Putting customers first: a day in the life of an account manager

As businesses change and rapidly adopt new technology to communicate with customers, one thing remains constant: customer service is paramount.

According to Help Scout, customers ranked “better human service” as their number one requested improvement in customer service. And with 78 per cent of customers bailing on a transaction because of a crummy service experience, it’s clear that positive customer experiences are necessary for any successful business.

But what do those experiences look like? We tagged along with CWB National Leasing Account Manager Raunora Westcott for a day to find out.

Day in the life of an account manager: Raunora Westcott

At 8:30 sharp on a Wednesday morning, Raunora took to the road from CWB National Leasing’s large, open-space head office to meet three business owners throughout Winnipeg, MB. Two will sign contracts for their new equipment and a third will learn how leasing can help sell more equipment.

Building relationships

Raunora’s first stop is Professional Freight Management (PFM) – a transportation company that delivers goods throughout North America. To increase efficiency, the company leased GPS equipment to track its trucks as they navigate the sprawling highways across the continent.

The company has a number of leases with CWB National Leasing, and Raunora has worked with Pam Tourond, PFM’s Chief Financial Officer, for years to acquire different equipment.

The two briefly discuss the GPS equipment lease, with Raunora answering a few questions. The conversation pivots to what Pam is more excited to cover: The hijinks of her family’s latest addition – a new puppy.

Raunora is a people-person so getting past leasing and delving into the personal is natural to her. She enjoys building relationships with customers and says there’s an added benefit to her outgoing personality.

“As much as I love the personal relationships with my customers, if they know and trust me, the next time they need some equipment, they might call me instead of someone else.”

With the contract signed and the puppy update complete, Raunora heads to her next stop: Applifast Inc.

 

Leasing: a learning experience

Applifast is a tools and fastener equipment dealer, and brothers Doug and Brian MacKinnon, owner and sales manager, lead the company. The two called Raunora because they face a challenge: Their larger customers sometimes must cut through time-consuming layers of bureaucratic red tape before making equipment purchases, preventing sales for Applifast.

Raunora posed a solution: Introduce a leasing option. Along with financial advantages, leasing can possibly shorten the buying process. Customers can incorporate lease payments within their monthly budgets rather than request executive approval for a large upfront purchase.

The brothers like the idea but question whether they have the financial knowledge to position leasing as a solution for their customers. After all, they’re equipment dealers. They know their equipment but aren’t necessarily well versed in leasing.

Here’s where Raunora’s knack for simplifying the leasing process is valuable. Using examples, she illustrates how a company with a fixed annual equipment budget increases its buying power through financing.

With a better understanding of how leasing will benefit their customers and help increase sales, the MacKinnons are on board.

The quick training session is just a starting point. Raunora will take further steps to build dealers’ confidence.

“If the equipment dealer isn’t comfortable talking leasing with their customers, I can go with them (on a customer visit) or do in-person one-on-one training,” she says.

When we need anything, we call 1-800-Raunora.

Around-the-clock service

Sutton Smithworks is a family-run custom jewelry business lead by the affable husband and wife combo of Tom and Peggy Sutton. The Suttons have three leases with Raunora; however, Tom wasn’t always a huge fan of leasing.

“When we first met Raunora, we thought, ‘We’ll have no need for leasing.’ Sure enough, a few months later, I needed a CNC machine so I called Raunora,” said Tom. “Now, when we need anything, we call 1-800-Raunora,” he joked, alluding to Raunora’s around the clock availability.

Tom and Peggy will soon move to a larger location that accommodates their growing business. Because Raunora matches their schedule, they plan to lease more equipment in the future.

Exceeding customer expectations

Raunora’s work day commonly lasts longer than the traditional eight hours. Take today. She traveled and met with customers for nearly four hours and her day isn’t nearly complete.

While on the road, a number of existing customers called to update their current leases or get more equipment – a few hours-worth of administrative tasks and follow-up calls when she’s back at the office. Even after hours, the phone doesn’t stop ringing.

“Some customers can’t talk during the day because they have businesses to run. Really, the only time they can talk is in the evening,” says Raunora. “I don’t ever really turn work off, but it’s something I’m okay with because I love what I do.”

Raunora is a perfect example of how great customer service requires a customer first mentality to always exceed customer expectations. It’s difficult to achieve but it builds personal relationships, trust, and most importantly, repeat business.