I am two years into my career with Fisher's and I have focused a significant amount of that time talking with the best of the best around the country in my industry. What have I learned from this extensive study? Don't look to the copier industry to learn much about customer service.
The best of the best are absolutely taking their businesses in impressive innovative directions with advanced scanning, electronic document management and workflow, enterprise-wide imaging environment management, and ever-improving color solutions. But the industry continues to be fraught with dishonesty, aggressive sales tactics, and opportunistic preying on naïve customers. Is it these tactics Fisher’s wants to learn? Are those the “best practices” we need to teach? For short-term gains, maybe. For long-term sustainable growth, absolutely not. We frankly need to look to other industries to improve.
Where do we look? Strategy consultancies? Wealth managers? I don’t think so. Try plumbers.... the best example I have found for a company I want to model is right down the street from Fisher’s: A1 Plumbing. Dan Long at A1 has taken the typical image of a plumber, butt crack and all, and turned it 180 degrees around and created an organization that is the epitome of top customer service. After several very educational sessions with Dan I started talking about his story around town, and 100% of the feedback has been, “A1 does have AMAZING service... there is no one like them.” They truly have an untouchable reputation in our market. That is what I want for Fisher’s.
Fisher’s has come a long way in two years, rallying around the customer experience. And we are at a very good place in our service program. But as we continue to strive to improve, I am not looking at the office technology industry to learn... I am looking at those companies that truly earn their customers’ loyalty every day. And I found one of the best in the world just down the street.