The WOW! Buzz

Stop for a moment and think about the mindset of an individual who is having “fun” while working.  This person is probably smiling, might have a light-hearted tone to their voice, and is probably laughing, at least occasionally.  Laughing itself is considered a mechanism to create emotional balance.   Laughter has been linked to healthy functioning blood vessels, reducing stress hormones, and releasing endorphins that can actually impact physical pain.   It stands to reason that an employee who enjoys working, and even has fun at work, will translate this into a positive interaction for the customer.  At WOW!, we believe that “customer satisfaction is not enough…our service skills must be used to create an excellent experience”.  Our reputation hinges on providing an excellent “customer” experience, and one of the ways that we accomplish this is by focusing on the “employee” experience.  Pictures speak louder than words, but at WOW!, we embrace “fun”!

At WOW!, we work hard but we have fun, too.  Here are some photos of our employees celebrating Halloween this year.

Edward Scisscorhands

Toy Story

They're creepy and they're kooky - the Addams Family

I recently had the opportunity to attend a high school graduation, and hear an amazing speaker.  Oftentimes, speakers at these events will have an interesting message that creates a short term impression, but rarely do you walk away with an idea or thought that lasts.  In this instance, I walked away with a thought that I think will last.  He spoke of the fact that every person has a gift.  He warned against wasting time in envy of others’ gifts; but to spend time identifying your own gift.  Here is the interesting thought:  once you have identified your gift; spend your life giving it away.  WOW!  I thought seriously about this, and immediately made the connection to the work that is done at our company.

We distinguish ourselves from the competition with our exceptional service, and creating a memorable customer experience.  We have hundreds of employees – both in the customer care center and in the field operations – who possess the gift of customer service.  These employees give their gifts away every single day, and in doing so, contribute significantly to the success of our business.  Let’s think for a moment about the gift of customer service.  At WOW!, we provide extensive training to all employees in customer facing positions.  This training includes a variety of technical and systems based information.  We also provide training on customer service skills and expectations; although I have come to believe that employees gifted in being able to provide excellent customer service possess this trait inherently.  It can be trained to a point, but true excellence comes from within.  It comes from extreme pride and accountability toward the responsibility of the position, and genuine caring and respect for the customer.

When I think back to exceptional customer service encounters that I have experienced personally, I have been amazed that a complete stranger was able, in only a few minutes, to create such a strong feeling of connection.    I have been surprised at the extra mile that some people are willing to go to create a positive impression, even though I was one of thousands of people they might speak with in a year.  These are the feelings that are created when employees give away their gifts.  These are the feelings created by employees at WOW!, every single day.