Conferencing professional remains at your service

Profile: Manager Julie Glazer Remains at Your Service

-ConferencingNews Contributor Sarah Schmelling Interviews
Infinite Conferencing Account Executive Julie Glazer -

Anyone whos ever spoken to a customer service representative knows how important working with a knowledgeable and supportive person can be.

According to a 2002 survey by research firm J.D. Power and Associates, the performance of a customer service agent is a key factor in a customers perception of a company. That performance accounts for up to 32 percent of overall customer satisfaction. The same research showed that customers who found their service representative knowledgeable were significantly less likely to switch to another company over the next year.

Julie Glazer, an account executive for Infinite Conferencing, understands the importance of customer support first hand. As a manager of about 100 clients, she spends every day staying in touch, answering questions before they come up, and making customers aware that shes available to help them 24 hours a day.

My basic responsibility is to keep clients happy, she says. This means taking care of any service requests they have, following up with them often, making sure everythings working well, and always seeing if theres anything else I can do for them.

Unlike some conferencing companies that direct customers to different representatives each time they call, Infinite provides dedicated account managers who stay in contact with clients on a regular basis. Account executives like Glazer work to bring customers into the company, and then serve as their constant point-of-contact.

As soon as she becomes a companys representative, she says, then they know theyre dealing with the same person all the time. They get to know you, and they know they can give you a call if they need something. For the customer, having an agent whos dedicated to them makes a big difference, she says. Its personal, its reliable. They know youre going to be there if they need you.

Before starting with Infinite in July 2003, Glazer, who graduated from Penn State University with a BS in Marketing, had looked for a position where she could work with a variety of people to meet their needs. In the company she found a place she could grow and constantly face new challenges. Part of her job is also to recruit new customers through cold-calling, which some people might find difficult, but Glazer thrives on this kind of work. Its fun trying to find that decision maker, and then its always challenging trying to get to that person and introduce services, she says.

Her clients range from two-person businesses to large, publicly-traded companies with more than 200 users. But no matter what the size, the important thing is being there for them, she says. While she receives up to 10 calls from clients each day, she strives to be in touch often enough that customers wont have to look for additional help. I call a lot of my customers just to follow up, she says. I try to avoid people coming in with questions by making sure all of their needs are met beforehand.

The secret to good customer service according to Glazer? Doing your homework on your clients, understanding what they specialize in and do, and then being able to focus on their specific needs. I really get to know my clients, she says. For some clients, I walk them through the Web conferencing product before a large presentation. For others, Ive actually built PowerPoint slides for them because they needed help. Its a matter of knowing what they need, when their big events are, and if they definitely require something from my end.

She says that if theres anything that all of her clients should know, its that were always here watching out for them.

All of my clients understand that whenever they need me, they can call. I think when they know that youre here and youre always available for them, that makes them comfortable, she says. And then theyre comfortable with the service.

Sarah Schmelling is a contributor to ConferencingNews. Based in Los Angeles, Sarah has reported and written for leading telecommunications and technology publications. She may be reached at sschmelling@hotmail.com.