Letter from the President -Bing J. Carbone

GOOD SERVICE IS NOT ENOUGH

Listen to what most companies are saying these days and the message is pretty much the same; "our customer service is the best."

Is this just an obligatory mantra so overused that it's become virtually meaningless? I think this is the case because good service is not enough. It is not a good enough reason to do business with a company.

When I purchase a product from a company, good service is an expectation and not the driving reason why I want to do business with that company.

It has to be more.

For one, I have to feel good about the people I am dealing with -have that trust, faith and confidence. I need to know that I am getting the best advice on my product purchase and that I am a better educated customer because of it.

I need to know that I am getting the product I actually ordered and not some cheap substitute. I want some sort of assurance of this -perhaps a bar-coded product and a product certification.

I want to be able to purchase like products from a single source. My time is too valuable to call every other company that sells a similar product. Nonetheless, I do want to consolidate my shipments, receive volume discounts, and know that I'm buying my products at fair and competitive prices. I want to build business relationships and have people know me when I call.

After I place my order, I definitely do not want to have to chase down my shipment with additional phone calls as to its whereabouts. If for some reason a delay occurs I want to know in advance. If a glitch occurs and I do need to call, I want a truthful answer and not some excuse as to why my order hasn't shipped.

Should I encounter a problem or with my product purchase, I want to be able to speak with someone who can quickly and easily fix the situation. I don't want to fill out reams of paperwork and spend my time trying to explain and fix a problem I did not cause.

Am I asking for too much?

I don't think so, and neither should you.

Modern Plastics has not been in business for over 60 years because we provide "good service".

Instead, our mantra is to execute the business fundamentals that create GREAT CUSTOMER SERVICE.

That includes careful attention to detail, listening, reacting and implementing your requirements, your suggestions and ideas. Shipping your order on-time and exactly as you have specified -all the while providing quality products at fair prices.

In the end, you need to feel good about the people you're dealing with and the products you're purchasing.

Some companies do this really well.

We're working hard every day at Modern Plastics to make sure we are one of those companies.

Bing J. Carbone
President
For comments e-mail Bing at bcarbone@modernplastics.com