Meet OECM’s Customer Support Team!

From Strategic Sourcing Solutions to Supplier Relationship Management to Customer Relationship Management, the OECM team works cohesively to ensure that our customers’ interests, needs, and feedback are always top of mind. At the heart of our business is OECM’s dedicated Customer Support team. They uphold our high service standards and customer-centric approach to deliver an enhanced experience for all our customers.

Led by Director of Customer Relationship Management, Sonia Gallo, and Senior Manager, Customer Relations, Shelly Ann Henry, our Customer Support team is responsible for customer outreach, customer engagement, onboarding new customers to OECM and managing OECM’s one-window Customer Support email and telephone number.

Did you know? Not only does Customer Support respond to all customer inquiries in a timely and effective manner, but we also actively meet with our customers to help grow their participation with OECM. To be successful at this, we need to have a deep understanding of each customer and their unique needs.

Here’s how we’re doing it!

Business Reviews: In 2021, OECM engaged with several Procurement teams through a Business Review meeting to discuss their current participation and future business development opportunities. For 2022, we will be including both the Facilities and Procurement teams during Business Reviews to help ‘bridge the gap’ between groups.

Second Stage Selection: Together with our Supplier Relationship Management (SRM) team, we help OECM customers to better understand and utilize the Second Stage Selection process. For example, we recently supported the Procurement team at Peel District School Board in their Second Stage request on our Commercial Air Treatment Technology, Related Products and Optional Services agreement and we’ve interacted with several Facilities and Procurement teams to support two key initiatives – Plumbing Products and Portable Classrooms.

• For Plumbing Products, OECM supported customers in understanding the Second Stage process, as well as how to execute a Customer-Supplier Agreements (CSA) using the pricing OECM had already negotiated on behalf of the school board sector. 30 School Boards used this agreement in 2021 – a huge increase from 7 in 2020!

• For Portable Classrooms, in coordination with the Facilities Priority Projects team, we supported customers in completing their CSA relating to the large-scale purchase of Portable Classrooms facilitated by OECM. We worked seamlessly to provide customers with the right information at the right time.

These are great examples of how OECM’s Customer Support and SRM teams work together, leveraging our respective strengths and knowledge to address customer needs in real-time.

Success Story! OECM recently assisted on two Facilities-related Second Stage processes on behalf of Fleming College. The Procurement team at Fleming connected us with their agreement end-users directly so that we could help them understand the OECM process, the applicable agreement, and complete the Second Stage template. The Procurement team was confident in OECM’s ability to assist end-users, demonstrating the comfort that our Customer Support team instills in our customers!

Fact! OECM’s Customer Support team is divided by portfolio. For example, Customer Relationship Manager, Maxwell Marler manages School Boards, Shelly Ann Henry manages Colleges and Jason Lee oversees the Universities portfolio.

As our customer base expands and grows, so too does our Customer Support team! Read more about our OECM team structure here.