PerkStreeters, please welcome Brendan! He came on board this week as our Customer Experience Manager. You’re going to be seeing a lot more of his name attached to answers on our Facebook wall and responding to your emails at help@perkstreet. He has a hand in all of our online channels to tackle any specific customer issues that arise. We’re excited to welcome Brendan to the team and to introduce him to you.

Brendan, tell us a little about yourself!
I was born and raised in the Boston area and went to college at UMass-Amherst. After college I started work at JP Morgan and I am now happy to be part of the PerkStreet family.

For me, the next few months and years are going to be about thinking like a PerkStreet customer — understanding your problems and concerns and making sure those are ALWAYS represented to the team here at PerkStreet.

Of course, we’re all already customers at PerkStreet, but I’m here to make sure we’re all putting everything we have into the way we interact with our customers.

Outside of work, I enjoy spending time with family and friends. I have a passion for music (playing and listening). I love to travel and have visited close to 15 countries. For my next big trip I want to climb Mount Kilimanjaro and go on safari. I also love to ski and throw a ball around with friends.

What are you most looking forward to with your new job at PerkStreet?
I love talking to new people. Our customers are extremely active and I look forward to interacting with all of them. PerkStreet is about revolutionizing banking — changing it FOREVER! — and I am excited to be a part of that.

What’s your favorite frugal weekend activity?
Every now and then I will check out a few thrift stores. They are a great place to get both vintage and new things. I have found some cool artwork, antique cufflinks, and awesome books. My best finds have been Italian designer sport coats that retail for over $2,000 which I picked up for $6 a jacket. It is always an awesome feeling when you find something new with tags with a retail of $2200 and you pay $6.

Are you ready for spring or are do you love winter?
I actually like winter because I love to ski. That being said, I am sick of shoveling and trekking through the snow to get to the train everyday. This is one of the toughest winters we have had in a while — at least here in Boston.

Tell us about a time you experienced completely terrible customer service. Don’t worry, you don’t have to name names.
Ironically, my worst customer service experience has been with a bank (hint: the largest bank in America). I was in India on a business trip and my debit card got shut off. Before I left, I specifically told the bank that I would be going on a trip and to not shut off my card. I then called the day before I left to verify that a note was on my account. Sure enough, not only did they shut off my card they also canceled it, making it useless even if they turned it back on. Thank goodness I had a corporate card and some cash to get me through the next week. It took me several hours and a very costly phone bill to get it all sorted out. The bank would not reimburse me for the phone charges even though the whole situation was their fault!

My goal at PerkStreet is to make sure every customer at PerkStreet feels appreciated and knows we value their business. We don’t want anyone to feel used and abused like I did that time.

Now tell us a story of inspiring, awesome customer service.
I have had some great customer service over the years. I can’t pick one over the other, so I will talk about a few:

1) I have had some great wait service at restaurants. Every time I see the server going above and beyond to make my dinner special I always let the manager know how amazing the server was and leave a great tip.

2) Certain retail stores offer amazing customer service: Attentive, but not in your face. They are always there right when you need them and make sure all your shopping needs are taken care of.

3) I have had some great customer service from an internet/cable provider, believe it or not. I was having serious issues with connecting to the internet. Not only did the phone technician fix the issue, he called back the next day to make sure it was still working and offered a bill credit. This was extremely unexpected considering it was from one of the largest cable providers in the country.

Great customer service is about listening to the customer’s needs, addressing those needs, and then being proactive to address the problem at its core so it does not arise again. I am excited to be at a company that truly values its customers and challenges the status quo.

What questions would you like to ask Brendan?