Everyone’s definition of customer support is different, but I believe there are a few principles which are critical to achieving customer satisfaction:
- Customer Service is a mindset, one that should be engrained throughout the entire organization, from leadership down to the shipping/receiving department.
- Communication is key. This includes listening, asking questions, providing updates, and following-up, whether in person, over the phone, or via email. When in doubt or the situation calls for it, over-communicate.
- We must be available, responsive, flexible, friendly, and honest.
- Technical Support
- Spare Parts
- Field Service
- Upgrades and Retrofits
Technical Support is really our first line of defense. Ideally, technical questions and issues are resolved on the first pass. If not, then a plan of action is created. Typically this involves one of the other areas. Our Technical Support team is highly technical, handles shifting priorities, and knows where to find information. And they have the ability to support machines that are 20 years old to the latest generation machine, the LASERDYNE® 811. To further improve responsiveness and help minimize machine downtime, we are in the process of rolling-out a 24/7 support system so customers always have a point of contact around the clock.
Spare Parts covers the quote, order, and shipment of recommended spare parts, consumables, breakdown parts, and parts that can be repaired. Stock is a critical aspect of the parts business, and we strive to find a balance with our customers between what we stock and what we recommend that our customers stock. We also strive to have an efficient quote and order process to minimize lead-times.
Field Service covers those activities that we complete on-site. This includes breakdown repairs, preventative maintenance, training, and installing updates to name a few. Field Service work is demanding, so our technicians need to be flexible, thorough, know where and how to get information, and have a strong desire to achieve complete customer satisfaction. We want the field service team to be the eyes and ears to the market. Our service products include training, preventative maintenance contracts, and machinery audits. Servicing legacy equipment is extremely important, but the group must also have an eye to the future as technology advances and customer requirements change.
Upgrades and Retrofits are necessary to ensure our systems remain current and continue be a valued part of the manufacturing process. Customers expect their equipment to operate reliably for many, many years. With the rapid advance of technology, most notably control systems, hardware can quickly become obsolete or at least more difficult to support. In order to ensure years of reliable service, quite often upgrades need to be completed to ensure current support is available and spare hardware can be purchased. Considering this, we offer many up-to-date and relevant upgrades and retrofits to our customers to allow the machines to remain in service for many years.
Customer service is inherently a “reactive” function, but to truly reach that industry-leading level, we must be proactive and anticipate trends or needs to be ahead of the curve. Prima Power Laserdyne has been supporting customers and their machinery for many years, historically from a reactive standpoint. For 2020 and beyond, we will be growing and developing the customer support team, implementing many process improvements, and establishing a proactive approach as we work towards that ‘industry-leading’ level.
If you have any feedback and comments on the Prima Power Laserdyne service group and additional steps we should consider to improving our customer support function, please contact lds.sales@primapower.com
