Here at Shelving.com we pride ourselves on not only providing high-quality products, but also high-quality service. We sat down with Sarah Jacobs, our Ecommerce Customer Support Specialist, to find out her top tips to best assist customers, solve problems, and stay organized in the office. 

Sarah has worked at Shelving.com for 4 years, providing customer support and follow through for our two websites, as well as our Amazon account. 

“Today’s market is super competitive. Our products have unique features but are not entirely unique, so to stay competitive we have to do something different from our competitors,” she said. “We set ourselves apart in large by providing excellent customer service. If a customer doesn’t want any human interaction, then maybe a larger company would be better for them. But if they want to speak to a human being with a name and a face, then our company is the way to go.”

When it comes to best assisting customers, Sarah has three main pieces of advice: 

1. Don’t underestimate the importance of listening. 
2. Stay positive and be sure to offer a solution. At the end of the day, that’s what a customer ultimately wants. 
3. Make sure to follow through. Even something as simple as making sure a reshipment did in fact arrive can make all of the difference. 

Alternatively, Sarah thinks the biggest mistake a customer service representative can make is giving a customer the impression that we can’t fix the problem. All problems can be solved – it’s just a matter of arriving at the best solution. 

When it comes to improving yourself in this position, there are a few interesting podcasts to help expand your knowledge, like Punk CX with Adrian Swinscoe, Customer Service Revolution, and The Post-Materialist Customer. She also recommends searching the topic “customer service” in Google News for an endless supply of up to date links regarding all facets of the field. 

Another great tip is to make a mental note of great (or not-so-great) personal customer service interactions that you have in your daily life, comparing them to how you perform in your position. This real-life experience can be eye-opening. 

Sarah says that people may not realize just how fun and rewarding the position can be. People are often overjoyed to have someone pick up the phone and work through their issue.

“It can be enjoyable to help people. You’re not just dealing with issues – you’re fixing someone’s problem and turning the situation around,” Sarah said. 

She most enjoys the feeling of accomplishment in this position. Sometimes the tasks in this job are brief and can get completed quickly. But sometimes, there are issues that need continual attention. At the end of the day, it feels good to know that she followed through, completed the task, and gave good customer service.

Throughout our office, we use many of our own products to stay organized. This includes: 

Wire shelving printer cart with enclosures

Wire shelving hanging file folder

Wire shelving with shelf dividers to create cubbies

Wire shelving water cooler stands

Wire shelving computer monitor stands

Custom wire shelving for COVID-safety carts

In terms of other organization tips to stay efficient and organized, Sarah is crazy about binder clips – using them to group stacks of papers by topic, things are easily accessible while staying neat. She also loves sticky notes to quickly jot down tasks. 

Sarah also recommends purging things that are out of date on a regular basis. This helps prevent your office from becoming bogged down by irrelevant items. Another great tip is to maximize any resources that are already available to you – such as using the flags and folder categories in your email inbox. 

All in all, Sarah believes that an organized office leads to a more productive, successful workplace. Keeping your space tidy, you’re not only able to locate items more easily, but better stay on top of tasks. 

“Organization makes everything easier.”