How To Evaluate A Customer Service Department

This year, Geometrics celebrates 34 years of designing, manufacturing, and supporting geophysical instruments for customers worldwide. In that time, we've developeding world class customer service capabilities. What we've learned might surprise you.

Our Customer Service department is staffed by 10 professionals who support you when your instruments need service and repair, or when you just need advice to make sure the data you are collecting is of the highest quality. This crew routinely repairs instruments in as little as a day and will return your gear counter-to-counter when crews are waiting and clients are anxious. But, although it is a great start, developing world class customer service involves far more than a skilled team of experts.

What we've learned is that customer support must be designed into the product and be woven into the fabric of the company:

  • Management commits to purchase extra quantities of specialized  parts to satisfy support requirements even after parts are no longer available, Geometrics stocks millions of dollars of parts; we still support most every product we have manufactured
  • Instruments are designed with customer service in mind. Connectors must be easy to reach, switches easy to push, and boards easy to pull.
  • The design process incorporates rugged, quantifiable vibration, humidity, and temperature testing so that the final product will withstand exposure to the harsh environments in which they are used. Geometrics regularly tests new instruments to destruction to ensure they are still conforming to original specifications.
  • The documentation process is exhaustive and well maintained so that instruments can be built accurately and maintained to the same standard. Instrument histories are developed and maintained, so customers can be alerted when preventative maintenance might save money or time.
  • The company selects people for the long haul and trains them to ensure that the knowledge base is maintained.
  • Support is more than hardware and software; it is solving customers' problems. Geometrics six seasoned geophysicists are ready to answer questions or supply survey advice
  • The company has financial resources to weather hard times and continues to invest in the future. Geometrics is owned by the OYO Corporation, legendary for its long-term commitment to customer service.

Many aspects of customer service are not obvious at time of purchase. Ask these questions:

  • Does each instrument exceed published performance testing?
  • Does each instrument undergo full temperature range evaluation?
  • Will the instrument have free software upgrades for life?
  • Is there a "no bugs tolerated" policy for software maintenance?
  • Are software customization services available for special applications?

Lower quality and poorly supported products continue to come and go, but with the support of our over 5,000 customers, Geometrics looks forward to another 32 years producing and servicing high-quality instruments to meet your needs

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