Got a story? Ring us on 01732 748041 or e-mail twood@unity-media.com BOILERS,SERVICING&PARTS Making life as hassle free as possible Vokèra’s Darren Payne looks at how learning lessons from the past can improve customer service in the future... Looking back over the past 30 years, we can see that, from a service perspective, the business of actually doing business has changed dramatically. In the early 1980s, we relied on a paper-based booking system and job sheets, while installers could only reach us by calling a landline telephone. There was also no reliable way to measure and report on customer satisfaction levels. As time has progressed, so the way we deal with customers has evolved and improved. The vast majority of companies in our sector now have electronic call logging and allocation software, route planning and a parts replenishment system to ensure they have all the information and parts available to meet installer needs as quickly as possible. Manufacturers are also able to conduct statistical analysis and use complex reporting tools to assess and improve customer satisfaction. If customers are treated well, then they become a strong advocate for your business and a great source of future business referrals. That’s why customer care matters. Our customer service is divided into four, inter-connected areas - the customer care centre, engineering services, spare parts and product innovation and development. We believe that alongside a full portfolio of products and services, a motivated customer care team and a highly skilled team of engineers with a full complement of spare parts availability is essential to the delivery of exceptional service. A boiler manufacturer’s customer care centre will take hundreds of thousands of inbound telephone calls every year, it is, therefore, paramount that this operation is well drilled but equally customer focused, listening to and effectively dealing with customer requests. We WWW.HPMMAG.COM continually monitor and survey the performance of our care centre team ensuring we are delivering in all respects and currently achieve a 98% customer satisfaction rating. However, there’s never any room for complacency. We remain committed to maintaining high standards and making sure that installers and homeowners are dealt with speedily, positively and efficiently by our care centre team. The next link in the customer care chain is the engineers on the ground. Here, again, quality and performance is essential in supporting installers and their relationship with customers. A well trained and motivated team of engineers is critical in maintaining service excellence. The objective for us is to respond to every call within 24 hours, or at a time agreed with the householder. Our operators will make every effort to solve problems over the phone, but if a visit to site is required, then we target a first-fix completion. Spare parts and the outbound logistics operation that gets parts where they’re needed in double quick time is the next critical step. Again, investment here in stock, resources and automation can impact directly on the installer and consumer experience. In broad terms, ensuring the ready availability of stock is crucial but the detail is also important. For example, we even measure the performance of each warehouse operative to ensure picking errors are kept to an absolute minimum and our statistics show that throughout 2013 on average 99.53% of orders were completed on time and in full. It is not only important to keep spare parts for existing boilers but also for those boilers that have been removed from the manufacturer’s catalogue. Installers and engineers need to have peace of mind that when they install a boiler they are going to have access to spare parts if anything fails in the future. As a rule, we stock all functional components for a minimum of ten years. Listening to the customer and gathering feedback is vital for taking boiler technology forward and informing product development. We take as many opportunities as possible to gather feedback on our products and services. It is only by being pro-active in this approach that we gain the valuable and useful information from the market that ensures we continue to deliver on what installers need. We are constantly in touch with installers, inviting them to contribute their opinions through feedback forms. Typically, we receive thousands back each year. These forms feature questions about specific products, particularly during the launch phase and more generic questions about technical support and service back up. We understand that product quality and reliability along with service and technical back up are the two most important areas for installers. Over the last 30 years, we have listened to installers and tried to understand what the most important factors that affect their businesses are. Homeowners rely on installers to have access to spare parts and information as quickly as possible. This in turn means installers rely on manufacturers to have the spare parts in stock and available. We take every measure we can to ensure our stock levels are managed correctly and we can respond to every request as quickly and efficiently as possible. Making life as hassle free as possible is the aim of every manufacturer, which inevitably leads to a much happier life for all. enquiry number 154 Worcester training course For your chance to win this prize, simply enquire to answer A or B in response to this question: How many training courses is Worcester offering as a prize? A: 20 years B: 25 years Worcester Bosch Group is giving away a bundle of Greenstar gas-fired boiler training courses and its new Greenstar System Filter accessory. The winner will be able to attend two of the following one day programmes; Greenstar CDi Compact training; Greenstar CDi Classic training; Greenstar i Junior training. As if that wasn’t enough, Worcester is also giving the winner a Greenstar system filter, which has been designed specifically to combat the impact of magnetic and non-magnetic system water contaminants. This prize gives the winner everything they need to install and maintain Worcester’s new generation of Greenstar gas-fired boilers. PRIZE 11 Answer A 155 REMEMBER: enter all 12 competitions, and you could win the grand prize - the lot! Answer B 156 HPM’s Festive giveaway PRIZE 11 60 DECEMBER 2013 HEATING & PLUMBING MONTHLY
HPM December 2013
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