Customer Service Heroes
Karen describes herself as “your typical stressed-out elementary school librarian with a to-do list longer than time allows.” With the holidays looming, an iffy budget and a January author visit, she needed to get her order submitted fast. “BTSB to the rescue. I called you with my needs and you replied ‘No problem, if the order was faxed you could get it out fairly quickly.’ I’LL SAY!” (Ed. Note: Karen’s capitalization, not mine).
The books were shipped the same day and Karen wrote to tell us that “I have always appreciated my relationship with Bound to Stay Bound but I am now in awe. . . Thanks for your service. I should probably get out a thesaurus and look up more superlatives to heap upon you for your efforts.”
Bound to Stay Bound Customer Support Supervisor Jamie Keehner knows she has the best team in the industry. But don’t just take her word for it–the evidence is displayed on the “Got Caught!” board at Bound to Stay Bound headquarters in Jacksonville, Illinois.
One recent post notes that “I can count on Bound to Stay Bound for the highest quality not only of materials but also of staff and customer service as well . . . I know that when a teacher wants a book I can’t find anywhere, you and your colleagues can find it and get it in my hands. I know that my orders will be processed correctly and my time does not need to be spent on the phone trying to fix ridiculous mistakes after the fact. . . . This is one librarian who truly appreciates Bound to Stay Bound. THANK YOU” (Ed. note: Kimberly’s capitalization, not mine).
The “Got Caught” board celebrates those victories that prompted heartfelt gratitude from Bound to Stay Bound’s loyal customers. If a customer takes the time to send a note of gratitude, Jamie feels she can take the time to celebrate that and confirm for her team that their commitment to excellence is recognized.
This is no accident–every customer support representative has been trained to help a customer with any and all aspects of the business. There is no handing off to another department. “Many of our ideas come from our customer support group,” notes Jamie.
With supportive management, continual training, and a medium for recognizing exemplary customer service, it is no surprise that the customer support team feels both empowered and appreciated. “How our customer support representatives feel directly relates to how our customers feel.”
Of course, having a book that can be used by generations of students helps. On a recent “Got Caught” posting, Tracy raved “It might sound silly, but I love to PICK UP a BTSB book! . . . I can look back over generations of BTSB books and see them CONTINUE to IMPROVE. The artwork on the spines of the books really stands out. Excuse me while I wax rhapsodic about the product.” (Ed. note: Tracy’s capitalization, not mine).
Have you had a capital experience with Bound to Stay Bound? We would love to hear about it! Call us at 1-800-637-6586, email us at btsb@btsb.com, or write us a note. At the end of the day, however, we know it is our CUSTOMERS who are the best and we deeply appreciate all you do to make a difference in the lives of children.