Avnet Makes Customer Service a Year-Round Priority; National Customer Service Week Shines Spotlight on Company's Ongoing Initiatives

Business Wire, Oct 4, 2004

PHOENIX -- Although Avnet Inc. (NYSE: AVT) has many fun activities planned for its employees during National Customer Service Week (Oct. 4-8), the importance of customer satisfaction -- and even more important, customer loyalty -- will not be forgotten at week's end.

Celebrations at the Fortune 500 global distributor of electronic components and computer products are part of an ongoing, companywide crusade to create a culture where the customer comes first.

"Many people and even many companies believe customer service is a sales force concern only, but every employee contributes to a good customer experience," said Steve Church, senior vice president and director of organizational and business development at Avnet. "Celebrating National Customer Service Week helps draw attention to the importance of not merely satisfying customers, but delighting them by delivering 'knock-your-socks-off' service -- every day of the year."

One reason customer service stays on every employee's mind is that it is one of Avnet's core values -- in fact, it is second on the list behind integrity. The company underscored the importance of outstanding customer service by devoting the bulk of its recent quarterly employee webcast to the topic.

To drive home the contribution every employee makes in satisfying customers, Avnet operating group Avnet Electronics Marketing -- which ships 12,500 boxes of products daily to customers in North America -- launched its Customer Service Initiative (CSI) one year ago. In addition to creating CSI mascots Max and Maxine, a trainer and a coach who regularly e-mail ideas and tips for delighting customers, the group implemented a "Mystery Caller" program where executives call random employees to see if they answer the phone by thanking customers for calling and asking how they can help them.

"Many companies deliver reliable products and services but lack superior customer service -- by 'wowing' our customers, Avnet differentiates itself from the competition," said Linda Love, vice president and director of business operations at Avnet Electronics Marketing. "However, we are only as strong as our weakest link, so CSI empowers employees with training and tools -- and also recognizes and rewards those who exceed customer expectations."

Avnet Electronics Marketing also works closely with Arizona State University, using MBA students to analyze data from the company's customer satisfaction surveys.

"Bringing in an unbiased party ensures we don't stay in our comfort zone or miss out on a key message our customers may be sharing with us," said Love. "The different perspective the students bring provides vital insight into how Avnet can improve its customer service."

During the last year, ASU students also surveyed lost customers for Avnet Electronics Marketing to determine why their business went elsewhere and what the company could do to win it back. The findings led to a realignment of Avnet Electronics Marketing's field sales organization, as well as development of an order strategy for small customers that will be launched in November.

According to Church, such actions taken for service recovery are critical. "Certainly, it is best to do things right the first time, but failure provides a moment of truth for a company, a chance to show it can make it right," he said. "Companies can actually build more customer loyalty with an outstanding recovery than if they hadn't let down a customer at all."

Knowing its employees will inevitably encounter questions it cannot immediately answer, another Avnet operating group, Avnet Technology Solutions -- which ships 75,000 items and assembles another 16,300 into custom configured solutions daily around the world -- created Avnet Concierge, a service that provides employees with a dedicated expert responsible for managing a request that the initial point of contact could not resolve. Launched one year ago, the service has managed more than 1,870 requests -- some of which have even resulted in immediate sales.

"By assigning one 'concierge' to work with a customer until an issue or question is resolved, customers feel 'promoted' and know Avnet Technology Solutions cares about helping them," said Lisa Boudreau, director of customer satisfaction at Avnet Technology Solutions. "Many have expressed appreciation for our taking the time to help them get the answers they need."

Because many of the requests came from customers looking for sales support for products sold by sister operating group Avnet Electronics Marketing, Boudreau brought in executives from that group for a "Friday Forum" to educate employees about its structure, market strategy and customer segmentation. She had the forum taped so employees can review the information online whenever needed.

To ensure the entire company benefits from these and other customer service initiatives, Avnet established a Customer Service Council to collect and evaluate customer service best practices to deliver a consistently outstanding employee and customer experience. Members of the 12-person council, who meet monthly, also serve as a communication link to employees to help drive a passionate customer service culture.