Community Highlights: Meet LaTonya Washington of The Customer Culture

Today we’d like to introduce you to LaTonya Washington.

Hi LaTonya, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
Let me share with you a bit of my back story: When I was a young child, I suffered from a bladder condition and on a yearly basis, had to undergo surgery. I cried every time, but with the great care that was given to me from hospital staff, especially the nurses, I wanted to be just like them – making others feel better. For that reason, I went into the field of Medicine and became a nurse. That was the beginning of me developing soft skills, becoming more empathetic, compassionate and not wanting to see people suffer.

As time went on, the “business ownership bug” bit me and I began to increase my studies in business, marketing, and public relations. I then went into business for myself, first trailblazing my own destiny by putting on business workshops, making myself more visible on social media, networking, connecting and surrounded myself with successful business owners who challenged me.

As I made myself more visible, there were organizations, small businesses, and entrepreneurs who began reaching out to me and expressed interest in what I provided in the way of guiding them through the process of developing more improved employee and customer relations, along with understanding the journey that people take in a sales process.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Let me tell you, there were days when I missed the mark, days of no income, and became downright depressed! Because I knew what I wanted, I battled through. There was a saying I heard, “it costs to be the boss,” which is so true.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about The Customer Culture?
The Customer Culture is a minority-owned business that specializes in guiding companies in developing best practices to accommodate the needs of their customers. It trains in the development of skill sets for patience, attentiveness, communication, crises, customer journey mapping, and diversity.

Our operations model is hands-on so trainees have the opportunity to work through the process of learning. It builds internal teamwork, strong leadership, and collaborative efforts.

Being in the customer/people-oriented business for over 30 plus years gives us an edge on understanding the nature of people, including their emotions, personality, and diverse backgrounds. We consistently are in training for ourselves, as well, to keep up with social behavior and technology to better service our clientele.

I am most proud of the fact that we operate with a customer-focused initiative. This pandemic has caused a lot of new types of emotions to surface, including things such as brain fog associated with those who contracted Covid, and sometimes employees or fellow associates do not realize that such a thing exists. So, we also have added a session regarding post-Covid relations.

Our target markets are the Fortune 500 companies and small businesses with employees who are connecting to clients on a daily basis, either via telephone, video chat, and/or in person. Our target audience are those in HR such as managers and directors, even the entrepreneur who has the clientele. We all have something to learn from developing best practices for developing customer relations.

Are there any books, apps, podcasts or blogs that help you do your best?
Some of my favorite books to read all deal with customer relations, marketing, business and leadership. I am a big fan of Audible on Amazon right about now which allows me to take notes and even listen as I’m driving.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://latonyawashington.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/latonyawashington/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/LaTonyaTeaches