workaholic

          My boss sent me to the counter to interact with customers and take note of improvements that needed to be made with customer service and evaluate things we are doing well. The counter is located 2 minutes from my office and so I spent 3 days with my new co-workers. We have been over there before but it was only to view the process of the pick-up counter and this time I was using the computer system, helping the "personal shopping assistant, and interacting with all of the customers. The counter uses 2 computer systems to check the status of packages, pay fees and view accounts. Most of the customers were patient with me because I was obviously new the system and not as quick as the employees. Having a conversation with someone in Spanish is difficult when you are trying to communicate about their package and explain why they owe certain fees. One of the employees actually had a bad experience with an American woman. This woman was shaking because she had to pay for shipping on her product and said that "Aerocasillas never informed her of these fees". She was so mad that she threw her passport on the counter and started raising her hands in the air, someone had a bad day. Lets just say that she was not the best representation of a true American citizen. I also helped the "personal shopping assistant" help customers purchase packages online. If you do not have a credit card or your credit card does not allow you to purchase items in the United States the personal shopping assistant is at your service! Each counter has their own assistant who uses the company's credit card and purchases items for the customer and then the customer pays in their country's currency. This system is very helpful and is also used to help those who do not understand online shopping or our business. Working at the counter was fun because I got to meet different people, see what items customers were purchasing and make friends with the employees.

          We have also been working on marketing strategies and preparing for a social campaign for Costa Rica. This past week we evaluated competitors prices and systems of delivery in comparison to ours. My boss realized that Aerocasillas prices were either similar or not comparable to other competitors in Costa Rica. We did a write up on our top competitors and realized our overall service is the best! Other competitors charge for every time you send a product, high rates per kilo, expensive delivery fees and Aerocasillas' has a one time monthly fee and package deal. After evaluating the surveys about a month ago, I knew that we were better than our overall competitors because our clients who have used us and another service said that our service did not even compare to our competitors. Unfortunately we had an airline crisis that took place about 3 weeks ago and our cargo from Miami had been delayed because our freight service suddenly went out of business. We alerted all of customers and explained that their packages may be a few days late due to our freight situation. We were able to find another airline to deliver products to all of the countries while we searched for another cargo carrier. Unfortunately the new airline we found is more expensive and we have to raise our rates starting August 1st. Our rates will not be a giant increase but will be necessary to pay for our new cargo carrier.