The Soft Pitch

At the beginning of Avnet’s Customer Service Week, I promised a few stories of what our employees are doing. Here’s the first example – in this case Michael developed a couple tools that provide technical information to customers in a jiffy. By the way, this story comes from an internal program we have recognizing employees for service called ACE — the Avnet Customer Experience.  This is from Michael’s nomination for an ACE award:

“Michael has risen to the occasion to assist several business groups to meet the needs of their customers.  Example #1: A customer needed information on disk sizing for an exchange storage information solution.  Michael immediately responded with a document solution that he created explaining how disk sizing was accomplished.  This was exactly what we needed to help our customer and Michael should be recognized for providing the excellent customer service and technical knowledge.  Example #2: In addition to his normal job duties, Michael built an impressive web-based tool called ‘VAR MD’ designed to better communicate with EMC and our partners.   It is impressive and he has done this on his own.  This tool puts us way ahead of the competition because it tracks all metrics of EMC and is used to evaluate the value of distribution.  Thanks to Michael’s dedication, knowledge and skills in creating this tool, we are projecting a increase in our team’s revenue, which will have an impact on growing our EMC business.”

If you would like to learn more about Michael’s VAR MD, just let me know.  It’s initiative and innovation to help the customer like this that’s true service that makes a difference.

By the way – a note to any Avnet employees out there reading this.  If you have a great example of customer service you’d like to share, please post it as a comment.  Or if you’d prefer, send me an e-mail at michelle.gorel@avnet.com and I’ll share your story.

There’s a few things that no matter what you say or how you write about them, it sounds like “Motherhood and Apple Pie” – an American term for something that’s truly great that you can’t argue with, but also a bit cliche.  Great customer service is kinda like that.  Who’s going to argue with it?  We all want it, we all know when we get it, and we complain to anyone who will listen when we don’t get it.

So, Sept. 29 to Oct. 3 at Avnet is Customer Service Week.  I’d like a slice of apple pie with that, if you please.  But here’s the catch.  Of course at Avnet we strive to deliver what I call the “triple S” – Simply Superior Service. – every day. And I’ve got some great stories to share about our team members doing just that. (I’ve got a few tucked up my sleeve that I’m planning on sharing on this blog during the week.)  Customer Service Week actually reminds me of the old-fashioned customer appreciation days from when I worked in a bank (many years ago, and way before the mortgage debacle).  We’re asking all employees to call one customer each day and just thank them for their business.  No sales pitch, no “Hey did you know about our new service?” Just, “Thank You.”  Thank you for choosing us.  We appreciate it.  We wouldn’t be here without your business. You are important to us. 

The way we figure it, if every employee makes just one call each day that’s more than 60,000 calls during one week just to say thank you.  Pretty awesome.  I’m going to do it too.  I don’t sell stuff, but I do “sell” Avnet to the journalists who cover us.  So, I’m going to call them and let them know we appreciate their interest in Avnet. 

By the way, while I’m at it – let me thank YOU for reading this.  Because like all the things my Mom did for me and for the sweet tang of good apple pie, I appreciate you taking the time to read this post.  Thank You.

As a follow-up to my post “Ahead of the Power Curve”  we won!  Check out the press release:

September 24, 2008 – Avnet, Inc. Named an Honoree in Computerworld’s Inaugural “Best Practices in Green IT” Awards Program

Avnet Recognized for Its Commitment to Improving Energy Efficiency in Its Data Center

PHOENIX — Global technology distributor Avnet, Inc. (NYSE: AVT) today announced that IDG’s Computerworld selected the company as an Honoree in the inaugural “Best Practices in Green IT” Awards Program. Computerworld’s “Best Practices in Green IT” Awards Program identifies and acknowledges excellence among early adopters and industry leaders in the green IT movement. Avnet received its award in the “Green IT in the Data Center” category based on its three-year project to create a more energy-efficient data center.  more

First the Cubs made the NL playoffs with the best record…now 11 wins in October…that is what counts…I’m in Taiwan right now and I almost checked my luck at a temple by doing a ritual that helps in these areas, but then I’m Catholic so I figured I better just ask at my church, but I have not been there in awhile so GOD will know I’m there just to pray for Cub wins…I’m so confused and do not want to screw up any mojo or vibes we have going. Next week on the spot reports from Wrigley Field.

OK, what’s new…I was so impressed that our COO Rick Hamada was asked to be on a Thunderbird University dais on the business subject of integrity last week….I’m so proud that integrity is one of key attributes what our company is known and we are being asked to be public programs…we hear the word trust alot from customers and suppliers. Avnet folks if your reading this be proud and keep it up baby!

Last example, on Monday we were one of the sponsors of a special luncheon honoring Jerry Colangelo who was the lead organizer of Team USA that won the basketball “gold medal” in China. We rarely support these events but it was easy when asked…in fact a 3 point shot supporting this man…he has been THE leader in the Phoenix community for decades, he LEAD BY EXAMPLE using INTEGRITY and TEAMWORK to make this team special representing to the world how we can change and still win. Not just the fact he could get our best players to win a tournament. Last all our funds for that luncheon went to Special Olympics…

Bottomline it is cool to win but there are alot of ways to do it…Rickand Jerry two prime examples of people who do it right.

As VP of PR for Avnet, I often get to hear about great stuff the team is doing around the world before everyone else. Or sometimes I just get a news clip after the fact about something that happened in the UK or India or Malaysia. Either way, almost every day I’m reading something about Avnet activities very far from my personal home base here in Phoenix. It reminds me of just how “flat” our world is and how connected we are these days.  (By the way, we post the highlights of our news coverage daily to the Press Room and you can subscribe to it via RSS.)

So, I’m sharing a couple news clips I got on things Avnet’s doing that never saw a press release or were never promoted beyond a single country’s borders, but I thought worthy of sharing:

This first story comes from the UK where we recently upgraded a facility called

 THE [resource] . THE [resource]  houses a variety of technologies where resellers can come in with a customer and do live demonstrations in an upscale environment.  We’ve had this facility for almost 5 years and it was previously dedicated only to IBM but now we’ve  expanded the technology available for demos.  Interestingly enough, we also opened an IBM-focused center for demos recently in Malaysia and a few years ago one in Poland. We’ve also got similar centers in the US and undoubtedly in many places I don’t know about it. What strikes me most is that we are working to leverage scale and scope and offer the same or similar services in local markets with a twist usually to meet local needs.

The second story comes from India where we recently announced we’ve expanded our global footprint with IBM with several other suppliers soon to follow .  This comes on the heels of our acquisition of Ontrack in India and the team is working quickly to deliver a wide range of value-added solutions and services in that market to resellers. Hardly a week goes by where we’re not announcing a new supplier, a new service, a new technology being offered somewhere.  Expanding by geography, technology and suppliers is a key part of our growth strategy.

I didn’t mean this to be the IBM post, but the truth is we’re one of IBM’s largest value-add distributors in the world – but I could also say the same of HP and Sun. The story of expansion just keeps going – we’re expanding with our other leading suppliers as well – NetApp, EMC, etc. Maybe instead of a global footprint it should be a global boot print. We keep growing. It’s kind of like that movie, “The Never Ending Story.”   Each time you open the page, the story takes a new turn and continues.