Water Well Journal

October 2015

Water Well Journal

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I t's exciting to work in the groundwater industry—because we are making a difference in people's lives and also the environment. You all know the facts about the amount of water in our bodies and on our planet, so I won't go down that path. What we have to know and pay special attention to is the working effectiveness of water systems. We are all involved with water but if we can't find, develop, and maintain a good, safe, clean supply of water—it is all for naught. Seasonal checkups At this time of year I wish to provide a reminder, a wake- up call, on the seasonal get-ready programs you offer now or will be offering soon. Every homeowner who works from a well needs to have an inspection and tune-up as required. That is so we can operate safely through the winter season with all the challenges winter presents to us. Just as we have our annual physical with our medical providers, we also need to provide a seasonal checkup for our water systems. There are checklists for all of these seasonal checkups which we should create. What needs to be checked? What needs to be lubricated? What sealing systems need reviewing? What about water table evaluations? How about water quality testing? We need to be in the business of providing peace of mind to all our customers with their water systems. How well do you do in this customer service? One of the interesting aspects of the after-sale service busi- ness is it's a matter of trust and confidence. We have made a sale to a customer. They want us to provide pumps or drilling systems or water conveyance systems. They have decided to provide you with their business and they have purchased your products and services. You do the work. You make the installation. Unfortunately, that's where many suppliers stop. After all, the job is done. But is it really? Maintaining customers for life We were taught a lesson in the early 1980s by the Japanese suppliers in the automotive industry. We were taught we need to have Customers for Life. That is the title of a significant book by Carl Sewell of Dallas, Texas. Sewell owns and operates a group of car dealerships. He was one of the principal leaders in the development of the Customer Satisfaction Index. Sewell is a visionary as well as an extremely successful businessman. His approach sounds similar to our industry too. He begins with the sale of a vehicle, but it doesn't end there. His sales- men introduce their customers to the service and support team. It is the after-sale service that is going to influence the next sales transaction three or four or five years down the road. He lives the Customers for Life philosophy. Shouldn't you? Of course you should. But that is work. You have to stay in touch with your customers. Not to the point of interfering or becoming a bother, but rather maintaining good communi- cations and maintaining the trust and confidence of the customer. We should have them feeling they don't need to worry about their water supply at all. We have it covered. Do the work To many of you this might sound too obvious. Let me pose a few questions. Over the lifetime of your business, how many customers who bought something from you, anything at all, are still pur- chasing from you? That is the measure. It is a hard tangible measure. Harvard Business School proved that with their "Service Profit Chain" in the 1980s. If you can increase customer retention by 5%, you will increase the profitability of your business by 45%. There is nothing we do that has that signifi- cant and dramatic an impact on the bottom line. Again I urge you to do the work. Perform the study. Look, the year is nearly over for 2015. It's a perfect time. Get the customer purchase history for 2014 and 2015. Compare the customer purchases this year to last year. Who is growing with you, buying more? Who is buying less from you? Who hasn't bought anything at all? That will provide you with all the information you need to be able to determine this is serious business. If the customer is providing you with more business, that is a positive thing. A call to thank them for their business wouldn't be out of line. RON SLEE THE AFTER MARKET SEASONS COME AND SEASONS GO The need for customers and clean water never ends. We need to be in the business of providing peace of mind to all our customers with their water systems. 70 October 2015 WWJ waterwelljournal.com

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