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How do you successfully nurture a long-time customer relationship when you’re the “new kid on the block?”

Southern Utilities is a great place to start.

Mallory Kissinger came into her role as a Business Process Consultant in January brand new to this industry. But the core components of any business relationship – support, trust, response, resolution – are an innate part about how this East Texas native operates.

After all, in any business engagement, unexpected things can come up. Issues arise. It’s not these inevitable occurrences (i.e. equipment issues) that dictate how a partnership expands or explodes. It’s how we respond and how strongly we stay engaged.

Mallori nailed that process like a seasoned veteran.    

The Business Challenge.

Southern Utilities has been an East Texas Copy Systems/Datamax client for close to two decades. Being a utility company, once a month they must produce a huge print run of billing materials. Their current equipment, due to its age and capabilities, wasn’t exactly up for the challenge any longer.

“One of their biggest pain points was having a machine that would hold up to their billing run every month. In some cases, they were printing as much as 20,000 pages a day,” Mallori said. “I approached them initially letting them know I was newer to the company, but very much looking forward to get to know them not just as a customer but as family to us.”

She bonded quickly with the main secretary there because of a bevy of common acquaintances in the city of Lindale. Mallori emphasized the commitment to building a relationship with Southern, asking them to contact her directly should any need arise.

The Strategic Approach.

Case in point? Mallori wasn’t there to swap a box. She was there to take care of the customer. After consulting with teammates, it was determined that the new imageFORCE 7165 – while a big investment – would be a big win for the company. “We went into this with the sole focus of, ‘what’s best for this company.”

Southern Utilities was sold. After the machine was installed, she, Robert Baker and team walked through a “test run” with the company, but the REAL test occurred during the first billing run a few weeks later.

“Whenever the day came to do the mass printing, I got a phone call that it was stopping after a certain amount of prints. My job was to reassure them that we were on it, and that we were going to make it right for them.”

Service was dispatched soon after and it was determined there was a simple driver issue. After that, Southern Utilities was “off and running.”

All the while, Mallori treated the unexpected occurrence with the diligence of a true consultant and trusted advisor, there on site and there to make sure resolution occurred.  Her fast response to this issue did more than just get her client back up to speed. It propelled the partnership that much further ahead.

The Prevailing Results.

“It was huge for me for them to know that we were there, we weren’t leaving them on an island,” Mallori said. “Coming into this role, I’m new but I’m here to form a trustworthy relationship. Trust is a huge thing. It makes me feel good that when I introduce myself to existing customers and prospects, I can tell them that we’re here to earn their trust, and our service team is here to take care of them. The fact I can say that and back that up is incredible.”