I interviewed Mark Williams, the head of customer care at Samsung Electronics America.
I’ve seen firsthand how exceptional service can transform a customer’s relationship with a brand. William’s company makes an incredible range of products – from smartphones to refrigerators – and is proud that 73% of U.S. households own at least one Samsung product, with 27% owning three or more.
But what truly sets his company apart isn’t just our innovative technology – it’s their approach to customer care. His team developed what they call “Smart Service,” and it’s changing how they support our customers in meaningful ways.
The Power of Proactive Support
Smart Service represents a fundamental shift in how we approach customer care. Instead of waiting for problems to occur, they’re using IoT connectivity to monitor devices (with customer permission) and address issues before they become serious.
For example, if your Samsung refrigerator is connected to your network and we notice the temperature trending upward, we can alert you immediately. They might offer simple troubleshooting tips first – maybe the door was left open or the exhaust is blocked. If those don’t work, we can dispatch service before your food spoils.
The customer reaction to this proactive approach has been fascinating. At first, many are surprised – even a bit startled – that they’ve detected an issue. But that surprise quickly transforms into delight when they realize they’re solving problems they didn’t even know they had yet. This creates tremendous peace of mind and builds lasting loyalty.
Our Three Core Principles: Speed, Simplicity, Service
Everything Williams does in customer care revolves around three core principles:
- Speed: We know customers hate waiting for repairs. For mobile devices, 81% of Americans live within a 30-minute drive of our same-day service locations, and 90% of repairs are completed in under two hours.
- Simplicity: We’ve established a dedicated team to identify and eliminate policies or processes causing friction. Any employee can flag issues directly to me or our team.
- Service: Our ultimate goal is making every service interaction so positive that customers become lifetime purchasers and brand promoters.
These principles guide our metrics and initiatives. For home appliances and TVs, we’ve reduced our average repair time from 10 days to 7 days, and we’re pushing to make it even faster. They’ve also launched Samsung Beyond Boundaries, where technicians will drive hours to reach customers in remote locations – something our competitors simply don’t offer.
Turning Service into a Competitive Advantage
Williams firmly believes that customer service should be more than just fixing problems – it should be a revenue generator and loyalty creator. Our North Star is turning every customer interaction into a great experience that makes people say, “Every product I buy going forward will be Samsung.”
But he’s even more ambitious than that. he doesn’t just want satisfied customers; he wants promoters who actively tell friends and family about their positive experiences with us.
While they track Net Promoter Score like many companies, he finds the most valuable insights come from reading customer comments – both good and bad. When we receive negative feedback, we take it personally, determine the root cause, and implement corrective actions to prevent recurrence.
The Human Touch in an AI World
Samsung is embracing AI to enhance our customer service, but in ways that support rather than replace human interaction. Our call center agents benefit from AI that actively listens to conversations and pushes relevant content to their screens in real-time. This allows them to focus on building relationships instead of searching for information.
While they’re launching AI chatbots for simple inquiries this year, I don’t see AI replacing our employees. I see it as an enhancement that makes the experience better by letting our agents focus more fully on customers. The human connection remains essential.
What makes Williams most proud is the loyalty of our team – over half have been with Samsung for more than ten years. This dedication translates directly to better customer experiences.
His team will never stop trying to improve. No matter how good they get, they’ll never reach a point where we say “we’re done.” That commitment to continuous improvement – in both our products and our service – is what truly makes Samsung special.
