It’s a personnel choice
With the internet dominating so much of B2B relations, why does Bohle place so much value in its customer services team? We talk to customer service manager, Helen McKerracher, to find out.
Bohle’s website is optimised to make the customer journey as straightforward as possible, allowing glass processing companies and installers to choose, order and receive their products in the shortest time possible and with minimal fuss.
On hand are supporting documentation and technical advice, including suggestions for similar products.
Despite this investment – and ongoing optimisation – Bohle in the UK still employs a team of seven in its customer services department, managed by Helen McKerracher who has been with the company for 21 years.
“Every single person in my team is responsible for fulfilling the needs of the customer on a daily basis,” Helen says. “That includes processing orders, dealing with technical enquiries, and anything that could fall into our lap from working on the front line.”
Helen knows that Bohle has invested heavily in its online offering, and that customers are encouraged to visit there as a first port of call. So, is a customer services department now largely irrelevant?
“Not at all,” Helen laughs. “Our customers really enjoy the interaction. When they phone us, they get through to a human being straight away, someone who’s quite knowledgeable and has got a wealth of product knowledge and experience.
“We have such a vast product range, and in recent years it’s got more technical, more involved, and there’s a lot more choice. So, I think they just need that helping hand sometimes – to help them select what they want and what their requirements are.”
While these services are not beyond the abilities of a website, Helen argues that many customers lack the experience to make the big calls online.
“You or I could open a glass shop tomorrow with no experience whatsoever in handling glass,” Helen says. “And the Bohle brand is so well known across the industry that I think a lot of people trust that name.
“When they come to us, they know they’re going to get sound advice, because we tend to advise rather than recommend – there’s no hard sell through our team and department. It’s a conversation, it’s a dialogue. We talk to our customers to find out exactly what they want and then try to meet those requirements.”
It’s the experience within the customer service department that makes it so valuable. Helen herself has 21 years’ experience at Bohle, and 11 years as manager of the customer services department.
Over that time, Helen has seen the company’s product and service offering change as new trends emerge. It is up to her team to learn about the popularity of sliding doors, and how Bohle’s MasterTrack ranges can meet the demands of most applications – both residential and light commercial.
Similarly, balustrades have sparked the imagination in recent years, and Bohle’s Vetromount suite of products is designed to maximise opportunities for installers in this market. And Bohle’s customer service department is on hand to offer the technical support they may need.
“Over the last two years in particular, people have looked at their homes and seen many areas that need renovating, including introducing en-suite bathrooms,” Helen says. “So, we are seeing demand increase for our high-end bathroom fittings, such as new Juna shower door hinge.”
It is the success that Bohle has achieved by offering guidance through experience, and by simplifying the complexities that often surround new trends, which has made its customer services department invaluable, according to Helen.
“I wouldn’t say we were unique,” she says. “But I think we do sort of stand out a little bit in terms of what we can offer customers because we can spend time discussing alternatives, finding out exactly what they want, and I think that brings customers back.
“I think that’s sometimes lacking today, especially when people try to do all their communicating via email. We, on the other hand, are a really friendly company to deal with: we’re easy, we’re open, and we’re honest.
“It’s the personal aspect that you can’t really replicate through a website. We build up a relationship with our customers, so that they end up having favourites who they speak to on a regular basis, with customers who ask for us by name. The quality of the rapport building is as important as the quality of the product.
“But that’s important because you are developing that familiarity, and sometimes we know what our customers want even before they do! People buy from people, but people buy again from people they like.”
