The fifth and final day of 2024’s National Customer Service Week is here, and we wrap up the week with our second ‘Meet the Team’ profile, and what better department to focus on than our very own OneSearch Customer Service team. With Friday’s #NCSW theme being ‘customer service recognition day’, we shine a spotlight on June, one of the key team members in a department renown for service excellence, problem-solving and industry understanding.
June Stewart is a remarkable person.
Officially.
Described by colleagues as “very relaxed and calm” and as someone “always available to help both staff and clients with all customer service queries”, she recently received – for the second time in five months – a commendation through Landmark’s Remarkable People ‘Success‘ programme.
That relaxed and helpful nature shone through when we recently sat down with June to chat about all things customer service. And to find out more about the person who once walked 96 miles in four days along the West Highland Way, and who used to share her home with two dogs, two guinea pigs, a cat, a rabbit, a cockatiel, and six tarantulas.
But what her colleagues may not realise is just how much of an impression June has made on some of her clients.
Will you marry me?
“I’d one client who proposed to me. Told me he wanted to marry me”, June shared with us, before adding with a chuckle, “he also said his girlfriend might be a bit upset!” It’s a good example of the light-hearted interactions June and her colleagues in customer service have with clients. “That’s the sort of wee bit of banter you have with clients because you’ve helped them and made their day.”
It’s one of the reasons why, working in customer service, June never gets the Monday morning blues.
Like a family
June has been in customer service for over 40 years. From managing a newsagents and managing a restaurant to working in a British Gas call centre, she’s always loved interacting with the general public.
“It’s in my nature. I just want to help. I want to give people the service that I would expect, because it’s frustrating when you get someone that doesn’t want to help you.”
Before joining OneSearch, June was a technical adviser for a heating product. After 14 years, it was a tough job to leave. “We were all like a wee family. We knew everything about everybody. Everybody knew everybody’s name.”
So when June was unfortunately made redundant, she was concerned she would never find a bond like that again.
She needn’t have worried.
A smile says it all
“I was totally surprised. From the minute I walked in the door I felt part of the team. And there was nobody that you couldn’t turn to, whether it be work or personal. Everybody’s great and most of the managers have such long service. It’s unbelievable. 20, 25, 30+ years’ service. So when you’ve got something like that, you know there’s something good.”
June tells us that the people OneSearch employs all seem to have similar personality traits. What is it they have in common? How can you recognise a OneSearch person?
Their smile.
“They’re always going to smile and say hello”, June says. “Walking from one end of the office to the other, you can have about five different conversations just going there. And then the same again coming back. Everybody’s just so happy to talk.”
Everyone is approachable. That includes the managers. They’ll drop what they’re doing, if you need help.
Managers such as June’s own manager, Carol Dodd, and her deputy, Sharon Greer. “I wouldn’t be as knowledgeable if it weren’t for these two ladies mentoring me and sharing their knowledge,” June told us. “Although Carol does need to appreciate the harmony of Sharon and myself when we are having a little singsong in the office!”
It’s not just the managers.
“I’ve got directors making me cups of tea and buying me breakfast. I mean, where on earth and what other company would you ever get directors speaking to you, let alone bringing you cups of tea?!”
And the million-dollar question: do they make a good cup of tea?
“Definitely. Carol Gildea [OneSearch’s Director of Operations] makes the best cup of tea ever. She knows I like my tea so milky, and she knows exactly how to do it perfectly.”
Making someone’s day
Does having such a close-knit, happy team make a difference to the service OneSearch provides its customers?
“Definitely. If you feel good, that’s going to come across in your calls to clients.”
What also helps, says June, is that OneSearch’s customer service team talks to its clients on a personal level.
“For some of them, we know how many dogs they’ve got, what their family are up to, when their son’s getting christened. There are so many things that we incorporate in our calls with clients that makes it more personal for them.”
Making that personal connection is something that June feels gets overlooked too often in the world of customer service – whether you’re answering phone calls or speaking with members of the public face to face.
“You might be their only point of contact for that day. Saying hello to them, or just having that wee bit of eye contact and making them feel you’re actually paying attention to them, could make such a difference to their day.”
And June believes that people who don’t give their full attention to a customer are missing out. “Just by making that wee bit of effort you actually enjoy what you’re doing.”
Not that enjoying her job is ever an issue for June. As someone who’s naturally curious and inquisitive, her job satisfaction at OneSearch is sky high.
The satisfaction of sleuthing solutions
June joined OneSearch at the outset of the pandemic, shortly before the first national lockdown. There was a lot of information she needed to learn.
“You can’t get things wrong in this job. It’s vital you get things correct, and I’m quite a stickler for that. I hate being wrong and I hate not knowing an answer.”
As much as she hates not knowing the answer to something, she’s in her element finding out and helping resolve a query for a client. What does she put that down to?
“I’m just a nosy beggar. I like getting to the bottom of things.”
Fascinated by Egyptian history and a keen follower of shows such as How It’s Made, June has always been interested in how things work and why. But there’s one mystery she’s not been able to get to the bottom of:
How an aeroplane flies.
“That just baffles me. I’ve tried so many times to get to the bottom of aviation, but I just don’t understand how this massive thing that weighs so much with all these hundreds of people can still stay up there.”
How to succeed in customer service
It’s National Customer Service Week when we speak. With June’s extensive experience, who better to ask for her thoughts on how to make a success of a career in customer service?
What advice would she give to someone just starting out?
1. Be honest
“Don’t be afraid to admit that you don’t know the answer. You need to be honest and say, look, I’m sorry I don’t know the answer. I will go and find out for you.”
2. Take ownership
“Always be prepared to take ownership of something. Never leave a job half done. Don’t just assume that someone else is going to pick it up. Take ownership of your own queries and the clients you’re dealing with.”
3. Be positive
“Always try to look at the glass as being half full, never half empty. With customer service, you do need that positivity. If you’re not positive in yourself or portray positivity, how are you going to pass that on to someone else?”
4. Don’t be afraid to admit your mistakes
“No one is 100% perfect.”
5. Make your customers feel valued
“Thank them and let them know that you appreciate what they’ve done to help you. Also, find out their name and use it throughout the call. It makes them feel more valued.”
6. Pay attention to how they sound
“Listen to them and how they sound on the phone. Are they stressed? Do they sound as if they’re having a bad day? Is there anything you can do? Because they’re going to remember that you’ve made them feel better.”
7. Treat them as an individual, not just someone that’s phoning
“The next time they phone, if you remember speaking to them, if you remember their name, it’s going to make them feel so much better.”
Finding joy at work
Perhaps, though, the most valuable piece of wisdom that June shares is something with a wider application than customer service.
“Just try to make the best of your day. You might not have an option as to whether you’re there or not, but make the best of it. The day will always come to an end eventually. What you do and how you make yourself feel in between that time makes such a difference.”
And remember, if you do have a problem, there’s always someone like June who will be there for you.
“If you want to have a chat or a wee blether, pick up the phone. I’m here. I’m happy to talk to anybody, at any time. No bother. If you’ve got a problem and I can’t fix it, I’ll find someone that can.”
To learn more about starting your journey with OneSearch, visit our registration page.
To learn more about National Customer Service Week, visit the Institute of Customer Service website.