Are you evaluating forklift dealers for equipment, service, parts, or rental? If so, you need to ask yourself a few customer service questions about any potential new relationships. “Why?” you ask. When you begin that timeless courtship with a salesperson or company rep; you see their smiling face and feel their firm handshake promising to make sure your needs are met. That’s great! That’s what your first contact should be like, but you need to be a smart consumer and dig just a little deeper into any prospective company to be sure you will continue to receive that great first contact treatment.
One way to get to the heart of any company, is to ask about their customer service policies. Without good communication, customer service standards, and follow-up procedures – what is the true value of a company? None. There’s always another company down the street or around the corner, who would be ecstatic to have your business. Whether you are looking for a forklift dealer, service center, or parts supplier – remember to ask about: Procedure Practices, Accessibility, Professional Tone and Attitude, Product Knowledge, Ongoing Employee Training, Problem Solving, and how they Go the Extra Mile.
A good company talks to you. They find out your unique needs, and do their best to provide you with the options you need to be successful.
Solid Procedure Practices are a must for any potential company you want to do business with. Every time you call, order a part, schedule a service, or set up training you want to know it will consistently happen in the same manner and time frame. Nothing is worse than your first part or service being delivered in express time with a personal touch, and the next being a week overdue without notices or explanations. Making sure there are procedures in place keeps you, from having to guess or hope when your asset will be delivered or up and running again.
Accessibility is one of the most important things to ask about. Ask yourself “What good is a company you can never get in touch with?”. Then check that there are multiple ways to contact their company, and if you will get an actual response from a real person in a TIMELY manner. How many field technicians do they have and are any of them dedicated to my business area. Additionally, is emergency service available outside of normal business hours?
Professional Tone and Attitude can vary in importance from person to person. For most it is an upbeat, helpful disposition with a “can do” attitude. Listen to the employees and attempt to contact a few different departments of the company you will be dealing with to obtain pertinent product information. Weigh how each responds to you. If a professional tone and attitude is not something that is conveyed to you on a regular basis, then speak with the general manager about your expectations and see if they are inline with the company’s core principles.
Ongoing Employee Training and Product Awareness is something to look for with any company you want to do business with. Keeping or employing a stagnant company that cannot meet the needs of your newer model assets or having slow tedious service due to outdated workflows will keep your business from running at peak capacity. Find a company that invests in itself with training. It is a boon to employ a company that hires knowledgeable industry trained workers and encourages ongoing training. That means they will be up to date with new products, workflow processes, cutting edge industry technology, and skills to serve your needs. A huge bonus is when they will extend some of that training to their customers with either in house training sessions, onsite training, new product information, or helpful web videos.
Problem Solving is something that is sometimes overlooked. Have you ever been dissatisfied with a product and when you reached out to the company you were just given a refund and sent on your way or they exchanged the product for something just as useless? A good company talks to you. They find out your needs, your struggles, and make a true attempt to help you resolve them. This is the hallmark of a company that values you and your business. Ask pointed questions about how they would help you in specific situations.
Going the Extra Mile. It’s an old saying that still rings true today. Does your asset provider go out of their way to hand deliver a new unit, train a worker on how to operate it, then find you to shake your hand and thank you for your business? If they do this or similar practices; you have found a company that believes that good customer service is understanding a customer’s wants, needs, and expectations – meeting and exceeding them in a sincere and thoughtful way with their end goal in mind: being the best option for you to return. This is the type of company you should strive to hire. A good company will talk to you about how you’re valued and appreciated as a customer.
Asking about these good customer service practices means you will know where a company stands. You will know if they will return your call, interact with you in a way you feel valued, be knowledgeable about what they offer, and help to give you the best service and product. Customer service should be accessible, freely talked about, and makes a company worth your business.
