A little bit of ‘above and beyond’ can make a big difference to your customers – and to your team
We all recognise that going ‘above and beyond’ (going the ‘extra mile’) are the things that drive customer loyalty and trust. What form this takes can vary, but what is important is that it is meaningful to the particular customer.
The winners of our October to December 2024 CX Agent of the Quarter all went above and beyond for their customers, but what’s interesting is that their efforts also positively impacted their teams as well. Riley from Barwon Water provided the compassion his customer needed, while simultaneously supporting a colleague. Paula from Mornington Peninsula Shire’s after-work detour helped an elderly resident, making them feel proud to be part of such a caring community. And Susan’s Team Leader at Nillumbik Shire says that she has raised the bar for service excellence amongst the team.
So, thank you, Riley, Paula and Susan, for making a difference for one customer, and for driving a wonderful ripple effect across your teams.
Additionally, this month, we have a special award of recognition. We received a nomination highlighting that Trevor Van Arend, Contact Centre Coordinator at Barwon Water, received some amazing and heartfelt feedback from a customer that deserved greater recognition. However, strictly speaking, our Awards are limited to frontline agents and team leads. This left us with a dilemma, because the team here at CSBA know that Trev is a respected CX professional and an enormous advocate of his team, his customers, and (full disclosure!) of the work we do here at CSBA. So, after reading about our CX Agents of the Quarter, take a moment to celebrate a CX leader who really just wants to do better for his customers.
CSBA congratulates the October – December 2024 Most Customer Focused Agent Award winners.
Susan De Felice – Nillumbik Shire Council
“I am thrilled to nominate Susan De Felice for recognition as an outstanding Customer Service Officer,” says Fiona Cook, Customer Service Team Leader at Nillumbik Shire Council. Despite being with the Shire for a relatively short time, Susan has made an extraordinary impact on both customers and the team. “Susan consistently delivers exceptional service, which is evident in the overwhelming positive feedback we receive from customers. She has a natural ability to connect with people, resolve concerns efficiently, and create positive experiences.”
According to Fiona, numerous customers have taken the time to express their appreciation for the exceptional service Susan provides. One particularly heartfelt example came from a customer who had received two parking fines while servicing a council site in Eltham as part of their job. Feeling overwhelmed, they reached out to Susan, who responded with understanding, compassion, and practical support. The customer expressed deep gratitude for Susan’s efforts, noting how her kindness and professionalism made a challenging situation far more manageable.
In line with her exceptional customer interactions, Susan has been receiving consistently high scores in the CSBA SenseCX assessment program. Fiona says, “This further demonstrates her commitment to delivering excellence in every interaction. Susan’s dedication, empathy, and remarkable performance set her apart as a true asset to our team. She is a shining example of what outstanding customer service looks like and, in a short time, has raised the bar for service excellence. I strongly believe Susan deserves this recognition for the significant and positive difference she makes every day.” And our team thinks so, too. Keep making a difference, Susan!
– The nomination was received from Fiona Cook, Customer Service Team Leader
Paula Sargent – Mornington Peninsula Shire
Libby Cornell, Coordinator Customer Support at Mornington Peninsula Shire, recalls the chaotic day that resulted in Paula’s nomination for this award. “We were experiencing some rather harsh weather here on the Mornington Peninsula and had an influx of calls that rubbish was falling out of bins after they had fallen over. We were offering for residents to come into our offices and collect a bin latch.”
Libby explained that a portion of the residents in the shire are quite elderly, and that Paula had received a phone call from an elderly customer who was unable to commute to one of the Shire offices to collect a bin latch. “Paula realised the customer lived at an address which was on her way home and therefore dropped one off to her after work. This is outside of our process, and I was not made aware of this for a few days, however, this shows Paula’s high level of empathy to our customers and their needs, and her commitment to providing a great customer experience.”
We agree, Paula! Thank you for going above and beyond.
– The nomination was received from Libby Cornell, Coordinator Customer Support
Riley Kirkwood – Barwon Water
“Riley is our newest consultant and is already one of our most productive”, says Brendan Hanrahan, CX Coach at Barwon Water. After joining the Accounts and General Enquires team, he quickly advanced to assisting our Faults Team as well. “His people skills from his real estate background have been appreciated by his customers. He’s very friendly, and openly engages with them, providing practical and beneficial solutions.”
Riley is known to rush downstairs to answer customer’s queries at reception. It was a customer interaction on one such occasion that prompted Brendan’s nomination of Riley for this award. “Our grateful receptionist reached out for help with a challenging customer,” says Brendan, who recounts the story at it was told to him. “From the moment Riley walked out to the reception he had a smile on his face, which I think was a great way to approach this type of customer. Riley went above and beyond to help, offering different types of support to pay his bill. Even when the customer was being irrational and condescending, Riley spoke to him with kindness and compassion.”
Brendan revealed the receptionist said, “he just handled the situation so well, like he’d done it a hundred times before.” And evidently, the “grateful receptionist” actually mentioned to Riley that they were going to send an internal recognition certificate for his amazing work, to which he pleaded with them not to! Apparently, he doesn’t like to be recognised for that sort of thing. Well, Riley, we are sorry to draw attention to your amazing work, but we think you deserve the kudos, just like Brendan. “Bravo Riley! A true customer service star!”
– The nomination was received from Brendan Hanrahan, CX Coach
Special Certificate of Recognition – Excellence in CX Leadership
Trevor Van Arend – Contact Centre Coordinator, Barwon Water
“Trevor has always supported, and role modelled the SenseCX behaviours to the team to deliver great customer experiences. And he puts the person first, in all decision-making scenarios”, says Brendan Hanrahan, Barwon Water’s CX Coach, and the one who shared a heartfelt letter from a very appreciative customer. It is fair to say this customer feels that Trevor has gone above and beyond to genuinely change their lives for the better.
“We are writing to express our sincere heartfelt gratitude and thanks for the compassionate assistance that has been provided by Barwon Water for our connection to mains water. We cannot express how this life changing and life sustaining support has transformed our lives. We no longer live with fear and dread of running out of water. The terror experienced without sufficient water cannot be underestimated. The fear has been unrelenting regardless of season or rainfall, but with extreme heat it has been nothing short of perilous for us trying to manage. Trying to meet the ongoing financial burden of paying for monthly deliveries of carted water has been an added stress to the already long term financially disadvantaged – caring for my vulnerable disabled sister with complex support needs and trying to keep the household running has been difficult.
We would like to acknowledge the virtuous exemplary leadership of Mr Trevor Van Arend. We feel his righteous and ethical compassionate leadership, his ethical responses to meet the needs of the vulnerable and improve our lives is admirable and praiseworthy. His efforts have been honourable, highly commendable and will remain in our hearts forever. To all the Barwon Water personnel we are so thankful and grateful for all the courteous interactions and the will to assist every step of the way has been outstanding. We feel that this exemplary governance is of the highest order. We cannot express fully the gratitude we feel we wish to thank Barwon Water for the wonderful efforts of all personnel who have assisted us.”
At CSBA we are aware of the great work that Trev does for his customers, his team and broader sector. We are proud to take to take this opportunity to salute Excellence in CX Leadership.
Nominations are open for the January – March 2025 awards
We’re currently accepting nominations for the January – March 2025 CX Agent of the Quarter awards and encourage all of our clients to nominate agents and frontline staff whose work deserves to be celebrated.
The awards are about celebrating the members of your team who work to create better customer experiences and nominations can be based on a variety of different reasons including:
- Excellence in the use of a specific SenseCX measure.
- Consistent improvement in SenseCX assessment scores.
- Embracing a SenseCX behaviour for the first time – moving the dial away from 0%!
- Sharing tips or information with the team about how to achieve specific SenseCX behaviours.
- Embracing a new technique or behaviour to enhance the experience for customers.
- Handling a complex enquiry really well.
- Showing a genuine passion to improve a customer’s experience.
- Transcending customer expectations – going above and beyond for a customer.
- Finding the perfect balance between people and process for the good of a customer.
- Showing real leadership and judgement to reflect your organisation’s customer-focused culture or customer promise.
- Stepping up to report an issue that was impacting customer experience.
- Finding a creative and/or innovative way to solve a customer’s problem.
To nominate a member, or members, of your team simply complete this nomination form.
