Which Puerto Rico bank wants my business?

February 27, 2015 by Raul Colon

I usually remind people that I have worked for and in the Banking Industry for the past 10 years on an off.

The only bank I was officially a full time employee of was Doral Bank.

I have seen how the bank I so proudly worked for as an employee and consultant had deteriorated in service.

Failed Attempt at Pleasing Wall Street

Top management tried to apply many of Neutron Jack’s GE methodologies. In the attempt to create a lean bank so they could sell off and make lots of money. They actually brought a bank down with lots of collateral damage.

In the past I have written lightly on the subject of the bank because I use to be an employee and contractor.

Doral No Longer Exists

Now that the bank does not exist I can comment a bit more. I still have many friends that work at the bank and I only wish that they can land jobs quickly.

It’s time for me to shop for a bank.

The decision will be easy if Banco Popular who is the bank taking over decides to hire the reason I have stayed as a customer.

#1 Reason Why I was a Doral Bank Customer

My friend Armando Navarro is one of the sharpest bank branch managers I know.

Armando takes good care of his clients and his employees. Armando also knows the importance of keeping a good relationship with his community.

If you requested something from Armando you got a quick and precise response. You hardly ever heard a no from Armando.

So to any bank out there. If you are looking for a rock star bank branch manager who happens to be an awesome leader. Armando Navarro is a great choice.

So if you want my business and want me to become a loyal client and ambassador of your bank.

Hire Armando

You just have to send Armando an offer letter and hire him on the spot.

I am sure you will get lots of value from him.

If you need his resume or many referrals contact me directly.

Igniting a Revolution – Mueblerias Berrios Listens

March 1, 2014 by Raul Colon

This is the sixth post of my Igniting a Revolution Series.

On rare occasions I get to express my frustrations online. Now days I do it less as I work on subtracting occasions where I spend time on negatively charged events in my life.

When I am in a negative situation I first look into how I can make it a positive. Working backwards on how I use to work as an IT Security consultant. I was paid to look at what the client would say was a perfect environment and identify faults in hopes of safekeeping their ASSets.

Making the Difference Locally

I am always on the look out for awesome individuals that enhance the customer experience. From the sharp valet parking attendant to the bar owner who seemed obsessed of having each spot in his bar ready for patrons.

After my negative experience with Sears I went ahead and emailed two companies asking them if they could guarantee I would not have a similar experience.

Answering Faster is not Better

One of them responded within minutes and clearly did not read my request demonstrating that they rather answer quickly than respond a question.

Taking the time to Nurture a New Relationship

The second email was from Abner Muñiz from Mueblerias Berrios. Abner responded after a few hours with an invitation to their VIP Event. Not only would I have the opportunity to get what I needed but I even had the chance to win a few prizes, while there were drinks, cocktails, and food being served.

Since I am getting ready for my SXSW Interactive trip, my time is a bit limited but Abner took the time and went the extra mile to send me an invite after reading my blog post on my experience with Sears that I gladly made time for the event into my schedule.

Great Way to Build Community Amongst your Customers

I arrived at the event after having dinner at my new favorite Asian Bistro and I had someone park my car for me while I walked into the Mueblerias Berrios Showroom.

I walked with my family and we were greeted. Two raffle tickets were handed to me and Lucy which gave us a chance at the over 40 prizes they were giving out. I was then approached by one of their sales personnel and was shown a mattress that fit my needs and budget

It was a relief to hear they include delivery in the price and I could have it the next business day at my house.

Searching for Daniela’s Bed

After that Lucy and I walked around searching for a bed for Daniela. She tested a few beds while another Berrios team member was nice enough to give us the features of the beds and pricing. Once again delivery is free and assembly of the bed is around $20 dollars which I think is at an attractive price point for a hassle free purchase.

We walked around saw some more furniture. It reminded me of when as a kid I use to go to work with my dad Don Tito for the Luis Furniture when it was at its peak in the 80’s.

Searching for Abner

Since Abner had invited me I asked one of the Berrios team members if he was at the event. The team member pointed that Abner was the Master of Ceremonies of the event.

As soon as I approached Abner he smiled and recognized me. It was like greeting a friend. Although being extremely busy running the event, he stopped what he was doing to help me in making my decision with the mattress.

I was so impressed with Abner I had to do a bit of research on the internet on his work and I understood that Abner’s body of work as a performer and musician is useful to work a crowd in a live event.

We need more Abner’s Working for Our Local Companies

Abner seems to be a creative at heart. He understands communication and showing people that he cares. I am sure Mueblerias Berrios knows that they have a great resource, but I wanted to point out on my end that they are leading many other local and international companies established in Puerto Rico by listening and responding to their clients in a human way.

I am writing this post based on the limited interactions I had with Abner where he exceeded expectations by far.

Locally it is normal to fill a contact form on a website and receive no response. Or you get a generic response from an auto reply giving you more things to do.

The Opportunities

It is my opinion that Mueblerias Berrios is on the right track so far.

I see many opportunities in having an edge over their competitors by listening and using the website and online eco-systems to:

Bring New clients like myself to visit their location
Finding a way to incentivize their customers like Mark Hayward (who referred me to them) to refer more customers.
Being able to match pricing or make the buying furniture experience more pleasant by receiving feedback. Similar to Amazon’s price match.
Making the purchase process even leaner and online. So if someone visited their location did not make a decision at the moment they can even buy from the comfort of their home.

I am glad I listened to Mark Hayward and decided to email Berrios. I got to meet a very talented individual who seems to be a local Marketing and Human relations rock star. His effective use of online tools benefit the company he works for and made my life a lot easier.

If you are planning to buy furniture feel free to tweet or contact Berrios. I am sure Abner and his team will be listening and will be as helpful as they were with me.

What other companies stand out that I should include in the Igniting a Revolution Series?

Ignite a Revolution – The Sharp Valet Attendant

September 24, 2012 by Raul Colon

This is post Four on my Igniting a Revolution Series.

As part of my series I will be creating reviews of places that I see are really focused on improving customer service in Puerto Rico from many aspects. Here is a short story on one individual who clearly makes a big difference at one small restaurant.

I am always seeking opportunities to find people that are committed to the task they have at hand. Individuals with a high sense of attention to detail that will clearly stand out from any other individual doing the same job.

A few evenings ago I went to dinner with Richard and Shoko, new friends whom I met on the beach, for dinner and a drink at Bar Gitano Restaurant. The conversations covered many subjects since we all have different backgrounds; Richard Bonilla ( @richardbonilla ) is an entrepreneur from New York and Shoko Tamai ( @shokotamai ) is a professional ballerina from Japan now based out of New York. But our connection to New York and love of music helped us keep the conversation going.

After trying some tapas and entrees at Bar Gitano (yes even though they are Spanish themed they offer vegan options) Richard and Shoko enjoyed each meal.

Back to Our Car

Once we finished our meal we walked over to the Valet and by the time we got to the valet stand my car was ready for us to get in.

I quickly realized the valet parking attendant, Zami was paying attention to patrons coming in and out of the restaurant. I was so impressed with his small action demonstrating the high level of attention to detail, I had to ask for his name and write this post.

Owning Your Process

My friend Chris Brogan always talks about having an Owner’s mindset in everything you do. As I am reading his new book, Impact Equation, Chris and his co-author Julien Smith, they talk about the importance of owning what you do. Zami demonstrated he owned his job and the tasks related to it by giving the best service possible to patrons of the restaurant.

Zami works for another company that is contracted by Bar Gitano to take care of their guests and give easy access parking to patrons for the inexpensive flat rate of $6.

Zami might not realize how he impacts Bar Gitano because with sharp individuals like him taking care of those who visit Bar Gitano it makes me and others want to recommend and visit the place more often (Hint: This blog post).

When visiting Bar Gitano take a look and check if your parking attendant is Zami. Hopefully the company he works for sees value in what he does and he might be able to train others who should be doing the same.

Here in Puerto Rico I have parked in valet many times, but I have only met one rockstar valet attendant and that of course is Zami!

Ignite a Revolution: Improve Customer Experience

July 10, 2012 by Raul Colon

This is post two on my Igniting a Revolution Series.

Making your customers feel at home and creating awareness of good customer service is something we all should do. By putting the spotlight on a few places that have it right when it comes to customer service. I might help Ignite some ideas on how to make you to stop and think how to improve your customers experience .

I have always been very loyal when it comes to supporting those who are doing a great job and provide me services I see valuable.

There is no better feeling than visiting a restaurant with great service or a store that makes it quick and hassle free for me to buy what I need.

Vegan Friendly Restaurants

My definition of a good restaurant being Vegan is one that offers vegan options while providing excellent service, good food quality, and timely service. Given the few restaurants that offer vegan options makes me very loyal to those restaurants that offer Vegan Options.

I love going to Bangkok Bombay and now recently to Casabe restaurant because both are great at offering me healthy vegan options to eat while offering me great service. The fact they are great and my options are limited makes me a repeat customer of them and opens the door for any vegan friendly restaurant to acquire a loyal client (me).

Tech Savvy & Hassle Free

When I went to buy my first Macbook Pro was the moment where Best Buy lost me as a customer. Given the hard time they gave me at their Caguas location that they never apologized for locally. Another local store called Modernica tried to sell me a Mac which was supposedly upgraded at a premium price. Even worst they wanted to sell me a software bundle with the Mac that I did not need. By trying to increase their profit on one item they lost a customer for life.

I finally went and bought a Laptop from an Apple Re-seller in my hometown of Ponce and since then I have made a few mores large purchases from the folks at Skynet. They made it quick easy and gave me exactly what I needed.

Short or Shorter?

As for my Hair Stylist there is nothing easier than sitting down with someone who has styled your hair for years. You really don’t need to sit down and go into the details of what needs to get done to your hair.

The only thing I might need to tell my hair stylist is how short I want my hair.

Corner Supermarket

Although we are currently moving I go to a local Supermarket called Selectos. The staff at that Selectos located in Santa Isabel reminds me of when I was a kid and my dad would take me while living in Connecticut to the corner bodega. It felt as we where visiting friends.

When I visit the Selectos it usually takes me more than what it would take anyone else to grab groceries due to the fact that I might stop with one of their supervisors Orlando and chat for a minute or two about my vegetarian lifestyle and about other subjects he and I find interesting. Orlando does a great job at saying hello and finding the interest of his customers.

It’s All About Community

The previous organizations I recommended make me feel like I am part of their community. They are missing basic components of customer service that can be fixed with training, hiring the right people, and in some cases making management focus on the customer experience not just making profits.

What are you doing to make your customers feel comfortable?

What are you doing to make them feel like they are at home?

Feel free to mention any places that make you feel special as customer and why?