At Whittles, we pride ourselves on delivering great customer service. We speak with Whittles’ Customer Experience Manager Michael Cox and 2022/23 National Customer Experience Award Winner Aleksandra Drapinska about the importance of adopting a customer service mindset.

Michael; why does Whittles need its own Customer Experience Manager?

Every customer-facing organisation needs to know how it’s viewed by its customers if it wants to be successful. If you don’t communicate with your customers, you’ll only discover they’re unhappy when they leave.  I worked for Bob Ansett in the heady days of Budget Car Rentals in the 1980s and his mantra was that, on average, a happy customer will tell three of his colleagues how good you are and an unhappy customer will share his bad experience with eleven!

What does your role involve?

I receive reports from the Whittles team every month outlining which buildings have Annual General Meetings (AGMs) coming up. Prior to the AGM, I compile a list of all our buildings and managers across Australia as well as the contact details for their chairpersons. I contact the chairpersons and ask if they’re available for a short telephone conversation to discuss their Whittles experience. The feedback is shared with the Manager and branch and identifies areas where additional training may be required.

Whittles internal customer service rating is currently sitting at 4.6/5 on average across Australia – what’s the process for determining that rating?

I developed the 5/5 rating system to keep my phone conversations brief and simple. I invite chairpersons to rate their experience over the past 12 months out of 5.  I ask if they’re happy with the service they’ve received and if there’s anything I can help them with before their AGM. I always ask if they have any suggestions for improvement and some of the responses are quite useful. I also always ask if they use our webpage and owner’s portal to gain useful information. I think quite a few issues could be avoided if people used the portal more to view correspondence, plans and financial information.

What sets the Whittles customer service experience apart?

Whittles has the advantage of being a national company so we are experienced in most state and territory legislations. This means Whittles brings a great deal of knowledge to each property we manage. This expertise forms the basis of the Whittles ethos: ‘local knowledge and national strength’.

How do you balance technological innovation with human interaction to deliver good customer service?

By putting our customer and their experience at the forefront of all our decision making. We pride ourselves on building strong working relationships with our customers and then using technology to build efficiencies.

What does good customer service look like to you?

Prompt responses to all enquiries, friendly, personable exchanges with every person I speak with so I am made to feel like a valued client.  The price I am willing to pay is immaterial when I am treated with care.

Aleksandra; how does it feel to be the most deserving winner of client service excellence as voted by Whittles’ clients?

It was definitely unexpected and deeply moving; a beautiful surprise just in time for my two-year anniversary with Whittles. It gives me great satisfaction that overwhelmingly the majority of my clients do appreciate my hard work and ongoing effort in providing the highest possible level of service. I am truly grateful to my clients, and my team, for this recognition.

How do you deliver great customer service to your clients?

Most of all, and as cliché as it may sound, I do my best to be there for them. I try to respond to all emails and phone calls within the same day knowing that my prompt and professional answer will make a difference to my clients. I empathise with my clients, and their individual problems and struggles, and try to assist from a place of understanding and compassion. I am also grateful to be able to rely on the resources and expertise  of a body corporate firm with 50 years’ experience.

Is there a particular customer service highlight at Whittles that stands out to you?

I am a big fan of Whittles’ Owner Portal and my clients use it on regular basis to obtain the information they require. On top of that, I believe our team of friendly and qualified support staff is our biggest customer service asset; it’s heart-warming to listen to them assisting our clients on a day- to-day basis.

What advice do you have for other businesses when it comes to keeping customers happy?

I believe a lot of businesses outsource their customer service work or assign it to inexperienced staff members. In my opinion, this can lead to the business losing touch and missing potential red flags. My advice to other businesses would be to focus on training their frontline workers and to keep customer service work in-house.

What’s the secret to managing unhappy clients?

Unhappy clients are unhappy for a reason. Getting to the bottom of that reason is the key to helping them and this may require tolerance and patience. While we may not always be able to resolve the root cause of their problem, sometimes all it takes is acknowledging it and empathising while also showing the client that we’ve done everything in our power to help.  

Who, or what, inspires you when it comes to customer service?

I have great personal interest in psychology and human behaviour which can be quite empowering when servicing clients. I am also inspired by close colleagues with strong call centre experience who really showed me the ropes when it comes to customer service.

What does the future hold for delivering exceptional customer service?

While technological advancements will continue to make customer interactions easier and more streamlined, we can’t forget that face to face human contact or, at a minimum, picking up the phone still goes a long way. Moving forward, I believe we should use technology to speed up and improve our level of customer service without allowing it to fully replace personal interactions.   

Stay up to date with Whittles latest body corporate news and information.

Follow Whittles Body Corporate Management on LinkedIn and Facebook or visit our Resources page on the Whittles website.

Updated: 9 May 2023