The Importance of Connection with Customers

On Monday, our account rep and tech lead from Rackspace stopped by the office. They met with our development team for a couple of hours to make sure that everything was going well and to find ways to provide better service. While this may seem like a normal occurrence in most B2B relationships, it’s rare that a company goes to the extent that Rackspace does.

Most companies may send an occasional e-mail or make a monthly phone call, but there are a few that really go the extra mile. This meeting is just one example of how Rackspace has exemplified good customer service. We’re always working with the same team and their support is always prompt and helpful. They also take measures like these meetings to stay connected and make sure that our needs are met proactively.

In a related story, Business Week posted a list of the Top 25 Customer Service Champs. While Rackspace isn’t on the list, they share a common trait with the companies on the list. In many cases, handling complications is as important as handling things when all is going smoothly. The companies on the list not only make an effort to meet customers’ initial needs, they also make an effort to address problems proactively. Like Rackspace, their customers know they can count on good service even when things get a little rough.

Overall it comes down to an ideology about customer service. Some companies just try to prevent a bad experience; the customer service champs work to actively create a good experience.