Features
Changing the view
How Gary Shamis gets his employees to think like customers
By Brooke Bates
Smart Business Cleveland | May 2009
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Gary S. Shamis thinks about his clients everywhere — even in the bathroom. The managing director of SS&G Financial Services Inc. is so attuned to the idea of improving customer service that he looks for it everywhere he goes.
So when he walked into the restroom at his firm’s Cleveland office and noticed a supply of single-use toothbrushes and swigs of mouthwash, his internal service alarm went off.
“It was like, that’s exactly what we’re trying to do: Make somebody feel more comfortable,” he says. “We’ll probably extend that to all our offices.”
It’s not uncommon for Shamis’ employees to test those ideas because, like him, they’re looking for ways to improve the client’s experience every time they take on the customer role outside of the office. When they get a flash of service do’s and don’ts from their everyday transactions, they take the lessons back to SS&G, where customer service is ingrained into the culture.
The firm’s strong approach to service has contributed to its steady revenue growth, an average annual increase of 20 percent for the last five years. So if you’re losing business, your customer service philosophy may be the place to start.
“You can’t really grow unless you do a good job of retaining the clients you bring in,” Shamis says.
Sure, price and other factors may come into play, but service can make or break a deal.
“There’s an old adage in the restaurant industry that between food and service, what brings somebody back to an establishment is not the food, it’s the service,” Shamis says. “You can have great food and bad service, and they won’t come back. But you could have lousy food and great service, and they will come back. It’s the way that they’re treated.”
Shamis starts off that culture at SS&G by scheduling lunches with all new employees to establish the importance of service in the company. Beyond that introduction, service stays on the forefront through several manifestations, from training and retreats to special committees and customer surveys.
