Do you remember deciding what you wanted to do with your life?
As a young adult, I was passionate about so many things: math, physics, cars, engineering, technology, flying — the sky was truly the limit. I wanted to be a pilot, but a failed eye exam dashed my hopes. I rode life’s rollercoaster — through ups and downs, but I was missing a unifying factor: I hadn’t yet found my true passion, the one hiding at the intersection of my interests and talents.
My attention shifted when my family was struck with a tragedy. Suddenly I was thrust toward responsibility. I had to help my parents and other people close to me, to show up and handle things that I never considered before. I learned that difficult challenges are part of life, but I could find satisfaction and make those challenges meaningful by helping others. What was originally a coping mechanism became my passion: helping other people, showing up, and getting it done. Today, this passion guides and defines me.
I entered the workforce using my degree in electrical engineering to solve technology problems. Early in my career I discovered InterSystems — a company that matched my passion for excellence, customer service, and humble leadership. Since the company’s founding in 1978 we have followed the same principle:
“We are here for our customers and our success is measured by their success.”
As InterSystems Vice President of Client Services I spend my days doing exactly that- making sure that our customers in healthcare, finance, government, supply chain, and life sciences all around the globe have the best technology to solve their critical data problems.
Welcome to:
The Inspired Service Newsletter!
Inside, I’ll share insights from more than 40 years of customer-focused work. I’ll let you in on solutions gleaned from a lifetime of overcoming technology’s greatest challenges. And I’ll show you — not just tell you — what it takes to be a partner your customers can trust (and how personally rewarding that can be)
Excellence in customer service is about going the extra mile and demonstrating our commitment in every single interaction. Being responsive is great, but it’s not enough. Like your closest personal relationships, customer service isn’t supposed to be transactional. It’s about leading with the intention of the best possible outcome and doing whatever it takes to make that happen.
So, what does customer success look like?
Chadwicks Group: Building Applications with Speed and Interoperability
Over the past two centuries, Chadwicks Group has honed its reputation as Ireland’s top merchant and home improvement specialist by selling builders’ and plumbers’ supplies from 50 locations across the country.
We’ve been fortunate to work with Colm Scannell, head of IT, and his team for many years.
When Chadwicks Group needed to innovate across multiple systems, interoperability and rapid application development were paramount. Throughout the entirety of our working relationship, we’ve delivered whatever it took to help the company empower its 1,300 employees and their many customers with the tools required for them to shine.
MVP Health Care: Exceeding Regulatory Requirements
When new regulations came online in the U.S., MVP-Health-Care saw an opportunity to go beyond the letter of the law for its 700,000 members across New York and Vermont.
“We said, ‘Let’s acquire a platform that not only solves this problem in front of us right now, but opens up the possibilities for the vision around what we’re ultimately trying to solve,’”
recalls Dominick-Bizzarro, the health plan’s Chief Growth Officer.
Michael-Della-Villa, MVP’s Chief Information Officer, said the project’s goal is to create a “digital twin” for each of the organization’s members. Data makes it possible, allowing MVP to share better and more accurate information. That leads to “better care and lower costs for our members,” he says.
MVP partnered with InterSystems to streamline critical internal business processes and to
“provide a better experience to our members and our providers,”
adds Richard-French, senior leader, enterprise data management.
Paltac: 99.999% On Time, In-Full
Picture this: You head to the store to pick up an antihistamine to control your allergies. But when you arrive, the shelves are empty.
That happens to 17 percent of consumers. We know this because of a supply chain metric called “on-time, in-full,” which measures the percentage of complete, punctual orders that reach customers. Thanks to global supply chain disruptions, the rate is only 83 percent, according to Gartner.
PALTAC-CORPORATION, Japan’s largest distributor of cosmetics, over-the-counter drugs, and daily necessities, resolved to change that. The company came to us with an ambitious vision: a 99.999% on-time, in-full rate — meaning nearly every customer would go home happy.
Led by Chairman and CEO Kunio Mikita, Paltac strengthened its supply chains through a smart data fabric architecture, which supported data integration, embedded analytics, interoperability, and real-time insights. The results? Greater customer satisfaction, productivity, and sales.
How Do You Achieve Customer Success?
If you’re an InterSystems customer, I’d love to hear from you.
- Reach out in the comments and tell me how you’re leveraging our passion for service to advance your business and improve your customers’ lives.
- Learn more about how to help your partners reach new heights. Join me on this journey and subscribe to this newsletter today.