customer service for the win

Written By KEN Fernandez

Early on in my Concrete Construction Supply business I hired a friend to work as my outside salesman. He was exceptionally good at providing customer service.

While he was meeting with a particular contractor we were trying to win over, he noticed that the contractor was unhappy about something. After inquiring about what was troubling him, the contractor mentioned that he was upset with his supplier.

The contractor had bought a few five gallon buckets of concrete sealer and had one bucket left over and therefore had no use for it. He tried to return it, but the supplier wouldn't take it back because the bucket was a little dirty and the label was partially torn.

My salesman, being an expert in customer service, decided to help the contractor. He picked up the bucket, put it in the back of his truck, and offered to take the leftover sealer. He then gave the contractor a customer credit with us. The customer pointed out that he didn't actually purchase it from us, but my salesman insisted on giving him credit anyway and drove off.

Fast forward two weeks later and that contractor placed a whopping $30,000.00 order with us and became a loyal customer for years to come.

By the way, that customer credit my salesman gave him was only $25.00.

It's crazy to think that some businesses are willing to lose a significant sale and customer loyalty over such a small amount.

I tell my team to give away as much as they can because it will come back tenfold. 

It's essential to make it easy for customers, especially in the construction industry where contractors are under constant pressure to get the job done. If you can make it hassle-free and straightforward for them, they will keep coming back.

When I started my business, it was just me and one other employee. The first few years were rough, and I remember a few times picking up the phone just to make sure there was a dial tone because no one was calling. 

But years later, I now watch six or seven inside sales people answering call after call from contractors, placing orders. No one was asks about pricing; they just place orders.

I achieved this after working for other companies that didn't focus on customer service. And as I observed them, I realized they were missing the mark. 

I knew I would treat my clients better than anyone else in my industry, and they would leave my store feeling better than when they came in. 

I would teach my employees to do the same. I understood customer service, and it was my goal to have the best customer service of any service business around.

Let me tell you two stories to make my point. 

One day, a contractor called me to compliment me on two of my employees. He had come into the store and ordered some building materials. Then he was directed to pull his truck into the yard and give the invoice to one of our yard people to be loaded. 

He called me to say that in all of his years in business, he had never been treated so well as he had by the two men who had filled his order. He told me that they were so courteous, helpful, and friendly. He said, "I felt so good when I left your store, I just had to call and tell you." 

I thanked him and immediately went and found those two men and thanked them.

Shortly after that, I was out front helping a customer when he told me something that made me realize I had accomplished my dream of providing second-to-none customer service. 

He said, "Ken, there are days when I am driving to a job when I start to think, do I need any supplies from your company? I realized I do that because I want to come into your store. I want to come in because there is such a positive and friendly feeling here. I need that positive boost that I always get when I come here."

That said, never settle. You can’t slack on this rule. 

Even after all these years, there is always room for improvement in customer service. No matter how good you are at any given area in life, there is always room for growth.