Don't Assume Too Much!

Ricky was about to start his first day manning the phones for the large appliance retailer. He was a customer service representative, and he had read all the standard operating procedure manuals, passed all the tests on the technical workings of the computer systems, and knew his products - he was ready to go!

The first call came in. The customer said "I bought this DVD player, and I'm looking through the installation instructions."

"Oh," replied Ricky, "I can help you with the installation."

"No," said the customer. "I've already installed it. I just can't find the registration form."
The second call came in. The customer said "I'm assembling this TV stand that I got as a gift, and I noticed that the back panel has a crack in it."

"Oh," replied Ricky, "I'm so sorry to hear that, Sir. I can help you return that."

"Well I'm not sure I want to go through the hassle of disassembling this and shipping this back. Can you just tell me if there's any structural support that the back panel provides or is it just there for cosmetics?"

The third call came in. The customer said "I'm looking at the invoice for this plasma TV I just bought, and I'm not sure it's correct."

"Oh," replied Ricky, "For invoices, I need to transfer you to billing - hold, please."

"Wait!" replied the customer, "I'm just wondering if the model number on the invoice is for the same product number as on the box. Can you tell me what model number cross-references to what product number?"

Ricky had a rough start to his day. Although he knew his procedures, his computer, and his product, he didn't know how to ask his customers the right questions. He assumed too much. He heard the word "installation" and made the wrong assumption. He heard the word "crack"
and made the wrong assumption. He heard the word "invoice" and made the wrong assumption.
When serving your customers, don't hear that one key word and make an assumption. Ask the next question to confirm your understanding or to better understand your customer's true needs.

Then meet their needs right the first time.

Scott Cato Promoted to Telecom Manager

Scott Cato has accepted the position of Telecommunications Manager within the Technical Services Division of IST. Scott has been with the County for almost 9 years and has most recently been a part of the Desktop Services organization, providing support for mobile and cellular communications technologies.

Congratulations, Scott!

Meet: David Lari

David Lari, Systems Architect

Some of David's Favorite Things:

Movies: Star Wars, Lord of the Rings Trilogy.
TV Shows: Mythbusters, Modern Marvels, and anything on HGTV.
Actors: Ewan McGregor, Ian McKellen, Orlando Bloom.
Actresses: Nicole Kidman, Meryl Streep, Cate Blanchett.
Hobbies: Photography, Aikido/Judo, home rennovation.
Outdoor Activities: Biking, walking/hiking, cookouts.
Bands/Musicians: Aerosmith, Michael Bublé, Soulstice.
Songs/CDs: Verve Remixed, Madonna -- Ray of Light.
Food: Kung Pao Chicken (from Baoding Restaurant), steak, pizza.

Customer Service Week Schedule

Congratulations to the six IST employees who were nominated for the Mecklenburg County Customer Service Hero Awards. The winners will be announced on Wednesday, October 3 and you can read about each of our nominees every day during Customer Service Week on The gIST of IT.
Congratulations to our nominees! We will also be introducing our new Creativity & Innovation Awards during Customer Service Week.

-Tammy Dixon
-Linda Gaskey
-Jason Girard
-Matt Newlon
-Jorge Peralta
-Ken Tripp

IST will be celebrating every day throughout Customer Service Week. Here is a schedule of our events. Please stay tuned for more detailed information about each event. Please contact Isa.Momoh@MecklenburgCountyNC.gov for more information.

Tuesday, October 2, 8 a.m. - 9 a.m.
• Doughnuts and Juice
CMGC, IST Large Conference Room and HMC, LUESA Auditorium 1

Wednesday, October 3, 11:30 a.m. - 1 p.m.
• County Luncheon to Announce Customer Service Hero Winners
Freedom Park

Thursday, October 4, 12 p.m. - 2 p.m.

• Lunch For All IST Employees
CMGC, IST Large Conference Room and HMC LUESA Kitchen
• Lee Denim Day

Friday, October 5
• Jerry Pinkard treats our five IST nominees to a celebratory lunch
• Lee Denim Day

IST Welcomes Curt Williams

Curt Williams recently joined the IST Information Security Group.

For the last two years, Curt has been involved in performing information security reviews for community banks and financial institutions (i.e. policy review, access controls, physical security, patch management scans, vulnerability assessments, social engineering and others).

In addition to the reviews, Curt also performed external penetration testing for these types of organizations.

Curt is currently certified in MCSE and CISSP.

Welcome, Curt!