Response Time: Vol. 35

You satisfy your customers, but can you satisfy our curiosity?

With Trevor Kimball, Support Team Manager at MultiTracks.com.

Please tell us a little bit about your company and what you do there.
My title is Support Team Manager and I manage our global support teams. Our company provides resources and software tools to worship bands, houses of worship, and touring bands, equipping them to sound their best.

What word or phrase in customer service jargon should be retired?
“Touchpoint.”

Which celebrity would be really great at your job, and why?
Adam Savage, because he can solve practically any issue!

What’s the most valuable thing that working in customer service has taught you?
That humility and gratitude will always trump entitlement and selfish ambition. Life is a gift.

Describe the essence of great customer service using only three words.
Efficient, personal, intentional.

Which movie robot would you choose as your AI sidekick and why?
Data from Star Trek, because he has a database of knowledge that’s larger than any human can store, while also having the emotional chip to relate to human emotions.

What’s the most embarrassing thing you’ve ever said/done to a customer?
Writing an internal note to a teammate letting them know that the customer they’re in conversation with doesn’t know what they’re talking about and has product confusion, only to get a ping back two minutes later that my internal note was actually a message to the customer. 😬

“Rarely assume or guess, and do it wisely”

Do you identify more with the title “customer support,” customer service,” “customer success,” or “customer experience,” and why?
Hmm, good question … I would say “customer support” in my case. Because it does really feel like at MultiTracks.com, we’re a supporting piece of the work and ministry they do every week.

What’s the one piece of advice you would give to your peers in the customer service industry?
Rarely assume or guess, and do it wisely. Whether figuring out a customer situation, or learning your own internal system or processes, be a learner. Hear from your teammates and from the customer, and don’t be too prideful to ask the questions that need to be asked.

What’s the worst customer service you’ve ever experienced?
Trying to contact a telephone company, where I could not get through the pre-built bot responses no matter how hard I tried. Went to phone support and was on hold for over 20 minutes during the 25 minute phone call, and was transferred twice. It was as if I was the first customer ever experiencing that issue, which I know couldn’t have been the case. Every person I spoke to was wonderful and helpful, but the system was inefficient and had unnecessary friction.

What’s your greatest productivity hack?
I have too many to share. Top one would probably be the “Things 3” app for daily task tracking and reminders.

What book are you reading at the moment?
Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport and Fighting Shadows by Jefferson Bethke and Jon Tyson.

“It’s more than talking to customers”

If customer service was an Olympic sport, what would be the main event?
Converting the most frustrated and impatient customer into the happiest and most grateful customer within a single conversation.

What gif best describes your mental state right now?

What do you wish people knew about working in customer service?
It’s more than talking to customers. It’s about playing a crucial part in shaping a company’s future. And it’s an opportunity to give the customers a voice in your company.

If you wrote a book about your experiences in customer service, what would the title be?
“Customer support: How a single team can change the trajectory of your company.”

What’s your most used emoji in customer chats?
👍

Conversation closed… for now 😏