Ryan has worked in customer service and support for more than twenty years. He has worked with Best Buy and Comcast, assisting the local Twin Cities Business Sales Team. His enjoyment of typical "geeky" things such as Sci-Fi, comic books, computers and technology give him an edge in the ever-changing and innovating telecom industry. Let's face it--much of what we do on our phones today looks like something from an episode of Star Trek!

After a long morning of supporting customers, Ryan likes to order from either of his favorite restaurants: Teresa's or La Casita's. He recommends the Fajita Quesadilla.

When Ryan is not "geeking out" or enjoying amazing Mexican food, he likes to vacation to St. Louis, Missouri with his wife and son, Lucas. They cheer on the Cardinals baseball team and visit downtown.

Ryan has secrets! The best kept one is his hometown of Hopkins, Minnesota. It has your typical "small town" feel to it, with antique stores, a variety of restaurants and bars, and a local tattoo parlor. Hopkins has many great activities to participate in all within 10 minutes of the town. This small town background is part of Ryan's charm and care with Simplified Communications clients.

We all have a horror story of calling a business with a question or issue. From long hold times and endless routing options to downright rude agents, it can seem like customer service is no longer on most companies’ radar, much less the top of their to-do lists. The good news is that companies who get customer service right can easily differentiate themselves from the competition. As a business owner, it falls to you to set clear phone etiquette expectations and provide regular training for employees. Start with the following simple do's and don'ts.

Be Consistent: Everyone in your company should answer the phone the same way. Provide a script for all employees. Keep the “hello” short and include your business name as well as the employee’s name. “Hello, Bob’s Widgets, this is Sam” will suffice

Keep Quiet: It can be difficult, but staff should never interrupt a caller who has called to complain. Train employees to listen to the entire problem, no matter how long it takes. This makes the customer feel cared for and can usually diffuse the situation

Please Hold While I Transfer You: Train every employee on how to use your phone system. Everyone should know the basics, like hold and transfer. If necessary, post cheat sheets next to every phone

Provide Information:When an employee has to put a customer on hold or transfer to another person, let her know what’s happening. Train staff to give the customer a description of what they're going to do, as well an estimate of how long it will take. For example: "Mrs. Johnson, here's what I'm going to do. After we hang up, I'll immediately call the supplier. It may take me a day or two until I reach the right person. Then I'm going to tell them I need another Widget for you in purple,” and so on.