Author: WeSpeak Global
How many times have you written off an entire company based on your interactions with ONE employee? Don’t make the choice Xfinity made… A few weeks ago I got a call out of the blue that left me so shocked I have to share the story. Let’s get into it… We’ve all been […]
How many times have you written off an entire company based on your interactions with ONE employee? Don’t make the choice Xfinity made…
A few weeks ago I got a call out of the blue that left me so shocked I have to share the story.
Let’s get into it…
We’ve all been in situations where we said certain vendors were so difficult to work with because that one person was rude or was slow to respond to an email. In today’s experience economy, every employee is a living representation of your brand and has the power to shape its reputation.
A few weeks ago, I received a phone call from an Xfinity telesales agent named Charles. Normally, I wouldn’t have picked up the call, but it came from the same area code as mine and I thought it might have been important (they got me ).
I have Xfinity gigabit-speed internet and am satisfied with it, but Charles was determined to upsell me on the X1 Box, which I don’t need because all of my TVs are Amazon Fire devices. I politely declined the offer twice and explained to Charles that I did not need an X1 box. He was IRATE; he yelled at me and said that I obviously didn’t understand how valuable it was and that I must be afraid of change. Then, he hung up on me. Ouch!
Ironically, at the start of our conversation he said the call was being recorded for training purposes, so I tweeted at Xfinity Support and gave them Charles’s phone number so they could listen to the recording ASAP. A nice man named Robert apologized and told me that he would look into it, but that telesales is handled by an independent third party so there wasn’t much they could do.
An! Independent! Third! Party!
When I answered the phone, did Charles say, “Hi, I’m calling as an independent third-party salesperson working on commission to upsell you something?” Nope. He said, “Hi, I’m Charles, I’m calling from Xfinity to review an important item on your account.”
Guess what? Every employee — and every “independent third party” having conversations on behalf of your brand — is a representative of your company!
It doesn’t matter to customers if the telesales agent doesn’t technically work for your company. Or if it’s Dave’s third day in his role. Or if Suzie had zero involvement in creating the store’s return policy. Any employee can be responsible for the first (and maybe last!) impression someone forms about your brand. Whether it’s your corporate employees, the agents on the frontlines, or third-party vendors, you’ve got to ensure that everyone is representing your brand in the right way.
If your employees and contractors are apathetic about your brand, your customers will be, too.
If you choose to outsource your customer-facing positions (something I am NOT a proponent of), then you must find partners who understand your company’s mission and have the same dedication to customer centricity. While I understand that Charles isn’t an accurate reflection of all of the employees at Xfinity, our interaction still diluted my perception of the brand. If they don’t care enough to properly screen and train customer-facing sales agents, then do they really care about me as a customer?
Xfinity regained some points thanks to Robert quickly addressing my inquiry on Twitter, but I can’t help but wonder how many Charleses there are for every Robert?
Think about ALL of the people that work with your company, both directly and indirectly. If I randomly drew a name from a hat, would you feel comfortable with any of these individuals representing your brand?
If the answer is no, shoot me a message so we can talk about how to change that.
“It takes months to find a customer… seconds to lose one.”
-Vince Lombardi
Have a great week and I’ll talk to you next Tuesday!
Article published originally on LinkedIn and written by Brittany Hodak
Contact Us at WeSpeak Global and follow us on Twitter
Read further articles in similar categories
The articles, video and images embedded on these pages are from various speakers and talent.
These remain the property of its owner and are not affiliated with or endorsed by WeSpeak Global.
Boost Your Optimism and have Positive affirmations for anxiety are often used to reinforce positive thinking among people, especially during times of stress. These positive statements help us manage our anxiety levels to live a daily life without having to worry about anxiety and depression ruining our usual daily routine. It can really be tough to […]
As 2021 comes to an end, what did you rethink Keys to Build Resilience or unlearn over the past couple of years in order to personally and professionally survive and thrive? I’ll go first. Being well versed in the science of change didn’t stop me from initially doubting the success of virtual events. After all, […]
I was fantasising about a new Outlook feature today. No really, I am that sad! Here was my fantasy, Stop inviting everyone whenever you create a new meeting event, there is a little box showing the estimated meeting cost. This cost should double as you double the length of the meeting and also double when […]
New research dispels the executive presence myth that Executives Have Less Presence Than You Think; 3 things you should do instead of focusing on executives presence to advance your career. Authenticity has exploded into the workplace in an unexpected but powerful way that practically everyone with a cubicle hopes is here to stay. […]
Problems, obstacles or roadblocks of some kind inevitably pop up on the way to our goals. I was recently reminded of a story about a dog and rabbit that exemplifies that oftentimes, problems may not be exactly what they seem to be on the surface. It takes courage to look deeper, even though it might […]
“Technology is exponential but humans are not and can do great things, but it does not WANT to do great things – it does not want anything” says Apple’s CEO Tim Cook (a quote I have often used in my talks). Technology is a tool not a purpose – see my ‘carpenter and the hammer example’ (video). “Both […]
The global market economy is facing a tough time, with billions of dollars lost this week alone — and the local market is following suit with wisdom all around us The outlook is negative and some economies are preparing for another crisis. This does not provide an inspiring environment for someone looking to start or […]
If we are going to do new things to survive in the Industrial Age, we are going to meet uncertainty. If we are going to meet uncertainty, we are going to discover risk. A show of hands… How many people, when you were 12, 13, 14 years of age, had a mother or a father […]
No results available
Our Mission
© All rights reserved 2025. Created using VOXEL THEME