American Licorice Company’s customer service department follows ICE T values to operate as communication hub

American Licorice Company’s customer service department follows ICE T values to operate as communication hub

With its ICE T core values—integrity, compassion, engagement, and teamwork—it is clear that the heart of American Licorice Company (ALC) is people. Perhaps the most obviously people-centric department within the company is the customer service department. However, ALC Customer Relationship Manager John Taylor acknowledged that these values guide the company as a whole, putting them on the same page for departmental and interdepartmental communication.

“With those clearly defined core values guiding what we do each and every day, when situations arise that require you know collaboration, team members are super willing to engage with their peers,” Taylor said. “It really just fosters a collaborative work environment, and that allows people to not hesitate to ask a question if they're unclear on how to proceed with something. I think having well-defined and aligned core values really minimizes stress. Our team really is just a microcosm of the dynamics found throughout ALC.” 

Having these values determine how the customer service department operates is not the only way the department ensures its success. Even before someone is hired to ALC’s customer service department, ALC has implemented an effective screening and hiring process. This includes having prospective employees go through a cross-functional panel interview where they discuss the role and how they will communicate.  

Once hired, a customer service department employee undergoes cross training with multiple staff members. Developing multiple areas of expertise and cultivating those co-worker relationships is key to making sure the customer service department is at its best. 

“The majority of the training largely does come from peers, which is really valuable because learning from those who are pretty closely associated with the daily happenings is really effective and accelerates that level of comfort and building of camaraderie amongst the team,” Taylor said. “This is, in a nutshell, what the training consists of. It’s a lot of hands-on; you're going to get some observation of what your peers encounter. That way, you're kind of able to determine how you might handle a given scenario or even a challenging situation.” 

Through this cross training, customer service department employees understand how other parts of the company operates. Learning about the shipping department and the manufacturing process and timelines, for example, can help prepare employees to expect and better handle situations that are beyond their control and align the company’s availability with customer expectations. 

Taylor remarked that ALC’s customer service department is collaborative and adaptable, as shown through their shift in communication last year at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. The department had to pivot its communication in 2020, and that spirit of communication has continued to this year. It has been refreshing for Taylor to see everyone embrace ALC’s core values and have it influence the team dynamic even when working remotely. 

Holding fast to these values and each other allows customer service to be the center of communication at ALC not only for customers, but also for employees from other departments. 

“People can tend to look at customer service from this what they know, like a retail situation, where will they go to a customer service person to return something they didn't want or something like that, but customer service can often represent not just serving the externals, but also the internals of the team,” Taylor said. “Customer Service often represents just a central contact point for people within the company. If there's something that is unknown or they're unsure about, the customer service team is often that point of contact.” 

For more information about American Licorice Company and its departments, visit https://www.americanlicorice.com/en/