Smart Business Magazine, Apr 2012

April 2012 Smart Business Orange County 11 There is no denying it Victor Nichols leads a complicated business unit housed within an even more complicated company Nichols is the CEO of Experian North America the largest arm of Dublin Ireland based information services group Experian In his role Nichols oversees an operation that generated 22 billion in fiscal 2011 revenue with 6000 employees across four business lines decision analytics marketing services interactive and its best known line of business credit services for which Experian has gained notoriety as one of the three main consumer credit reporting bureaus in the U S However for all the complexities that exist in the broad spectrum of Experians services Nichols says they are at heart a customer service company At the most basic level Experian serves the people who work for client companies Its a fact that Nichols tries to keep front of mind for everyone within the organization Experians challenge is helping customers achieve quality growth Nichols says There are certainly a lot of pressures on businesses whether they be regulatory economic or consumer market driven but our clients still have to achieve quality growth despite those market conditions For our team its really about stepping back from that and figuring out how we can address the unique requirements of each of our clients matching our many products and services to help them advance in the way they need most in order to help them achieve that quality growth To step back Nichols and the staff at Experian actually need to get closer they need to maintain close relationships with clients develop a deep knowledge of the challenges they face and how Experians array of products and services can help them address those challenges Its a mentality that Nichols says is a fundamental part of Experian worldwide and something he and his leadership team have worked hard to promote throughout the North American unit Ultimately Nichols says great client and customer service has to be part of your culture or the philosophy will never take root Keep your ear to the ground Like many large companies Experian has a sales force that relies heavily on travelling to various markets and interacting with customers in person It is a critical component to Experians business model not only from a sales standpoint but from a customer relationship standpoint When you have a sales force that has its shoes on the ground in the various markets you serve they will develop and strengthen relationships simply by driving around and making their presence known by clients and customers Those interactions become a valuable window into the daily business life of your customers offering a glimpse of their needs their challenges and how you can best serve them The key Nichols says is to take those salespeople who meet with your customers every day and give them a voice within your organization The relationship theyre cultivating will be of no use to you and your management team if you dont give your sales staff a means of reaching you with their observations and suggestions When you have a strong sales team that is out there every day a lot of what you learn is going to come from those team members Nichols says You need to realize that more often than not theyre going to be the voice of the customer to you Thats why its important that team members have a strong voice within the organization that they have input regarding the innovation and the enhancements that you are going to make within the organization INTOUCH EXPERIAN NORTH AMERICA IS THE LARGEST UNIT WITHIN A GLOBAL COMPANY AS THE CEO VICTOR NICHOLS EMPLOYS THOUSANDS IN A REGION THAT GENERATES BILLIONS IN REVENUE BUT HIS MASSIVE ORGANIZATION STILL THRIVES BECAUSE OF PERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN EMPLOYEES AND CUSTOMERS HERE IS HOW NICHOLS HELPS FOSTER THOSE RELATIONSHIPS BY ERIK CASSANO ecassano@ sbnonline com