Why Kindness Still Wins in Business

It’s a Wonderful Life!

In the movie “It’s a Wonderful Life” the story centers around the idea that every individual has intrinsic value and can make a positive impact on other people, even sometimes when they don’t see it. We take this thought to heart. For our business in commercial collections California, not only is it our mission to treat people with decency and respect, we also see every interaction with consumers as an opportunity to stand out and be different!

In a recent interaction over a phone call, these were just a few of the statements made by one person referencing our calls with them:

“You guys are the nicest people I’ve been on the phone with.”

“I think you guys have been really helpful, honestly…”

“Thank you so much.”

“I appreciate you being a human with me over the phone and [redacted name] was also really human, and kind, and helpful.”

This is the type of feedback we strive for. It wasn’t solicited. These are the types of interactions we value.

Outside Communication: Customer Service

The notion that we treated her like a human, and not simply a number, meant a lot to us. We have all been on the other side of poor customer service. Years ago I was traveling across the country, my wife was sick, and we stopped at a chain hotel. We were given a room and it was dirty, so we were given another room and it was dirty again, and by the third try we just decided to leave. We knew that if this happened once it could have been an accident, but since it happened twice it was more than likely a pattern.

The question is: How can we make good customer service a consistent pattern in our company?

Making Every Interaction Count

As mentioned in a previous article, when someone calls in and one of our colleagues answers, it becomes a marketing opportunity for our brand. The power of word of mouth in spreading good business practices is often wildly underestimated. How many times have you visited an exceptional restaurant and not told someone else about it? Probably very few.

This is especially significant in industries where excellent customer service comes as a pleasant surprise.

Finding the Right People

Often, when I am conducting a round of interviews and reviewing new hires, or when someone is interested in partnering with our business, they have either read one of our articles highlighting the strong emphasis we place on kindness and customer service, or they have heard through the grapevine (from one of our clients) about how great our team is and the type of service we provide.

The bottom line is that it’s different. Our goal is to be good at our jobs and professional, while being especially gentle and sympathetic toward people.

Inside Communication: Company Values

Within our company, our staff understands how important it is to me that we build the right culture. I emphasize it in interviews, reiterate it in articles, and speak about it on the company floor: the ultimate goal is to be the type of person you would want to work alongside.

And it doesn’t end there.

The purpose of this is to ensure that if someone desires to work at our company and stay with us long-term, it isn’t the culture that pushes them away. We encourage our people and strive to equip them to be great with those outside our company, but especially kind with one another. This doesn’t mean being fake, overly corporate, or someone you are not. We celebrate everyone’s uniqueness and focus our hiring efforts on acquiring talent naturally good at working with others.

A Cautionary Example

Years ago, this was instilled in me when I worked with a young man at a different company who did exactly the opposite. He was aggressive, threatening, impulsive, crossed boundaries, and made everyone around him uncomfortable. While I had great memories with that company, the culture that developed there was almost unbearable. It wasn’t long before I left.

Our Ultimate Goal: A Team That Truly Cares

It can be difficult to put into writing what the ultimate goal is with Tavelli Co. But given the holiday season, perhaps I can put it like this:

When I was a child, I remember our office Christmas party. I recall my parents asking me to sing a song for the team, and I even remember the Christmas song I sang. As I grew older, I worked as a teenager answering phone calls and doing data entry. Later, even my friends joined the company.

Culturally, the goal at Tavelli Co. is that our work isn’t just a career or job—it’s one aspect of a fuller life.

A Culture of Compassion

I often say in interviews that my goal is to foster a culture where (though we are an at-will employer), if someone wants to work for our company long-term, they can. A culture where there is a healthy work-life balance, great people around, and where the culture itself is never the reason someone might decide to leave.

We deliver this through hard work, by growing the company so it is more resilient in difficult market conditions, and by ensuring our team feels warmth and kindness from our management staff.

Our ultimate goal—cheesy as it may sound—feels especially fitting during the winter holidays: for our team to feel warmth. My childhood was filled with warm memories within the walls of our office. We hope our staff feels that same warmth today, and that it comes across in every interaction someone has with Tavelli Co.

It’s Time to Work with a Team That Leads with Values – Tavelli Co.

At Tavelli Co., professionalism and compassion aren’t mutually exclusive—they’re our standard. If you’re a business looking for commercial collections in California who treats your customers with care while delivering real results, let’s talk.

Contact us online today or give us a call at (707) 509-5565 to learn how Tavelli Co. can support your receivables management goals.

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Tavelli Co., Inc. has over 40 years of unparalleled experience in the debt collection and receivables management industry. Our mission is to achieve the right balance between getting clients paid and being empathetic to debtor circumstances, through implementing innovative practices, hiring experienced people, and improving business decisions through analytics. We provide peace of mind to all involved by collecting money with no complaints. Tavelli Co., Inc. takes the time to carefully listen to your customers and share their feedback with you through meaningful data and transparent communication, so you have access to the information you need to make quality decisions and improve your processes in the future. Contact us today and let the debt collection experts at Tavelli Co., Inc. help you set your business up for success.

IMPORTANT: Information provided by Tavelli Co., Inc., any employees of Tavelli Co., Inc., or its subsidiaries is not intended as legal advice and may not be used as legal advice. It is not intended to be a full and exhaustive explanation of the law in any area, nor should it be used to replace the advice of your own legal counsel.