Sales and customer service play a valuable role at Mauser Packaging Solutions. While the customer service team manages the balancing act of processing orders, managing expectations, keeping an eye out for delays and smoothing any bumps in the road, the sales team is responsible for bringing in the work that keeps Mauser moving. These two teams have the most external exposure and are integral in shaping the customer experience.
The vital roles these two teams play internally and externally make it important that they have the tools and support they need to do their best. The North American Industrial Packaging (NAIP) business unit is doubling down on their commitment to do just that. As part of Mauser’s Billion Dollar Plan, NAIP is expanding training, promoting more consistent and efficient practices and creating opportunities for growth within the sales and customer service teams.
“We need to reinvest in our team if we want to keep good people, help them better their craft, and give them a path for professional development,” said Kurt Richardson, Senior Vice President NAIP Sales. “With ongoing training and reinforcement of our new skills and best practices,” he says, “we are living the material in order to really master what we’ve learned and make it part of our DNA.”
The NAIP sales team has been participating in the Sandler training program, a specially designed series of in-person and online modules to help the teams build basic skills and then forge a more complex arsenal as they progress. The customer service teams will kick-off their training program next month and focuses on interpersonal and communication skills to help understand different types of personalities and be more effective and confident in engaging with them.
"We are providing the training and best practices to help our team be more proactive and stay in front of customer needs. We are elevating the customer experience. We want customers to do business with us because they want to -- not because they have to."
In addition to training, NAIP also restructured to centralize customer service operations to help knock down silos between teams and encourage the sharing of ideas, consistent practices and a common understanding of what “good” looks like among its more than 100 North American packaging and reconditioning employees.
The training and new centralized organization is helping create more career opportunities within the sales and customer service team. NAIP currently has more than 15 new customer service positions with a focus on promoting from within and rewarding Mauser employees who understand the business and have the skills to become the next generation of Mauser leaders.