Daniel Bull from 4site Consulting discusses how his role in Client Services has had to adapt over the last year.
Over the past year we have all undoubtedly seen a huge shift in the way we live and the way we work. Many of us are still working from our homes and this has had a huge impact in the way we communicate with our team members, clients and customers.
But, has the way in which we experience and provide customer service changed drastically due to the pandemic? Daniel Bull, a vital part of the 4site Consulting Client Services Team, has discussed how his role in customer service has had to adapt to the current situation.
What is your role with 4site Consulting?
At 4site Consulting I am a Client Services Executive. I liaise with all of our clients to provide support and offer guidance in relation to the health and safety of their buildings. My day-to-day responsibilities range from answering questions and queries regarding our services and the industry, providing training and workshops, and preparing and issuing quotations.
Working in a predominantly client facing role, how have you had to adapt due to COVID-19?
It was around this time last year that we were preparing for the first national lockdown. As a company, we have pretty much been working from home ever since; with the exception of our Advisors and Surveyors who have been carrying out essential safety services in a COVID safe way throughout the pandemic!
But for those of us that work in the office, we have been working from our homes for almost a year now and have of course had to adapt the ways in which we work because of this. In my role, this meant that team meetings became ‘Teams’ meetings, asking a colleague in the office for help became a quick phone call, and catch ups with clients over a coffee are now done virtually.
How have you responded to this?
Since we can’t meet face-to-face, 4site have started to run free Technical Workshops via video call with our clients as a way to catch up and discuss some of the latest industry updates such as in relation to the Building Safety Bill and the Fire Safety Bill. This way we ensure that our clients are kept in the loop and have a way to voice any questions or thoughts they may have on certain industry updates.
What has worked well whilst working from home?
Like many of us, I have enjoyed the luxury of not having to get up as early, and missing out on two lots of rush hour traffic five days a week! Personally, I have felt that my productivity levels have remained high. After all, we are a species known to adapt to change! Likewise, getting to see my 4-year-old daughter grow up – which I would have otherwise normally missed out on – has helped me maintain a more positive outlook! My team and I have stayed in touch throughout, and we have found that even simply saying good morning to each other every day helps us to stay connected.
What have you struggled with most?
The realisation of how much we rely on technology to allow us to function definitely hit home (excuse the pun)! Working from home meant that I was reliant on my router to be able to work as fast as me, whilst still maintaining the power to provide the internet so my wife could do her work, and so that my son could play his games. It was also further irritating not being able to have face-to-face meetings with our clients. Web meetings, whilst convenient in these times, led to several issues such as hearing the background noise of children screaming or similar, and not forgetting the most used phrase of 2020: ‘You’re on mute.’
Do you think that customer service in general will have changed when we do get back to ‘normal’?
I think customer service will always have the same ethos, but the way it is delivered will have changed undoubtedly due to the pandemic. Customer service isn’t just about how the customer is treated, but also how the business presents itself throughout the entirety of the customer journey. Higher levels of cleanliness are always great to witness and will hopefully stay around long-term! Things such as mask wearing, distancing and virus-related signage will have of course affected people’s customer journey and customer experience throughout the pandemic; particularly in shops and restaurants.
However, there is no reason why we cannot provide the same high level of customer service whilst working from home as we do in the office. At the end of the day, we can only do the best we can to try and maintain some form of normality, and whilst I continue to be in a customer service role, I will strive to ensure that all of our clients feel as assured as they can be.
