When Matt Beckwith joined Clark Pest Control nearly four years ago as the company’s contact center director, he already had spent over 20 years in customer service, working for large banking and healthcare organizations.
Beckwith had seen his share of good and bad examples of customer service, but he had no idea what the Clark name meant to its customers, or to the family-owned and operated company’s employees.
“What we do is above and beyond pest control for many of our customers,” says Beckwith. “We make it easy to connect with us in a variety of ways, but we don’t want to put technology between us and our customers.”
To illustrate how deeply ingrained the commitment to customer service is in the company’s DNA, Beckwith shared the following story about how a technician, from Clark Pest Control’s branch in Auburn (in the Sierra foothills northeast of Sacramento), went the extra mile for a customer in their time of need:
“A nurse from Auburn Faith Hospital called our contact center to recognize one of our employees for his kindness and compassion. There was an elderly patient who had just undergone major surgery, and the nurse noticed a man in a uniform consistently stopping by once or twice a week.
“The patient had few visitors, and the nurse assumed it was his son or close relative, due to the close bond and warmth they shared, and the tremendous amount of care the visitor displayed during the visits.
“The nurse finally asked the patient who his visitor was, only to discover that they were in no way related. The visitor was just his ‘pest guy’ – Clark Pest Control technician Robert Barringer. She noted she had never seen anything like it, and that it was truly impressive to see that kind of bond between two people in that situation. She went on to say that Robert deserved to be recognized for clearly establishing great connections and relationships with his clients.”
Beckwith says his goal in the customer contact center is to make sure a caller ends up talking to a real human being, not an automated system. In no way could he have predicted how Robert Barringer would so humbly and selflessly apply the “real human being” concept to one of his customers.
“We set the standard in California, and the difference is our people,” Beckwith says. “Our technicians are not only the best trained, but they care about their customers. They are what set us apart from the competition.”
Do you have “Clark Is Awesome” story to share? If so, call or text (800) WE-NEED-YOU (936-3339) or drop me an email at clarkcares@clarkpest.com.
Until next time I’m the Clark Man, and thanks for helping me keep unwanted pests out of your home.