Alliance is in the service business, which means customer service isn’t just a target on a business plan. It’s in our blood. It’s everything our business thrives on, and more. It runs through our people, our receptionists, our customer service representatives, our sales team, everyone. It’s the thread that binds every aspect of our organization.
Customer service is what we do.
Our goal is to make it easy for our clients to do business with Alliance, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy to uphold those standards.
We’re human, and we’ve been around long enough to know that sometimes, processes break down. While we never stop striving to improve, occasionally standards slip and something goes wrong.
Let’s take our Mail Forwarding service as an example.
Lately, we’ve been laser-focused on Mail Forwarding — and for good reason. It’s a vital part of our virtual office package and without it, our clients don’t get their mail on time.
When a key part of your business service involves receiving and dispatching mail to your clients, it’s absolutely integral that your client receives their mail on time, every time.
If the service doesn’t live up to expectations, if mail is received late or fails to turn up by the expected delivery date, we’re the first to say that’s absolutely unacceptable. It’s not just a minor breakdown; it’s a complete failure.
Here’s what we’re doing about it.
Usually, the mail setup process for new clients is based on verbal and written confirmations between Alliance, our client, and the client’s business center. We do a lot of legwork to make sure our client’s mail gets from A to B to C. After all, that’s the whole purpose of a mail forwarding service.
Yet despite all the checks and ticked boxes, sometimes the system breaks down.
We’ve learned that verbal and written communications aren’t enough. So, we’ve implemented a rigorous testing procedure that checks the Mail Forwarding setup for every new client, from here on out.
- 1: After the setup process has been completed, we dispatch a letter to our client’s new business mailing address. It’s addressed to their main contact, as per the details given to us at the time of sign up.
- 2: At the same time, we send an email to the client telling them to expect the letter. Within the email are simple instructions, requesting the client to click one of two buttons: Yes, it arrived! Or, No, I haven’t received my letter.
- 3: Once we receive our client’s response, we act accordingly. A ‘Yes’ response is great news all round and proves that the system is working. A ‘No’ response means there’s a broken link that we need to fix, pronto.
- 4: If we get a ‘No’ response, we contact the business center to find out what happened. Often the problem is identified and resolved there and then. It could be as simple as a spelling mistake or a typo in the street number. Once we’re satisfied the hitch has been smoothed out, we follow-up with a second verification letter to the client.
This testing procedure is just one example of how we’re working to raise customer service standards not just with regard to mail handling processes, but in everything we do.
We’re not content to rest on our laurels and make assumptions. Even if the business center tells us that the process is working correctly, we test it, multiple times if necessary. Just to make sure.
So, watch out for your letter from Alliance and be sure to let us know how the system is working out for you. If something’s not right, we want to be the first to know, because it’s our job to put it right. That’s service, and that’s what we do.
Need to speak with someone about your business mailing service? Contact Alliance Virtual Offices and we’ll be happy to help in any way we can.
