WP Engine Employee Spotlight: Troy McHenry, Technical Support Manager

In this blog series, we talk to WP Engine employees, find out what makes them tick, learn more about their roles, and hear from them why they work at WP Engine.

During a recent employee interview, a potential L1 Support candidate asked me and another manager what being “Customer Inspired” meant to us.  

While it took me a second to come up with an epic answer, my colleague provided what I thought was an excellent breakdown of the two words: “Inspiring our customers by providing an exceptional experience, which in turn, allows our customers to be promoters of our service.”

That description really nailed it, and it provided the interview candidate with the exact formula we strive to meet in order to WOW customers and keep them loyal to a product or service.

When you peel back the onion one layer deeper, it really comes down to what inspiration looks like. According to Webster, we see that inspire is a verb meaning, “to fill with the urge or ability to do or feel something, especially to do something creative.” It’s an action that moves you to do something.  

Inspiration can come in many forms and it’s different for everyone. Some find it in a book they’ve just read, others find it in a movie or TV show, based on the actions of a character or the storyline. But at the heart of the word inspire, there is an action that takes place and causes movement.

At its very core, to be inspired is a desire held by most people. When coupled with the word customer, the focus shifts to the action of listening to what the customer is asking for— acknowledging their need, validating its urgency, and then owning the experience. When this is accomplished, the interaction quickly turns into an experience that exceeds the expectation held by the customer before they entered into that call or chat. The conversation turns from a plea of desperation toward a pathway in line with a resolution.  

This all stems from the understanding that the essence of serving is the genuine desire to put others before yourself. Laying aside the need to exhibit your expertise and walking with the customer through their issue side by side. This assurance lays the groundwork for loyalty to be established and rapport built, which are two essential qualities needed to build promoters and advocates of the service provided. When this service is provided on a consistent basis, a standard is set.

So back to my answer on what “Customer Inspired” means to me. Being customer inspired means I am actively listening to the customer’s concern(s), asking questions to clarify and assure that we are on the same page, walking through options that have their best interest at hand, providing clear expectations once an option has been agreed upon, and finally executing on that plan.

These are the ingredients that allow us to exceed our customer’s expectations and provide a truly exceptional experience, one customer at a time.