When you become a customer of MPulse, one of the first people you’ll meet is Kathy Gottfried. As the aptly named Customer Care Manager, Kathy serves as an advocate, ensuring every MPulse customer gets the individualized personal service and products they need.
MPulse customers meet Kathy right after the purchase of our software. Kathy conducts the initial onboarding meetings with new customers and coordinates fulfillment of their order—such as hosting, implementation services, etc. Then Kathy reconnects with customers after a few months for what she calls the “How’s it going?” check in.
“We want to make that connection with customers right out of the gate,” she explained. “Our initial call introduces our Customer Development team, and our services and processes for order fulfillment so they know exactly what’s coming. We talk about how to access available support services, goals, timelines, and address any challenges they feel they are facing with getting started with MPulse. It also gives me a chance to meet the customers, get a sense for who they are and their team, and get a feel for their business.”
Just the Beginning
That’s the beginning of a long relationship that Kathy develops over time. Every year Kathy checks in with customers to make sure things are still going smoothly, and again when it’s renewal time for the MPulse Maintenance and Support Program (MSP).
“My goal is to check on their satisfaction with the software and services, or anything related to MPulse,” she said. “I want to know if there’s a problem, and, if there is, I can hopefully assemble the folks on our side to fix it and make them happy. And I want to make sure all our customers know about the resources available to them.”
That connection to MPulse customers is also one of Kathy’s favorite parts of her job.
“I really like building relationships with our customers by having these conversations, and learning about their successes or challenges,” she said. “I’ve worked with many of our customers for a very long time. I’m happy they know who I am and that they can reach out to me to help with concerns or questions that aren’t always software specific.”
Kathy will celebrate 18 years with MPulse this year. Before joining the MPulse team, she worked with founders Steve Brous and Gil Achterhof at a different company. When MPulse needed a customer care manager during its early days, Kathy was their first choice. So, they made every effort to convince her to turn down a different job offer. One of Steve and Gil’s biggest selling points was MPulse’s dog-friendly office, which appealed to Kathy as a long-time dog lover.
Some Things Never Change
MPulse has changed a lot over the years, but Kathy appreciates how some things have stayed the same.
“Even as we’ve grown and changed owners, there’s still a sense of family,” she said. “We’re still a group of people who care about each other, and our products, services, and customers. We feel very personally invested. We want our customers to feel like we are part of their team.”
When not providing amazing customer service, Kathy loves traveling, hiking, gardening, and spending time with friends and dog, Rosco. She also volunteers with the McKenzie River Trust, and enjoys spending time creating her own art and collecting art from local artists.
“Pretty much every wall space in my home is covered with art because it makes me happy,” she said. “I like things around me that make me happy.”
