It’s safe to say that Nathan Schwenke knows a valuable find when he sees one. The man has carved out a name for himself on several fronts. Schwenke is a celebrity in the treasure hunting community who owns a brick-and-mortar business dedicated to the hobby, Midwest Diggers, which furnishes metal detectors and other supplies. There’s also a YouTube channel that chronicles the hunting exploits of Schwenke and his band of treasure hunters.
But when he’s not scanning the Oregon Trail or long-abandoned structures in search of old coins, long-lost gold jewelry and tombac buttons, Schwenke—the vice president of customer support for Digitech Systems—is usually searching for ways to deliver top-notch support for clients. He’s spent the last 20 years with Digitech, but it only took a few days for him to realize the value of finding this document management solutions provider.
During his fourth day as a Digitech employee, Schwenke met CEO HK Bain, who was at the Lincoln, Nebraska, office to visit with employees and distribute profit-sharing checks. Bain popped by Schwenke’s desk and handed a check to the flummoxed newbie. The ink wasn’t even dry on Schwenke’s business cards, yet he was being rewarded, just like any team member.
“I was completely blown away that an employee of only four days would be included in the annual profit-sharing process,” said Schwenke, a 2023 ENX Magazine Difference Maker. “I realized very early on that Digitech Systems truly does care for its employees and their families.”
Schwenke has more than paid back Bain’s early display of gratitude and camaraderie with a laser focus on providing legendary customer service. The numbers speak for themselves: the customer support team has posted an average call answer time of eight seconds, and an impressive 87% of issues are resolved the same day.
That support is palpable; callers can count on reaching a live, knowledgeable support representative, which adds to the experience. Such speed and efficiency is greatly valued by customers.
“Resolving customer issues quickly brings me great joy,” he said. “Our customers are doing important, mission critical, even life-saving work. Supporting their success is incredibly rewarding.”
Schwenke’s previous “dig” was a direct mail/data processing venture, Datapeak, he started in 1996. When direct mail campaigns tailed off precipitously following 9/11, he wanted to pivot toward the technology sector. His sister happened to be employed at Digitech, and she thought his customer service acumen would play well with the company.
That initial encounter with Bain proved to be a harbinger of advanced customer service understanding. The CEO stressed the importance of support revolving around understanding customers’ real-world needs and challenges.
“He insists we approach each user with curiosity and compassion,” Schwenke noted of Bain. “That people-first mindset has shaped our entire approach. Technology alone can’t build connections, but empathy and availability can.”
The company is coming off a successful 2022 that saw it unveil a new certification program for its PaperVision Capture application. The training and certification enables Digitech’s reseller community to become product experts and etch out a point of differentiation. As 2023 draws to a close, the company is about to launch a self-paced online training platform with a video tutorial and documentation library.
Continuous learning is the gateway toward elevating customer service to a higher level. “[It’s important to] have an insatiable appetite to keep learning in order to serve customers even better,” Schwenke noted. “Each issue is a chance to learn and build a relationship.”
Schwenke and his wife, Ashley, have been married for 18 years. They have a son, Kade, who shares his father’s passion for treasure hunting.
