Christine Douglas: Leading Customer Experience with Empathy and Intent

A Career Rooted in Service

Christine Douglas didn’t set out to build a career in customer service. Still, service has always been at the center of who she is.

With degrees in psychology and human services, Christine began her professional life in child welfare, drawn to work that supported people through meaningful and often challenging moments. While deeply fulfilling, the role eventually led her to seek a career that offered more balance without losing the sense of purpose that motivated her every day.

That search brought her to a customer service role at Curries (ASSA ABLOY) in her hometown of Mason City, Iowa. It was a move that unexpectedly set her on a 17-year path in the door industry and helped shape the leader she is today.

Leading With Empathy and Intent

From the beginning, Christine thrived in a customer-centric environment surrounded by strong leaders and high-performing teams. Those early experiences sharpened her understanding of efficiency and process. More importantly, they reinforced the importance of listening.

“Customer listening and empathy are sometimes even more important than the solution itself.”

That belief continues to anchor how Christine leads at Forte. She emphasizes collaboration with both customers and internal partners. Her team relies on standard practices, but they are empowered to act when it matters most.

“How and when we respond matters,” she explains. “No matter the role or the circumstance. Choose your impact.”

Customer Experience, the Forte Way

At the core of Christine’s approach to customer experience is a simple philosophy: treat others the way you want to be treated. After all, everyone is someone’s customer.

Raised with the belief that work reflects who you are, not just what you do, but how you do it, Christine places deep importance on delivering experiences that are meaningful, consistent, intentional, and timely. For her, customer experience is not defined by a single interaction. It is the sum of every touchpoint along the way.

That mindset shows up in Forte’s day-to-day actions. Teams proactively flag potential order issues, provide unprompted updates, and offer solution-oriented options when exact needs cannot be met. These actions reinforce Forte’s role as a true partner.

The Team That Holds It All Together

Internally, Christine sees customer experience as a shared responsibility. Accountability, trust, and cohesion across teams are essential to delivering the level of service customers expect.

Christine often describes customer experience teams as the “filling,” the connective layer between sales and operations that holds everything together. She is especially proud of how her team consistently steps up across the business. Whether collaborating closely with operations, assisting with estimating or quality, or stepping in to support teams on-site, they show up wherever needed

“Serving others has no boundaries. Forte, as a team, delivers the experience.”

Building What’s Next at Forte

One of the things Christine enjoys most about working at Forte is watching the culture evolve year after year. The organization has become increasingly solution-oriented and more closely aligned with where customers live every day: in the details.

Change energizes her. To Christine, it represents opportunity. It is a chance to refine, improve, and build something stronger together.

She points to Forte’s recent reorganization as one of the most impactful shifts she has experienced. The change brought teams closer to customers, reduced touchpoints, clarified ownership, and increased transparency. The result is faster responses, clearer communication, and a stronger foundation for delivering consistent service.

Looking ahead, Christine is focused on solidifying that foundation and being the best at the basics. Her goal is to deliver reliable, high-quality experiences through both Forte’s people and its products.

“Everyone gets to be a participant in who we become next.”

Beyond the Office

Outside of work, Christine treasures quiet time with her family and embraces her introverted side after long days on the phone. She is a self-proclaimed fan of anything with a theme and fondly remembers helping out on her grandparents’ farm as a kid. Those early experiences shaped her appreciation for teamwork, hard work, and community.

Those same values continue to guide her leadership today as she helps shape Forte’s customer experience and what it means to be a trusted partner in the industry.