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Okay, we’re agents for Brandt/De Dietrich and have been for years and muddled through despite the lack of product training or even, in many, many cases a simple manual. But today I read all about a totally new range to market using ICS (Intelligent Control System) pity no-one was intelligent enough to tell us about it! Hell, I haven’t even got a brochure on these new products so I will not have a clue what a customer is talking about if they call in with a fault.
But they take the time and trouble to tell The Independent Electrical Retailer that they’re launching this range in a two page colour spread. Can you tell I’m not impressed? 👿
So we have appliances that control themselves out there and not even a chuffing clue how to switch them on to test them let alone diagnose a fault and then they wonder why customer service gets a hammering! Oh and we’ll be the bad guys if we can’t repair it on the first visit too as no doubt this stuff won’t be cheap. 🙄
As ever, sales first, service the poor relation. 🙁
K.
Re: I hate that (De Dietrich)
Dont worry Ken, they will just direct the disgruntled customer back to the retailer who will happily go and replace it at no cost to Brandt and then store the thing until they can be arsed to come and collect it and maybe at some point in the distant future will issue a credit note.
Yeah Mark, I know. I just get hacked off with trying to keep up with product knowledge only to have new stuff thrown at me with absolutely no idea what it’s all about. I remember the days where we found out about new models when we got service call for one.
Fine, but these days switching the thing on is often a challenge let alone gaining access to the machine and testing it. The point being that the poor sap of an engineer is stood there like a pillock unable to tell the customer squat about the machine and it increases cost as every almost one of such calls is invariably a double visit and the engineer often jsut “guesses” what’s needed.
K.
Re: I hate that (De Dietrich)
Hi K
I am just reading the Independant retailer dated sept 04 which has just arrived and hey presto two pages featuring these new items and an
explanation on ICS.
I could if you wish fax these but as they are in colour I don`t know how they would come out or I could post to you or Dave could bring them with him perhaps to the meeting.Regards
Don
8)Na Don, that’s just sales propoganda it tell us absolutely nothing really other than how they perform and the general concept of the control method.
The problem I have is that when (note not IF) we get a call to one of these machines we have absolutely no product knowledge whatsoever and yet they are probably already in the field! Now, when Joe Engineer calls in what’s he going to do? Look confused and even if it is a user error he’s going to start ordering up control panels and all sorts just because he hasn’t the first idea where to start.
Bad for us, bad for the customer, bad for the retailer and bad for the manufacturer!
I wonder if they’ll ever learn. 🙄
K.
Re: I hate that (De Dietrich)
ICS intelligent control system……De Dietrich!
need I say more?think not
kevin
Been thinking a bit about this one – it’s bad enough when the service engineers aren’t advised or educated about new product releases – there were several instances in my Comet days when the first notification of a new product would be the parts orders coming in from the Service depots! Hilarious. Not…….
Regards,
Chris the Penguin.Product information is the font of all knowledge and the difference between an engineer looking competent or not in the eyes of the customer. Simply saying “never seen one of these before” totally destroys any faith the customer has in the engineer and the product in my experience.
Therefore for any manufacturer to launch a range and not inform their own agents is just total stupidity in my eyes. But then, I don’t pay the bill for all those exchanges.
K.
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