Archive for the ‘Buying Tips’ category

A real example shows how service matters – Customer Feedback

June 16th, 2010

We recently supplied a Traditional Lean To conservatory to a customer who left his installer with the task of selecting a supplier. Understandably, both parties were nervous about dealing with a company that is just another ‘website’ business as far as they knew.

This isn’t uncommon for us, or indeed many businesses just like us, but this is why we believe that the service you provide is paramount. Some would say, ‘well, what does it matter. You sell a conservatory, a one off purchase, they’ll never buy again’. Well, this may be true, but I would answer this with two points.

Firstly, a customer is a customer, whether they buy from you once or a million times. Every time deserves a level of care at least equal to the last.

Secondly, you never know who the customer is going to speak to after the service or product you provide. Treat them badly, they will speak badly of you. Treat them well and, well you can guess the rest….

So, onto Chris (the customer) and John (the fitter).

Firstly, we received the following email around 4 days after delivery;

Hi Chris,
 
             well John has all but finished erecting the conservatory, and I have to say I am very pleased with the out come, there are a couple of little issues that have arisen which I’m sure can be sorted out quite easily. I have taken some photographs so you can identify what I’m talking about.
 
There where two sets of R handed doorhandles sent (looking at it from the outside) IE the screws are on the outside of the left hand door.
One of the end caps for the roof supports didn’t have a screw cover
there are 6 white plastic covers for screws missing although screws and plastic inners where all there.
And finally if you look at all the window panels, all but one has a raised pattern on the lower panel (to the left of the door) new panel required
If you can arrange for these items to be send down I would appreciate it.
 
Unfortunately with all the contact numbers you sent there is no emailed address, I will be away until the 24th but if you can liaise with John I would appreciate it.
 
He will be contacting you shortly reference the door I enquired about on the phone.
 
Once again Chris thank you in anticipation, you can be assured you will be recommended by me to all
 
regards
So you can see, the customer on the whole is happy even though we had a couple of issues (the handles by the way was as simple as taking them off, turn the handle 180° and fitting them the right way round) but they were dealt with immediately and an email sent straight back to explain that the goods would be sent on next day delivery.
 
I’d like to thank Chris at this stage for the photos and I look forward to one when everything is completed, but for now here’s one of the images he has sent us.
 
Traditional Lean To Conservatory
 
The following day we received this email from John;

Hi cris

Thank you for your prompt response

We where both very pleased with the product-first rate, from your help first help on the phone, to the delivery boys and to the final erection-thank you for your help

 I will email you door sizes for the one off door between the garage and the utility room next week

 Looking to see if I can generate any business using your services as we did with cris do you have any pricing guides , point of sale information etc that could help

Thank you

john

So, two very happy customers. Even when things haven’t gone absolutely perfectly. I have made a point of not editing any of the emails even though they pointed out issues to do with the product.

The reason? Well simply this, most of us appreciate that when we buy goods, particularly a manufactured item with hundreds of components, sometimes issues arise. It’s how we deal with the issues that matter.

14 comments »

Posted in Buying Tips, Customer Service, DIY Conservatories

Should service levels affect my choice of DIY Conservatory supplier?

February 23rd, 2010
When deciding to make any major purchase, surely you would want to get the best possible service you can. So, when choosing your supplier, how can you be sure of the level of service you can expect?
It’s easy! Use the experiences you have had whilst you are still in the decision process. There are a few major signals that can help you on your way to making the right choice.
  • If you made an enquiry to the company, how long did it take them to make contact with you. A phone call, email, anything simply to acknowledge your enquiry.
  • When discussing your DIY Conservatory requirements with the company, how simple did it feel (to you) to describe what you needed. Any representative with knowledge will make it feel easy to you even if you’re not sure how to explain things.
  • How long did it take the company to come back to you with your conservatory quote. If you have waited for more than a couple of days, have they made contact to explain the delay?
  • Has your quotation been provided in writing, or did the company simply want to only give a verbal price.
  • Is the potential supplier quick to enter into a ‘discount’ discussion. Often, companies with a greater integrity will offer a fair and reasonable price first time and not just be interested in massive discounts just to win a sale.
The five points above will give you a reasonable indicator of the level of service you can expect from a conservatory supplier if they are succesful in winning your business. OK, it obvioulsy isn’t a guarantee, as some companies will pull out the stops at pre-sale and then fall woefully once they have secured the order. But, at least if you spot the signs above, you can decide ealier rather than later who to shortlist as your possible supplier.
It never fails to amaze me the amount of potential customers who I speak to who claim to have been waiting, in my opinion, too long for a supplier to come back to them with quotes, information, etc. I have spoken with a gentleman this morning who has been waiting for two weeks for a company to do a quotation for a small lean to conservatory with one side omitted. Another is alledgedly waiting for the company who supplied his first conservatory (which apparently has almost fallen down) to re-quote on another. I accept that some of this is simply the customer ‘putting off’ the rest of us, as people generally find it hard just to tell you how it is.
I do also believe that there is this obsession with having to get as many quotes as possible to barter with. Beware, when applying this tactic to your purchase, you may also find you unwittingly rule out the better companies as they will walk away if you’re only buying factor is price.

9 comments »

Posted in Buying Tips, DIY Conservatories