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Home > Company > Industry News > E-Newsletter > May 2017 > The Heart of Customer Relationships

The Heart of Customer Relationships

Did you know that Alexandria Industries does not have customer service people?

What!? Who’s Lavern or Shirley then?

Joking aside, the people at Alexandria Industries responsible for daily communication with customers are part of our manufacturing support team. These account specialists do much more than customer service. They are responsible for managing and serving our customer needs — everything from order entry to manufacturing to delivery — overseeing every step in the manufacturing process. They make sure that we manufacture customer products, as ordered, and deliver them, on time.

Our account specialists belong to our Quick Response Office Cell (QROC) team. They are the hub between our sales team, customers, manufacturing, outside services, purchasing, shipping and engineering. They update pricing and create the routing guide for manufacturing each customer order. The also manage metal contracts, and enter and manage purchase orders from start to finish.

Alexandria Industries QROC Account Specialist

Good Vibes
The driver to their success is the great relationships they develop with customers. They are not just a voice on the phone. Our account specialists take time to get to know customers.

Whenever possible, they make a point to meet customers in person. Nothing compares to putting a face to a voice. Face-to-face communication can bring added elements of trustworthiness and kinship to a relationship. This is where we believe forming lifelong partnerships with our customers takes hold and builds anew, year after year. It makes Alexandria Industries stand apart from other manufacturers.

Our account specialists are there to help when a customer needs to change their order. They also work with customers when we encounter an issue with one of our outside service vendors.

Another good example to show the expertise of our account specialists is during forecasting customers’ production needs for the year. Our business heavily relies on forecasts to give us a close estimate of what our customers will be ordering so we can plan our material and labor, accordingly. Forecasts can change, however, and they often do. Our account specialists help manage lead times and provide us with flexible capacity. This helps ensure we can be responsive so customers can get what they need when they need it.

Our account specialists also help customers understand that we are a manufacturer, and as such, things happen that can affect delivery schedules. The specialists seek quick solutions to delays by relying on the right resources to help minimize the effect unexpected events have on a customer’s timelines.

Value Trumps Price
When thinking about our company values — Integrity, Faith, Mutual Respect, Commitment to Excellence and Employee Well-Being — all of them apply to the relationships our account specialists form with customers. They take these relationships personally and treat customers as they would their families and friends. In fact, many relationships have resulted in wedding invitations, baby showers, and spending time together just having fun.

It is impossible to place a dollar value on how far our account specialists will go to meet a customer’s needs. Whether the need pertains to work, or someone’s personal life, they go the extra mile every day.

What characteristics do you use to define good service? Let your account specialist know and we will do our best to ensure you get what you need.