Barbara Linville was very frustrated when after three months, nothing had been done to repair her mother’s portable oxygen concentrator, which she had taken in July 2010 to a medical repair company in Apex, N.C. Her mother had been using a loaner unit in the meantime, but she was still upset that none of her phone calls were being returned.
She finally decided to call the manufacturer, Invacare Corp., and talked to Kandee Koleski, a customer service supervisor. Koleski called the repair shop and after much persistence, had the shop send the unit to Invacare where it received priority attention for repair. Linville’s mother had her unit returned in time for her trip to her winter home in early November.
“We still would not have my mother’s unit if it were not for the persistence of your good employee,” Linville says in an e-mail to Invacare, a manufacturer of medical products from beds to wheelchairs.
At Invacare, under the leadership of President and CEO Gerry Blouch, customer service representatives promote and live an “E4” mantra: exceptional service, every time through employee empowerment. CSRs subscribe to this philosophy with the goal of providing customers with the level of service that makes it easy to do business with them. By introducing this philosophy early in the training of new hires, it lays the foundation for exceptional service and provides the team with the awareness and support to be self-directed. In addition, team members learn to have confidence in their own abilities to do what is right on behalf of the customer and the organization.
The Invacare culture empowers and rewards employees as part of a team which enjoys competition and winning. Continued personal growth is encouraged by fostering a close relationship with the leadership team whose main responsibility is to coach and mentor.
The company has been frequently recognized for its qualities of leadership, compensation, training, workplace flexibility and diversity.
How to reach: Invacare Corp., (440) 329-6000 or www.invacare.com
