Behind the scenes at SMC³ with Customer Support
Authored by SMC³ on February 3, 2021
At SMC³, customer support is a key foundational support to the company’s decades long mission to provide unparalleled support to carriers, shippers, 3PLs and technology providers. The customer support team at SMC³ is committed to providing assistance that keeps customer needs at the forefront of every interaction. Phillip Simmons, a customer support specialist for SMC³, recently took time to discuss how his team maintains a great relationship with customers, and how his job has adapted to the coronavirus pandemic.
How long have you been working at SMC³?
Almost three years! I joined SMC³ in 2018. It’s been a fun three years!
What’s your area of expertise at SMC³, and why do you like working in that area?
I am a customer support specialist at SMC³. For nearly 33 years, I have worked in numerous customer support positions, interacting with customers on a daily basis.
I have always enjoyed working together with team members and customers to resolve common problems. In my years of experience, I have come to understand that customers welcome a smiling voice and a willing attitude as you help them work towards resolutions.
How do you assist SMC³’s customers?
The customer support team has an important role to play both with customers and other SMC³ teams. We assist our external customers with myriad inquiries about our products, invoicing issues, account records, answering daily correspondence, etc. We collaborate with the sales team on a regular basis, serving as an additional resource and on the frontlines to customer inquiries.
How has your job changed with the pandemic, and how do you maintain close contact with customers despite working remotely?
As a team that regularly interacts with customers, following local and state safety guidelines for the pandemic means we are no longer having everyday face-to-face interaction with our co-workers. Even though we are operating in a mostly remote environment, we are still providing our customers superior service, and collaborating daily as a team. Hopefully customers feel that upbeat spirit when they reach out to us.
How important is the human aspect of customer support?
The human aspect is crucial to a successful customer support team because we are often the first contact for customers. Customers reach out because they have questions they want dependable and reliable answers to. At the end of the day, it’s about building trust and positive relationships. In their everyday lives, almost everyone has reached out to a customer support team at some point. A valuable customer support team can ensure the experience is always a positive one, and that a resolution is reached.
Do you have any on-the-job stories that illustrate how you’ve helped customers overcome challenges?
In a way, every interaction with a customer is helping them overcome challenges. They’re coming to us to provide tangible solutions to their questions. Like everyone at SMC³, we pride ourselves on being solution-oriented and attentive to our customers needs.
The technical and customer support teams are the main touch points for clients that need help optimizing their freight transportation operations. Strong customer interactions have fueled SMC³’s commitment as a key industry partner at every point during its 85-year history.