At the July Leadership Forum, Rich Newell, Construction Specialist V, was named the most recent Customer Champion.
Customer Champion Awards are given to employees who go above and beyond to provide outstanding service to either internal or external customers. Recipients of the award demonstrate best practices of owning the customer experience.
Newell supported a customer through a multi-year dilemma of getting her private sewer on a newly built home connected to the public sewer system. The project was contentious due to the city’s rule that neighbors also would be required to connect to the sewer line.
Newell challenged the process by looking for options that would not affect the neighbors and made it personal by exchanging numerous emails, phone calls, and text messages with the customer – sometimes even outside of regular business hours. He demonstrated that he knew the business by explaining the process to the customer and closed the loop by ensuring she accurately completed necessary paperwork.
In a letter of recognition, the customer called Rich “one bright star in our long saga.” She wrote, “Despite numerous setbacks and obstacles, Rich was a calm and reassuring voice. You’ve got a gem in Rich.”
The next deadline to nominate coworkers for Customer Champion Awards is September 30. We encourage you to share “wow” stories that demonstrate the best practices of closing the loop, making it personal, challenging the process, acting with urgency, identifying unvoiced needs, collaborating, knowing the business, and continuously improving. Just click on the Customer Champion logo from the iTrust home page.
