Service is king

If you thought cash or quality were king, they’ve been dethroned. Service is the new ruler and it carries a mighty scepter.

For years, growers have touted quality (or the nebulous term “high quality”) as their differentiating factor. “We grow high-quality trees.” That’s great. But so do tons of your peers. And quality is a relative term. If you missed the May issue, head to our website and find it in the issue archives. Navigate to the bareroot liners story. A group of university researchers found out that the definition of quality is seldom clearly defined. And your customers definitely have their own definition of quality.
 
That’s why service – superior, friendly, helpful, meaningful customer service – is king. Especially now when cash flow is at a trickle. Yeah, I’ve ranted before about my exasperation with poor customer service. And I won’t stop until the problem improves.
 
I continue to be flabbergasted at the service industry and its salespeople who don’t look customers in the eye, don’t greet people when they first arrive the on scene and most of all don’t say thank you. These are simple, fundamental things everyone on staff should know and, better yet, practice. Daily.