When I first came to Rackspace, I felt a bit tainted by my previous experiences working in various call centers and support environments.  I’d seen and been a part of support done well with the customer’s best interests at heart, but mostly that was the exception to the rule.

Sure, there were talks and meetings about “doing the right thing for the customer” and a myriad of scripts to follow that were supposed to ensure “customer satisfaction” and loyalty…but they usually fell far short of the mark and the customer always learned that there was a script or an unyielding routine in progress.

They were even more upset when they had to get transferred only to run into yet more scripts and repetitiveness. Things such as having to repeat themselves multiple times before they can even begin talking about why they called…I know you’ve all experienced this somewhere, and condolences if you’ve had to actually be a part of it!

I went through several places where they attempted to “legislate righteousness” into the hearts of customer service and support folks (and sometimes the entire company) by creating strict rules, scripts, monitoring and processes designed to ensure a happy outcome. But what they usually did was eliminate the individual’s ability to be autonomous and free flowing when dealing with folks who called in to get help.

This hamstrung the entire operation, which in turn hamstrung the entire company.

It’s frustrating to those that want to really help customers and provide stellar support and who also like to sleep well at night.

So I’d seen the heart of support ripped out and stomped on. I’d seen the soul of customer service sold down the river of inflexibility and mediocrity. I’d even sold mine right along with it in order to get a paycheck. It sucks.

That’s not to say that I haven’t worked for good companies or companies where they tried to do things well. It’s just that there’s something truly different here, and you can feel it.

Honestly, when I applied here I thought this was going to be just another job to pay the bills.

Wrong.

Everything was different dealing with these folks. From the beginning I started getting the feeling that this wasn’t the average workplace and that things were going to be different.

Since I was hired into Rackspace (Email & Apps section) I have had the pleasure to witness a company that really does care about its people and customers and really tries to do everything in its power to be the best in every way without compromising or half-stepping.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned around here, it’s that this place is extremely dynamic and things are changing constantly. The reasons for that are apparently that leadership here follows the principles behind the saying, “constantly vary your approach until you get what you want.” And what they want is greatness.

In fact, it’s one of our Core Values: “Committed to Greatness.”

This means a lot to me personally because I see life as an undertaking that you absolutely should be committed to not just surviving in… but to thriving and achieving in.  So, while we are on this planet for this short while, there are three things we can achieve:

1. Greatness
2. Mediocrity
3. Failure (Failure in the sense of not getting back up, learning from it and trying again.)

So there’s the list. Which one are you going to commit to?  Assuming “Greatness” is your goal, wouldn’t you want to work for a place that shares in your pursuit?

Wouldn’t you want to work for a place that does more than pay lip service to the absolute truth that an organization lives and dies by it’s people and culture?

Yes, we do have a lot of fun working here, but it isn’t always easy and it’s not always perfect.  Sometimes we try things and they don’t work out.  Perhaps it becomes apparent that a process needs to be changed.  At Rackspace, if you can show valid reasons why something should get changed, it usually does.  What matters most, in my mind, is that from where I’ve sat, the customer’s best interests were always at heart.

Feel free to ask me about anything I have written here over on Twitter.  Hit me up: @carljdavison.

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