knowledgeable, methodical, an expert at problem-solving, and provides a courteous and pleasant service experience, each and every time he is on location. Although one of six garage floor sensors seemed to be currently failing, all six were replaced to avoid future inconvenient false alarms. Furthermore, one of five keypads had begun to intermittently glitch over the past year – that keypad was also replaced. Trevor diligently performed every task, and thoroughly tested the entire system before detailing what had been done, to ensure my understanding of the upgrades, and reassure me that all is stable before his departure. Before he even left the driveway once the job was concluded, I had already begun my email of praise to a BellMTS Smart Home service manager — “…Trevor is by far the most knowledgeable, conscientious, and learned tech I have ever had the privilege to welcome on site to perform a service call for any reason, in any capacity, at any location, EVER! I wish there were more techs like Trevor out there — the service industry as a whole would be the better for it… Please convey to management my sense of satisfaction with the day’s achievement”, and I was subsequently assured that my comments were indeed forwarded to upper management.

Not two weeks later, my internet became increasingly unstable. At Boss Ranch, internet is supplied by way of receiving a signal from a tower located in St. Pierre-Jolys, via a dish mounted on the South gable of the house. When the internet went down completely, the provider Voyageur Comm scheduled a service call for the following day. When the tech arrived (promptly as scheduled), it only took him a few minutes to ascertain the problem — the radio on the dish that receives the signal from the tower was malfunctioning. As such, it was simply a matter of replacing the dish radio with a new and latest model (which he had on hand). Once installed, a quick call to his support team to instigate a reset of my system allowed the internet to once again flow, without obstruction. The Voyageur tech, Terry, was thorough, determined, and extremely cordial. Again, before he could leave my driveway, the following message was sent to his team; “The on-site technician Terry is FRICKEN AWESOME! I wish more customer service techs were as accommodating and willing to satisfy their customers like he just did. My internet’s back up, and I’m a happy camper!!”. Upon completing that email, I realized how lucky I was to have had two fabulous on-site service experiences, back-to-back.

The good customer service techs do not expect any praise — they’ll simply tell you they are simply doing their job. However, during these times of uncertainty and turmoil, everyone seems to be on edge. I’ve witnessed this personally when dealing with customers, and it is simply a reflection of everyone’s heightened anxiety. That’s why it is so very important to readily give credit where credit is due — show your appreciation often, and vocalize your gratitude whenever possible. One positive comment can help shield anyone from the negativity we have all been subjected to these past two years. Arming good service with these shields may help stem the tide until we all find some semblance of normalcy, again.

To you and yours, I wish you the happiest during this holiday season, and look forward to the 2022 renovations and build schedule.

RenoBoss.Inc@outlook.com