Building a Culture of Fab Service with Mike Astorino

 In this episode of the podcast, Mike Astorino joins the show to talk about how they have built a culture of “Fab Service” at Fabricare. As we look at customer service, it becomes less about a set of rules and more about a culture at the company. Mike talks about addressing customer service issues through systems, as well as the importance of developing and defining core values to help all employees succeed in customer service.   Key Takeaways: Mike actually started his career in advertising, and he ended up taking over the Fabricare business after his father-in-law retired. In a low-tech, low-profile business, he saw an opportunity to really maximize customer service. Over the years, they have made changes to their machinery to ensure they can limit the number of cracks to buttons or other dry cleaning hazards. Their business model and goal is to return the garment as new; the attention to detail when they need to fix them is one of the things that sets them apart. One of the most valuable lessons he’s learned since taking over Fabricare is to measure customer service by recording the issues and getting to the root of what’s behind the problem — oftentimes, it is a system issue that needs to be addressed rather than a personnel issue. “It starts with recording those things and then turning them into systems, or improving on a system that’s already out there.” At Fabricare, customer service is more about building the culture than a set of rules. This gives their employees some autonomy in how they handle customer requests. Part of this culture is Code Red/Code Green, where they learn from bad interactions and are rewarded for good customer feedback. This has increased employee satisfaction as well. Fabricare has incorporated new technology to help its service become stronger by expanding its reach into storing and cleaning patio furniture. One of the biggest things that drive their systems and culture is core values. Having a distinct set of core values helps to set the same standard of service across all employees, and gives companies something to fall back on when they have to have tough conversations.   External Links:   Maintenance-one.com   Fabricare Cleaners