Most people don’t think about customer service on a day-to-day basis. The reality is we are all constantly engaged in customer service experiences. The quality of those experiences ranges from appreciation and trust to anger and frustration. Managing the customer service process is a careful balancing act between transactional efficiency and authentic concern and advocacy for the customer. The Golden Rule is particularly applicable when you are in service to the public. Above all, it’s critical to remember that the customer is the most important partner on your team.

Home is not a place…It’s a feeling.

Cotter’s Residential Sound Insulation program involves working with homeowners around O’Hare International Airport and Midway Airport. Our team has worked to reduce noise in over 18,000 homes. When the work is done, these families enjoy the peace and quiet a home should provide. Getting to that point is another story. It is disruptive and stressful.

We understand, as homeowners ourselves, the stress involved when a project of this magnitude disrupts the quality of someone’s home life. We respond by providing excellent planning, execution, and communication.

Minimizing inconvenience and uncertainty

When you are in customer service, the first rule of thumb is, don’t take it personally. The second is, make sure they are always informed. We know that people will work with you if they are treated with respect and consideration. They won’t cooperate with you if you don’t cooperate with them. Not keeping customers fully informed is the fastest way to derail your relationship. We always make sure that individual homeowners are carefully guided and supported through each project phase. We focus on being attentive, responsive, empathetic and sensitive to their needs.

It’s all in the details. 

In the case of our Residential Sound Insulation Program, we conduct thorough homeowner briefings, assist with application and agreement processing, maintain ongoing communication regarding timing and keep the homeowner informed on what to expect. We make ourselves available to answer questions and address issues all along the way in our product showroom and call center. We know we’ve done our job when the customer relates to us as trusted partners who are faithfully guiding them through a tough process.

Customers as partners

Taking professional pride in a customer service role means treating each homeowner as the most important partner on our team. We have adopted Maya Angelou’s philosophy:

People will forget what you said. They will forget what you did. But they will never forget how you made them feel.