“Customer experience,” as opposed to “customer service” is how many successful companies interpret how they interact with their clientele. It is a catch phrase that encompasses the entire experience that the customer has with a company, from the initial contact to product presentation, to the closing of the sale, to the handling of any questions, problems or complaints. A company’s competitive advantage can be driven by their interest in the customer’s experience. And just like scoring a home run in baseball, it is all about the follow through.
Take the service team at S.R. Smith: their focus is on the experience. The company’s stated mission is to make products that make the pool experience better for swimmers and owners. For the people who design aquatic facilities, they create tools that make it easier to select what is needed. For the people who service pools, they design products that are safe and easy to install.
But they don’t stop there.
They also have a customer service team on hand, ready to field questions as varied as the products they manufacture.
Zofia Dombrowski and Cindy Snyder are lighting specialists for S.R. Smith. If you have technical questions about S.R. Smith pool lighting, chances are you will be speaking to one of them – Cindy in the western half of the country, Zofia in the east.
They take calls on how to identify existing lights, how to check fitting and conduit sizes, how to upgrade old fiber optic lighting, how to get the correct conversion kits and how to resynchronize lighting systems. And they love to take your calls, preferably while you are still on the job.
“When you’re there at the job site, pick up the phone and call me and let’s talk about what you see and we can get it done on the spot,” Cindy said.
Talk about follow through.
Or take the team members at H2flow Controls: they view the purchase of their products as only the beginning of a long-term relationship with their customers. According to Gavin Hackett, H2flow Controls Chief Operating Officer, ensuring 100% customer satisfaction and resolving any support related issues in a prompt and effective manner are essential to customer satisfaction “Great systems are only as good as great support, and a cornerstone of our business is providing a ‘beginning-toend’ solution,” Hackett said.
So if you have a question about H2flow’s commercial variable frequency drives or any of their Eco-Flow products, you will probably end up talking to Dave Atkins (419) 309-7218. For a conversation about flow-meters, you want Matt Hackett (419)-464-9502 It can be frustrating standing at the equipment pad, phone in hand, endlessly on hold or else keying in one extension after the next in pursuit of an actual human being to answer a simple question. Why is it that some companies seem to deliberately create bureaucratic hurdles and barriers to communication? Customer service is an integral part of the customer experience: businesses that understand this are sure to inspire consumer loyalty.
H2flow Controls Flow Meters Matt Hackett 419-464-9502 Variable Frequency Drives Dave Atkins 419-309-7218 S.R. Smith Lighting Support Line 800-824-4387 Zofia Dombrowski Eastern Ext. 4012; Cindy Snyder Western Ext. 2282.
