Download Front Burner Issue - Winter 2010 - Comcater

Day to day challenges...
There are days where we are swamped with enquiries
and we always try to be as prompt as possible to keep
up with the demands of our customers. The same goes
with our Service Department, every equipment
breakdown is important and we juggle our technicians
between jobs to ensure the quickest response times.
Tell us about an amusing moment...
The most amusing moment wasn’t so amusing at the
time, but very funny on reflection. I remember asking
our Sales Rep Simon (early in his career) to meet me at a
new construction site. I was there with the customer
and we heard a loud thud. We looked over at the
unfinished car park and noticed the company commodore
with it’s front end no longer visible. I couldn’t work
out what had happened until the customer and I got
closer. The Plumber had laid pipes in the car park and
dug a huge ditch, which had not been barricaded or
flagged off. Simon drove in head first. The car was stuck
and we waited for several hours for the tow truck to
come. They finally managed to winch it up after many
attempts.
How do you face the challenges of unhappy customers?
Customer Service skills include the ability to answer
queries as promptly as possible. In sales it is the old
story, if you don’t know the answer on the spot, rather
than making one up, we get back to the customer with
the correct answer. Honesty and reliability are
paramount especially when offering advice! A massive
advantage we have over most competitors in the
industry is our ability for technical questions to be
answered with our own technicians close at hand. We
provide backup support for all products that we sell.
What equipment, do you value the most, that you
sell through your business?
The RATIONAL ‘SelfCooking Center’ has revolutionised
the art of cooking. In addition, the Winterhalter range
of dishwasher’s represent innovation and quality. Both
of these brands are miles ahead of any competitor with
unique features and benefits, and proven performance
and reliability in the marketplace.
These products are unmatched and are a joy to sell!
Comcater Solutions – how long have you partnered
with Comcater? And how has this relationship contributed
to the growth of your business?
I have always looked at Comcater as the equipment leader
in Australia. There is at least one piece of Comcater product
in just about every kitchen. The quality brands that
Comcater brings into Australia are well known and popular
with customers. Our affiliation with Comcater began about
4 years ago and our sales have gone from strength to
strength. Comcater products have contributed greatly in
the growth of our business. I find that Comcater has similar
principles to our company with great backup in all areas.
How have YOUR customer’s needs changed over the
years?
At the end of the day, all customers want ‘value for money’
and ‘good service’ and I don’t think that has changed over
the years. Perhaps these days the main difference is the
increased pace of society which leads to added pressure to
get things done quickly. As far as equipment, there is more
demand now for energy efficient products which can cope
with increasing workloads.
If you could change one area of the industry - What
would it be?
Restricting the amount of low quality products being sold
in the market place which in turn creates frustration
amongst customers and service repair personnel.
Final comments
The Food Service industry is the one industry that I think
will continue to hold strong, no matter what happens with
the economy.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank our Staff for
their great efforts in making Performance Catering
Equipment a great success, and of course my wonderful
wife Lucy who is a key link in the family business (looking
after our two children at the same time).
Also, many thanks and appreciation to Comcater for the
great business relationship we share and to our local
Comcater executive Clive Gilbert who always assists our
team and customers with excellent professionalism and
support.