Our latest interview is with Frederick Mendler, Vice President of Fanatical Support at Rackspace. Frederick is participating on the “Scaling Customer Service” panel at our Customer Service is the New Marketing summit on February 4.
The Rackspace culture really excited me for two main reasons. First, it is built around the unique qualities and strengths of the individual. We embrace what makes you who you are, and we give you the latitude and tools to do what you do best. We don’t hire warm bodies and install our template on their brains. Second, Rackspace walks the walk with regard to their delivery of their service promise to their customers. Having previously worked with companies that said, “customer service is top priority,” but then would balk when the time came to really prove it, I was thrilled to find that the Rackspace culture and Fanatical Support® weren’t just sexy marketing terms, but a reality that is engrained from top to bottom. No one would ever get flack for doing something that saved a customer’s business or improved a relationship.
Our vision is to be recognized as one of the world’s greatest service companies. We take the success or failure of our customers’ business personally.
People love working at Rackspace because they love the opportunity, the growth potential, the focus on development and the commitment to Rackers (this is what a Rackspace employee is called). I hear it from our folks consistently. One of our philosophies here is Rackers + Customers = Profit. Note that our Rackers come first. If we are successful in hiring top talent, we enable them to makes decisions by giving them the tools they need to solve any problem, and they are fully engaged in our cause. Then they will do the rest! They will create the most incredible customer experience. We have a ton of fun here and encourage a family environment. Our hiring process is very stringent, so by the time an offer is made you are certified as a fit for your team and are welcomed with open arms.
To me, scaling customer service is about tying customer service to the growth model. In an organization that realizes that the service delivery team is a profit center (any successful one will), it is important that the key components of that group are tied directly into the company’s growth model. Also, automate the redundant tasks that take your front line folks away from providing high value to customers. Give them more ability to make a lasting impression. Also, push decision making down to those who are delivering the experience - enable them. Hiring and culture are two important factors that can never be ignored - maintaining a culture in a growth phase is no easy task. Furthermore, every person in the organization - from sales and marketing to IT, compliance, and accounting - needs to ensure that their work every day strengthens the company’s service delivery (or Fanatical Support in our case.)
Customer service is more about communication, quality and setting proper expectations—it’s less about speed. I can’t tell you how often when trying to provide incredible customer service one submits to the pressures of urgency and makes a mistake. When I take my car in for new brakes, I don’t expect it to take all day of course, but 15 minutes is way too fast for me to believe the job was done correctly. In a service business, it’s the communication and relationship between the company and the customer that equals great service. If I wait two hours and my car isn’t ready, and the mechanic comes out and says, “Mr. Mendler, usually we complete a job in around two hours, but today I noticed a few things on your brake system that warranted me checking deeper into a few things. Your safety is my number one concern, and I will need another 30 minutes to get this job done for you properly. Thank you for waiting - can I get you a soda?” You betcha!
My job is the best because I have the opportunity to help another person grow and achieve their goals every day. Every day I get to learn from and work with incredible Rackers from varied backgrounds who are each committed to our cause and who dedicate much of their lives to serving our customers. We have fun, but to us this certainly isn’t a joke - ultimately those customers that chose to trust us with their businesses did so because we take it very seriously.
We understand what a large responsibility we have and enjoy it immensely.
As told to Lane Becker and Douglas Hanna.
Tickets are still on sale for our Customer Service is the New Marketing conference. This one day summit in San Francisco is going to be taking place on February 4, 2008. Check out the web site for a full speaker lineup, schedule, and more information.
