Laura Chamorro, General Manager of Shell Polymers

A quality customer experience relies heavily on personalization, and that personalization relies on subject matter expertise across different aspects of a business. I’ve spent a lot of years as a leader in the plastics industry, and I have witnessed firsthand the value that subject matter experts can bring to a customer’s overall experience.

One company that is riding the customer-first model to success is Slack, the messaging app for businesses that has seen huge growth in the last few years and was recently acquired by Salesforce.

According to its founders, Slack came into existence after they heard complaints from potential customers about email being too overwhelming and ineffective. Those conversations led to the searchable, channel-based messaging app and its customer-first philosophy.

As the Slack workforce has grown, Slack employees have strategically developed subject matter expertise—going all-in on one aspect of the product instead of trying to know the entire tool and all of its capabilities. This allows Slack to personalize every aspect of the business, from sales to installation to customer support.

Ultimately, this behind-the-scenes focus on quality expertise provides the Slack user with a more purposeful and solution-oriented customer experience.

How Shell Polymers is Inspired by Slack

Similar to Slack, personalized attention to customers is at the heart of our strategy at Shell Polymers. And to do that right, we strive to provide expertise in what converters want from a polyethylene supplier. Before we broke ground on our plant, we spent 1,000+ hours speaking to would-be customers about their relationships with suppliers—and we haven’t stopped listening to customers since. What we have found through these conversations is that many converters feel like they aren’t offered the ultimate level of service if they aren’t one of the supplier’s big accounts. 

Our goal is to innovate in the way we deliver the right product and the best experience to all PE buyers.

Staying ahead of the game starts with the hiring process. We sought to build a team with experience, but that was also open to new ideas. In addition to industry pioneers with a legacy in the polyethylene industry, we looked for fresh talent, modern thinkers and those with deep expertise in specific functions, such as logistics and supply chain management.

Hiring diverse thinkers was a solid start, but to really help deliver the best possible experience, we built a world-class account management and customer service team, whose sole job is to help converters succeed.

These individuals are committed to customer success, with a track record to prove it. More than a few members of the team have decades of experience in the plastics industry and have pretty much seen it all when it comes to customer relationships.

These account managers team with customer relationship coordinators to establish close relationships with converters and keep the lines of communication open. This approach ensures that the Shell Polymers team members you interact with have an in-depth knowledge of every facet of your business and can help solve your unique challenges.

Find out more about our Experienced Account Teams Dedicated to Customer Success

Internally, to facilitate communication and knowledge sharing among team members, we’re implementing the technology to provide all appropriate individuals with a single view of the customer via various digital tools—allowing for better collaboration behind the scenes as well as more efficient service and attention for the customer.

Collaboration is Our Secret Sauce

Slack wanted to better connect the right people at the right time. They weren’t selling a messaging tool, they were selling effective communication for a greater output.

Similarly, we don’t just want to sell product; we want to help converters succeed in many aspects of their business—and the best ideas are born from collaboration. That’s why we invested in our state-of-the-art innovation center. Between our analytical, polymer science and tech services teams, we can offer custom technical expertise to our customers.

These teams include some of the best minds in the business, including Senior Technical Service Engineer Carl Baker, who back in 2000, served as a key developer for a new type of resin—polyethylene raised temperature (PERT) resins. This innovative resin is lauded for its elevated temperature capability and is now used widely across industrial and mining applications.

Carl and his fellow technical service engineers, polymer scientists, and applications technologists are eager to share their insights and help converters grow their business. In fact, these folks will work with customers in the application hall to troubleshoot technical challenges, preventing supply chain disruptions and cutting down on costly delays.

On top of all this polyethylene expertise, we can connect converters with other experts across Royal Dutch Shell—from lubricants to sustainability—early in the process and throughout.

Slack reached its level of success by always putting the customer first. Shell Polymers is doing the same as we look ahead to our plant opening—with the ultimate goal of providing the unrivaled customer experience.

If you’re a converter interested in finding out more about our new ways of working, we would love to hear from you. Send Shell Polymers an email at polymers@shell.com to get in touch.

Note: Shell Polymers does not endorse, sponsor, or evaluate the services provided by any third-party companies mentioned in this advertisement. Shell Polymers does not have a business relationship with such third-party companies and any mention of third-party companies is done on an opinion-only basis.

RELATED CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE RESOURCES

Shell Polymers Global Marketing Manager Chris Conrad Talks About What We Can Learn from Apple

At Shell Polymers, we’re upending the industry by putting the customer experience at the forefront of everything we do, and we’re taking inspiration from companies that excel at it. That’s what CXperts is all about, and as the Global Marketing Manager, I’m excited to kick this content series off with a look at how Apple approaches the customer experience.

Shell Polymers Customer Experience Manager Nicole Buimer Talks About Nordstrom’s Seamless Experiences

Nordstrom is known for providing an above-and-beyond customer experience. As we enter the polyethylene space, Shell Polymers is drawing inspiration from the retailer's exceptional customer experience and taking note to achieve personalized, omnichannel success.

Joe Kelly, Shell Polymers Manager of Supply Chain Talks About What We Can Learn from Carvana

Carvana took away the need to visit a nearby car lot—completely overcoming the location hurdle in the car buying process. At Shell Polymers, we’re taking inspiration from the car seller and upending the idea of where a polyethylene supplier is located.