You made my Day - how customer service makes you happy.

Michel, you've been working in customer service for almost three decades, most of that time in the Telekom environment. After so many years on the job, you still beam when you talk about your job. What excites you about it?

In customer service, it's the people who count. And on both sides. It's about emotions, giving help and accepting it. The best thing about it is that with every contact we have the chance to leave a positive, lasting impression - for an unforgettable customer experience.

And that's a "You made my Day" experience, as you call it?
 
The idea behind the term is quite simple: If I can help my counterpart, you can feel the satisfaction, it simply leads to good positive "vibes". I worked in a call center myself for many years, and I still do it in between. I love this feeling when I can help and feel that the customer is happy. It often takes so little to brighten someone's day. You can also hear a smile on the phone!

Customer service is under pressure in many places. After all, time is money. How is that for you? 

We take time for our customers. We learn a lot from customer discussions and can, for example, pass on process improvements or requests for additional products. We see the world through the customer's eyes, and the entire company benefits from this.

And to come back to the question: We don't work with a stopwatch. We measure ourselves by customer satisfaction and whether we have been able to clarify our customers' questions. Dedicated employees, good tools, clear processes and constant coaching help us to do this efficiently and with high quality.

Customer satisfaction is very high at Green. What is your recipe for success?

Quite clearly our employees. They have to feel absolutely at home in support. That means they have to feel valued, have exciting tasks, and receive regular training and 1:1 coaching. In addition, their knowledge must always be up to date so that they are well prepared for all tasks. For us, it is central that the teams support and complement each other. Helping each other to progress is a big and important issue.

You also said that you actively bring ideas back into the company. How do we have to imagine that?

We work according to the CIP system - in other words, the continuous improvement process. Everyone in the company, regardless of their area of work, contributes suggestions for improvement. These are discussed, evaluated and implemented where possible. This is extremely valuable for the support team: we can help shape the process. That's a pleasure!

What do you do when things aren't going well on the phone?

We put ourselves in the customer's shoes and stay calm. And we try to see the glass half full instead of half empty. Everything we can do has a positive effect. A demanding conversation is followed by another 20 contacts that make us happy.

Is it difficult for you to find skilled workers and how do you counter this?

Yes, absolutely. We have developed many models that help. For example, we recruit throughout Switzerland and allow 100% home office with so-called tele-workplaces. We do everything we can to ensure that our employees can work together virtually, even at a distance. We also make sure that everyone is fully integrated into the team and identifies well with Green.

In this way, we create jobs for employees, some of whom live in remote valleys, and cover all languages. This is a win-win situation.

What do you look forward to most when you come to the office?

Definitely: The contacts with people and many exciting tasks. Every day is full of surprises.