For this series of blogs, we sat down with some of Charlotte’s team members to talk to them about their work and what drives their passion for creating healthier spaces. This week we had the chance to speak with Customer Service Representative Nancy Berube about how the Charlotte Customer Service department functions, and what has helped her stay with us for eight years.
Can you tell us about your career path until now?
Customer service has always been my calling, because I genuinely enjoy speaking with and helping people. I worked in customer service in the promotional industry and several food industries before joining Charlotte Products eight years ago. I’m originally from Quebec, which means I speak French. That comes in handy in my role, so I can speak to our customers in French if they prefer.
What’s the key to excellent customer service?
Follow up is very important. If a customer has an inquiry, I need to make sure I send their question to the correct group for the answer, but also that I follow up on behalf of the customer to ensure we get the answer to that question swiftly. For example, we get a lot of questions from schools and day care centers to verify procedures and ensure the safety of children in their care. We take those questions very seriously, so we will ask many questions about their procedures, the situations involving their students and then we verify with our lab based on the answers to those questions. I like to get back to the customer as quickly as possible to make sure they have the information they need and are able to follow the proper steps to protect the health and safety of their youngest building occupants.
Can you tell us a little bit about what you do at Charlotte?
I deal with our customers in Canada, USA, Poland, Denmark, and Taiwan. We ship from warehouses in Peterborough and Chicago. It’s like a jigsaw puzzle to get all of the products to these different locations, and to ensure they have the information they need from us. I put their orders in the system, which sends it to shipping and receiving. Then, the order comes back upstairs to me and I do the invoicing. In customer service we answer emails, calls and even sometimes faxes to make sure our customers have the information they need from us.
What is your favorite part of the job?
I enjoy dealing and speaking with our customers. I strive to ensure excellent customer service and to exceed our customers’ expectations. I know some people prefer email, and I do lots of emails but I love to speak to people! I always worked in an office environment and enjoyed developing relationships with others. I always try to be understanding because for the customer, the request is urgent. Our customers have customers as well and we always do our best to ensure that we are helping them and they can help their customers in turn.
What is working at Charlotte like?
Charlotte Products is a family owned company with a great atmosphere. I am working with a wonderful group of people, and we work together to solve customers’ problems. We are a family-owned business, which makes for a different, more personal atmosphere than a large corporation. But at the end of the day, we are ensuring that everyone is safe and healthy and living in a clean environment. We understand everyone has limited time and budgets so we want to make it time effective and cost effective to do so. I love being a part of that.
This interview is part of a series of expert interviews we will be conducting with the passionate team members here at Charlotte. If you’d like to learn more about what we are doing or to connect with one of our experts, please email us at experts@charlotteproducts.com