Beyond the Dotted Line – CITY’s Account Onboarding Philosophy

At CITY, the process of becoming a customer is much more than signing on the dotted line and completing the paperwork, it’s the beginning of a true partnership.

“Our services are so intimate,” Colin Wetlaufer, CITY’s President said. “We are talking about what people wear, the products they use every day and the things that keep them safe and healthy. CITY wants to be part of the businesses we serve, not just provide a service.”

For Colin and the CITY team, the most important part of the on-boarding process of news clients is making sure CITY understands their exact needs. It starts with asking the right questions to make sure the service that was promised in the original agreement can be fulfilled without question. It all starts with extensive sales training and cohesive messaging and communication throughout the entire CITY organization.

From setting up times to let each employee try on different uniform sizes, to making sure they get the right size, everything is set up to complete a smooth sale to service introduction meeting so everyone is on the same page when it comes to what the expectations are.

“We really want to dig in and make sure that we understand all the needs of the customer,” Colin said. “When we set expectations correctly and we understand the expectations, it’s a lot easier to meet them and really create a good long-term platform.”

According to Colin, oftentimes customers are so worried about contract terms and value, they forget to customize plans to their needs. CITY prides itself on making sure the sales and service staff asks the right questions and identifies all of the needs correctly and customizing service plans the right way.

“We want to look at everything to make sure we can service the client in the best way possible from day one,” Chriss Carsello, CITY’s Sales Manager said. “I have built solid relationships with our clients, and I want to continue to build those relationships even after the sale. Being consistent and providing a service that’s highly individual helps in the long term.”

The onboarding process is also about identifying mistakes from past experiences. Colin says many companies don’t involve the people who use the products and services when switching vendors. From our CITY experiences, the individuals using the products and services often have the best insight and recommendations for improving the service provided to them.

CITY wants to customize services for each customer because every business has different needs. The best way possible to create a long-lasting relationship is to look at the current service [either service from a different provider or a service CITY is currently providing to] and always ask, “what can we do to improve?”

“I think the most important part of the process is how are our customers actually using our services?” Colin said. “What are the problems that the employees encounter? The closer we can be to that communication chain, the better we are in terms of service. That’s why we do a deep dive and like to build partnerships and become part of a company.”