This week we sat down with Josh Flores about his approach to communication and why speaking as opposed to emailing is the standard for Comet.
One of the best things about my job is dealing with people. Some might think is unusual, given that we develop software for the backup industry … but it’s true. Whilst it’s very easy to fall into the stereotype of hiding behind emails and acting inaccessible to our clients, the reverse is proving to be rather successful.
In this day and age of automation and e-commerce, it is far to easy to not be seen by clients. Here at Comet, we have adopted a hands-on, overly-communicative approach. Why? Because our clients have requested it. It’s a fact that people to business with people, not faceless companies. So we try to be as people-orientated as much as possible.
“But what if I don’t want to talk with a person?”, I hear you cry? In my experience, people don’t want to deal with other people if it is a transactional relationship involving the purchase of a commodity. For example, if I am buying a chocolate bar, I’m likely to have done my research. I know what I want, and I therefore don’t need to hear from a customer service manager. It’s a chocolate bar. Sure, I’ll exchange pleasantries with the shopkeeper, but I don’t need to receive a brochure from the manufacturer of the chocolate bar, nor do I wish to engage in a conversation about the variety of other flavours available.
But what if I’m purchasing a somewhat complicated product or service? What if I have questions before I buy? What if I have questions after I buy? What if I need some clarification? What if I need some support? If I am the customer then I expect someone to make themselves available to solve my issue. This is our perspective here at Comet; people do business with people, not companies. Sure, we have ticket support available but where ever possible we’ll always pick up the phone.
From our point-of-view, it’s easier to pick up the phone and solve issues there and then, rather than sending emails back and forward. We do use email, but we use them reiterate and summarise the conversation. Some companies even ban emails and have become more productive as a result (https://hbr.org/2016/06/some-companies-are-banning-email-and-getting-more-done)
The reason we do all of this is because we want satisfied customers. If you’re a satisfied customer you’re more likely to recommend the product or service to others. As a startup, we value this greatly. Hence, we’re all about overly communicating, and doing everything we can to ensure customer satisfaction. So if you’re a customer of ours, or you’d like to be, let us know how we can help. We’re here for you. Always.