With Kim Minino, customer satisfaction is simply a phone call away.
A telecommunication analyst in UNMC’s Information Technology Services, Minino is responsible for the telecommunication needs of 23 campus buildings including the Lied Transplant Center, the College of Nursing, Administration Center, Bennett Hall, Poynter Hall, Wittson Hall, Swanson Hall, Eppley Institute and Science Hall, University Medical Associates and the Durham Outpatient Center.
Minino goes out of her way to set up new phones for UNMC employees, relocate existing ones or reprograms phones with new features.
“Customer service is a passion with me,” she said. “There is no secret to good customer service. I just treat my customers the way I would like to be treated.”
And, as evidenced by the Thank ‘U’ awards, cards and e-mails scattered about her office, her customers are treated well.
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Job responsibilities: Coordinates, programs and supports the telecommunication needs in 23 buildings on campus and coordinates the annual publication of the campus directory. Joined UNMC: Nov. 1, 1999 One day I’d like to: earn an executive master’s degree at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. Greatest personal achievement: Picking the right husband, the first time; raising two wonderful children and going back to school and graduating summa cum laude. |
For her outstanding customer service skills and performance to UNMC, Minino has earned the Chancellor’s Commendation Gold ‘U’ Award for June.
“What makes my job rewarding and satisfying is to know that my customers think I’ve done a good job — not just that I think I’ve done a good job,” she said.
“Kim has been professional, responsive, thorough and a true pleasure to work with,” one nominator said. “If Kim does not know the answer (which is seldom), she will go out of her way to find it. I have been at UNMC for several years and in all of that time, I have truly never worked with anyone from IT who is as responsive to a customer as Kim. She is always willing to go above and beyond the call of duty.”
Minino’s recipe for success revolves around her adopted motto: “Proper planning prevents poor performance,” and the following habits:
- Respond to customers in a timely manner.
- Answer every e-mail and voice mail.
- Follow up on projects and leave no loose ends.
- Anticipate what might go wrong to prevent problems and/or delays.
Before joining UNMC, Minino spent 21 years at Pitney Bowes, then the company downsized. She had just graduated with her bachelor’s degree in management from Bellevue University, when she heard about the telecommunication position at UNMC. Campus officials wanted someone with strong customer service skills and Minino fit the bill.
“I didn’t know how vast the telecommunications field was until I joined the department,” she said. “I enjoy juggling the volume of projects we receive every day. It is always rewarding when a project comes out well.”
Born in Washington, Minino’s roots didn’t grow deep until she moved to Nebraska at 18. Before that, she lived in Massachusetts, South Dakota, Wyoming and Montana and, from seventh to 12th grade, never attended the same school more than one year.
The daughter of an Air Force serviceman, Minino has a knack for working with people. She said her college research paper, titled “The Client Advocate,” helped her understand that although the big things one does make a difference, it is the little things that gives one the greatest edge.
So, with a ready smile, Minino is on-call one week a month to handle any telecommunications problems that arise. In October, she will distribute her third campus directory and already is updating the information. She also is working on a system that, in the near future, would allow employees to update their campus directory information online.
Minino and her husband of 25 years have two grown children. They enjoy golf, riding bikes and motorcycles and playing sand volleyball.