Celebrating Customers appreciation: Insights from SMARTECH CEO Vincent Nair in Conversation with Channel 9's Sophie Walsh.
In an exclusive interview dated December 13, 2023, held during SMARTECH's Customer Appreciation Day at the Hyatt Regency in Sydney, Sophie Walsh from Channel 9 engaged in a compelling conversation with Vincent Nair, the CEO of SMARTECH, delving into the significance of customers and the ethos of appreciation within the organisation.
Transcription:
Sophie Walsh: First of all, what do your customers mean to you and to SMARTECH?
Vincent Nair: Customers are our life blood, and we want to make sure they know that. To do that you have to be able to, on a constant basis, not just be of service to them but make sure that they are a part of your organisation. So, my customers, SMARTECH’s customers, are all very integral to our organisation. Today is our customer thank you day and I wish we could have all our customers here but unfortunately we can’t.
Sophie Walsh: In terms of customers, you have thousands of them all across Australia. They come from all different kinds of industries. Could you tell us a little bit more about them?
Vincent Nair: Absolutely. Our customers are market leaders in banking and finance, print solutions, SMB, mum and dads, ASX 100 companies. So, if you think about the thousands of customers that we serve on a daily basis, they have thousands and thousands of employees that rely on them, and in return those companies rely on us to ensure their technology solutions are safe.
Sophie Walsh: I know for you the number one thing is trust, you trust your customers, but you also give them the trust, right. Can you explain why that is so important?
Vincent Nair: Absolutely, that is the value that we have out of people. Every year, because we have a trusting relationship with our customers, more customers want to work with us through recommendations. So, we have grown in the last three years at a pace of about 15 – 20% in different parts of the world. That’s because of the type of relationships of trust that we have with our customers.
Sophie Walsh: Vincent, there is no denying that it has been tough the last four years. Businesses are struggling to stay a float, many businesses haven’t been able to stay a float, and a lot of people are cancelling Christmas parties and other celebrations. Why is it important to you to celebrate your customers?
Vincent Nair: The most important thing is that whether you make a profit or not, you have to look after next year as well and rely on your customers. So, we have been very fortunate to have had a successful year but for those companies that did not meet their financial targets this year I still encourage them to recognise their customers in a small way. It doesn’t have to be this way where you have a broader celebration, but you have to in a small way let your customers know you are thinking of them at this time of year.
Sophie Walsh: As you mentioned, it doesn’t have to be a grand gesture, it can be something small that still lets your customers know how valued they are.
Vincent Nair: Yes, I mean, you can have the option of not even acknowledging that they exist at this special time of the year. You have the option to do that and then go back to them next year. Generally, in Australia you wish everyone a happy New Year and Merry Christmas, then you go back to them next year and you expect them to have a trusting relationship with you. I think most companies should put aside some funds at the end of the year to recognise their customers. If the funds are there, there is provision for it. It’s like any relationship, it’s got to be interesting, you’ve got to give and take.They’ve been giving it to you all year, they’ve been paying your bills and doing everything you expect them to do as you provide them a service. Then at the end of the year you need to give back and that’s very important.
Sophie Walsh: I guess it’s also a surprise to be celebrating at the end of a tough year.
Vincent Nair: You have to take that that final year out and put that away, to celebrate the end of the year. What better way to celebrate the year than with your customers, your family and your friends. That’s what we’re doing and that is what we would encourage most companies to think of next year.
