AGRR - March/April 2008 - AGRR Magazine

Customer Servicetips for quality servicetompkins.carl@sikacorp.comSafety: The Best Differentiator!by Carl TompkinsSO, WHAT IS IT THAT CAUSES Acustomer to choose one supplierover another? The answeris “differentiators.” The list of differentiatorsvaries from one customer tothe next and is based on the singlesubject of education. The more educateda customer is on the product orservice that he desires to purchase,the longer his list of differentiators;the more educated the customer, thebetter his ability to weight differentiators.Examples of differentiators caninclude the subjects of location, hoursof service, history in the business, reputation,customer service, quality,workmanship and more. When customerslack education on the productsthey need to purchase, or thosewho offer those products, price is theprinciple differentiator.Educating CustomersThe education that a customer attains,pertaining to the performance ofa product or satisfaction of service,comes from three sources: direct experience,referral and supplier provision.Unfortunately, the sources of direct experienceand referral are somewhatlimited in our industry since the averagecar owner makes a replacementauto glass purchase once every sevenyears. This scenario emphasizes theneed for glass shops to utilize all possibleopportunities to educate customersin order to increase their list of differentiators.Can you think of any subjectmore powerful than safety?Just how important is any othercontinued on page 108 AGRR March/April 2008 www.agrrmag.com