Friday 2 October 2015

Best advice always for customers we can't help.

Well the RWM is over for another year and it’s time to get working on the enquiries, of which we had plenty this year.


And some very interesting ones there were too. Especially the client who was going to demand his money back from a competitor for selling him something not fit for purpose.

We have a strict policy of not taking orders for equipment that won’t do the job. We turn down quite a bit of business because we feel that in the long term,  selling something which isn’t right for the application does more harm than good.

It’s a sure fire way of ruining a hard won reputation and a sure fire way of wasting a customer’s time.
Two of the enquiries we took at the RWM fall into that category.

Both customers were very keen on our product and on the face of it, it suited their needs well. But discussing their needs on the stand is not the best way to determine if the system will be right for them.  So we paid a visit to both sites last week to take a closer look.

One of the big advantages of our Dynamic Axle Weighbridge is that it takes up very little space so on the face of it, a yard with little room would be ideally suited for an installation. Another big plus is that the system has only a shallow pit with corner access covers so is very easy to keep clean.

Both customers were operating vehicles up to and including 8-wheelers in the skip hire field but unfortunately both were operating from yards which would prove tricky to equip.

One was very limited for space which meant their operation would halt during the installation process. The other was on such a steep an incline which, whilst it could be corrected, would have meant an enormous bill for the construction work.
Not all sites are as suitable as this one for an axle weigher

So we advised the customers of the issues, difficulties and costs and gave them information on alternative options from other manufacturers which might suit them.

Which meant we walked away from the business.

There are some companies who would have tried to make the system fit. Or perhaps not told the clients all the potential costs involved in the installation.

Of course there are upsides to turning away business as well. Customers know they will get an honest opinion from us, can trust our judgement and be sure that they won’t be sold something that doesn’t suit their needs.


And those people are usually quite keen to recommend us to others who we may be better able to help, so in the end everyone’s a winner!