Customer Service

Tammy Greene, Assistant Director in Scottrade's Compliance Department, remembers finding a customer letter addressed to Rodger O. Riney, the Founder and CEO, on her desk. Rodger had attached a yellow post-it note to it saying, "Tammy, please look into this and let's discuss."

"My first reaction was 'uh oh' what did I do?" Tammy said. "After all, how often is it that the president asks to discuss something with you directly? With my heart pounding, I went to his office and immediately was greeted with a smile and we discussed the complaint along with the response we would send to the customer.

"I remember thinking, 'Wow, this man really cares about his customers!' Much to my surprise I started seeing this happen so often that I soon realized that Rodger wanted to see every letter that came in addressed to him no matter where it had originated within the firm; he wanted to participate in the response. Most importantly, he wanted his customers to know that he cared about their concerns."

And so began the system of "Rodger's pal," Tammy said. Each month a member of the Compliance staff meets with Rodger and they address all complaints that are addressed to him. He participates in what he wants said in these letters and if it is a problem on our end he will do what is right for the customer. In some cases he will contact the department or branch associated with the issue.

"Probably the most amazing meeting I had was when a woman had written a letter expressing her dissatisfaction with a check that had been delayed posting to her account. Although it was resolved by the time we received the letter, the President called this customer personally and apologized.

"I often ask myself, how many companies have presidents that actually read customer letters and participate in the responses?" Tammy said. "I bet not many."

Scott Preble, Branch Manager in Sun City, Ariz., is 38 – a youngster to many of his clients. Sun City, a suburb of Phoenix, is a place with a lot of retirees and military veterans.

Many like to stop in at Scott's branch not only to talk about their investments, but also to share their hopes and dreams for their children and grandchildren. On many occasions, Scott has been invited to family events. He's attended some funerals as well.

Scott thought such an event might be coming soon for one of his favorite customers, Mary, who had suffered a stroke. A representative from Mary's assisted living facility had been in to see Scott and said she was in a bad way and wanted to tidy up her financial affairs.

Scott and Mary had a somewhat unusual relationship. While most of Scott's customers were rather formal and correct, Mary was different. "She'd come in and tell me I'm ugly and getting fatter as she looked at me," Scott laughed.

Scott learned to parry those remarks with some more gentle barbs of his own and the two got along famously.

"When he learned that Mary was ill, Scott decided he needed to make a house call. This is usually not done, but Scott decided in the spirit of Scottrade that it was "the right thing to do."

Mary didn't look well when Scott arrived. But soon the bantering began. The paperwork got done and Scott left thinking he might never see Mary again.

Boy was he wrong. A few months later, Scott watched Mary get out of her car, step into his branch and walk up to his desk. This time, she didn't kid around.

"I'm here to thank you," Scott remembers Mary telling him. "Before you came over to see me, I had pretty much given up on life. But your visit just picked up my spirits. And from that day I resolved that I was going to get better. You made a difference."

Scott says that moment helped define for him why he loves working at Scottrade. He added that it's a place where your bosses want you to be the kind of person your customers will admire.

"You aren't just coming to a job here," Scott said. "You are coming to a career and you are coming to be part of something. At Scottrade you are supported and appreciated."