On the Road Again – Eric Lauer Visits Chicago

You’d be hard pressed to find SmartSimple’s Director of Customer Experience, Eric Lauer, in one place for very long, and this summer he’s taking in the scenery and enjoying the hospitality of our clients as he continues his tour across the United States. His most recent stop was to visit with the folks in Chi-Town.

“The Chicago area is an important one for SmartSimple,” says Eric, “Not only do we have a large number of clients in the region, but there is so much philanthropic activity. Chicagoans are an incredibly engaged and generous people who care deeply about their city.”

Among the organizations Eric visited were The Spencer Foundation, The Irving Harris Foundation and Feeding America. He also stopped by the Chicago Community Trust, who very generously co-hosted our Fall Community Conference in 2014 and will again be working with us for our 2015 conference.

“Much like my trip to New York, this was an opportunity for me to touch base with our Chicago clients and get some feedback around their own personal experiences as SmartSimple customers,” continues Eric. “I’m still in the process of gathering information and input from our clients in order to make sure that, in my role as the Director of Customer Experience, I am providing the kind of support and assistance our clients need.”

Eric’s position is very unique in the SmartSimple hierarchy, as he plays the valuable role of liaison between our clients and our internal teams. His position offers clients a direct, named contact within the company for them to reach out to at any stage of their engagement with us, and if they need some extra help outside our Support Team.

“Our Support Team works very hard to respond to a wide range of questions and issues relating to their systems over the course of a day,” adds Eric. “They’re dedicated, passionate and always willing to go that extra mile for our clients.”

That said, there is something about that personal touch that Eric excels at, which our clients really appreciate. “Staying in touch with clients is, of course, important, but doing so in person goes a long way. I find I can help them accomplish so much more when there is that opportunity to meet face-to-face,” Eric continues.

“I have to say that while the clients are very receptive to the personal visits,” concludes Eric. “It’s the perfect opportunity to share our ‘state of the nation,’ and allows me to identify areas where we’re doing a great job as a company as well as areas where we can improve our service offering. That means we’re not only on the right track, but working proactively to continue moving in the right direction.”

Stay tuned for more insights by Eric from the road! If you’re interested in learning more about SmartSimple, check out our website for upcoming webinars or to request a demo.