I have had a diverse, nearly 35-year career, with each chapter delivering experiences and tools that have helped me manage anything that comes my - or my client’s - way. The most significant accomplishments in my career have been when I’ve been able to surround myself with a strong team with diversified skills.
As my wife says, I collect good people, learn from them, and invest in those relationships. I am fortunate to have had the opportunity to analyze and problem-solve with professionals across disciplines, and those experiences have resulted in a level of expertise and a network of individuals who can solve just about any client problem or address any client issue.
While it sounds simple, client service truly comes down to the golden rule we learned as children: Treat others the way you want to be treated.
Having been both strategic partner and client throughout my career, I have experienced the benefits of following this rule and witnessed the downside when professionals don’t.
So, how do you apply the golden rule in a client service environment?
Put yourself in your client’s shoes, look at things from their perspective. What is their objective and is there a more palatable path to get them there? The application of these tenets should be tailored to specific situations and personalities. No one method or approach works for everyone.
The result is you become a stable, experienced strategic partner, with the ability to adapt with clients as their businesses evolve. Do this, and your clients sleep soundly because they know they can count on you to respond to their issues promptly and accurately.
At Cenlar, the heart of client service is treating homeowners as our clients do, as we are an extension of the client–borrower experience. It is also thinking ahead to client wants and needs, proactively investing in areas like technology, cybersecurity, compliance, controls, defaulted loan servicing and the homeowner experience, all to ensure a level of service to our clients and their homeowners that is unmatched in the industry.
While, again, this may sound like common sense, you’d be surprised how many don’t think or act this way. As a result, those of us who do have a competitive advantage.
In the end, I believe Cenlar will continue to be the largest subservicer as a result of being the best subservicer in key areas such as portfolio performance, homeowner experience and compliant servicing.
The Golden Rule of Client Service
