This week I'd like to talk about service again.  

When you talk about service you open yourself up to criticism, but to me while it is upsetting and uncomfortable, that's ok.  That's what we want, good and bad ... sometimes it's a genuine issue that can help everyone move forward.

I talk to customers all the time about staff or stock, sometimes it's in regards to the quality of the staff and stock other times it's the lack there of.  

With staff our business is no different to your business, we go through the same things you do ... not having enough staff or staff not having the knowledge they used too, these are common things to deal with but I don't put it down to age or knowledge, no one has knowledge when they are new, but they can have passion and good personality!  Knowledge won't get off the chair and go take a look for your part, knowledge wont greet you with a smile and show genuine effort or concern to your situation, but a passionate person who is trying to help you will.

Some customers and staff like to let you know how much they know only to make themselves feel good, that doesn't find or sell you the part, all that does is hinder the process.  But if someone answers the phone to you the customer with the willingness to help you not tell you how much they know, isn't it a great deal easier to get what you need.

What I look for is someone that wants to learn, someone who wants to help and someone who cares, then try not to let the pressure consume them or take that away, because that is one thing you cannot teach!

My aim is to surround our older more knowledgeable staff with young passionate people that want to help the customer.

As a customer if you realise that you know what you want and need and you can help them, if they feel they are helping you they will and you will get the parts and have a good experience.  No one wants to get it wrong, no one deliberately makes mistakes, its either not enough info or a mistake ... thats it.

I call numerous business's on a daily basis, I have farm machinery and sometimes I get people that just say no way mate that is too old, so I make it work myself, or I call a dealer like I did yesterday because I have what I think is a serious issue in my machine only to get put on hold and sent to a message bank only to get no call back. I'm a customer too, I know how frustrating it is for you when people don't return your calls.  I feel like I'm not important, or its not worthy of their time, but maybe they are just busy, maybe they forgot.

I'm not condoning poor service as a matter of fact I'm trying to fix it.

Our aim at Neil's is to make it easier to deal with us, we have so many different options now days with "Parts Express", Gulf Western Oil, our Used and Rebuilt lines, our Camso Tracks and Track systems, Redekop Choppers, La Forge Quick Hitches and front mounted PTOs, WCCO Belting ... and the list goes on and on.

Over the next few years we will separate a few of the specialised things we do to specific people to oversee that way they will get the dedication they deserve and the staff can be there and dedicate their time to the break down "Used" & "Rebuilt" Parts.

I want you as a customer or dealer to call and get the answer you need.  If not I want you to get a call back advising yes or no.  I want the person you get on the phone to be courteous and happy not self-righteous and quick to say no.  I want you to get alternatives or ideas not brick walls.

My neighbour is 80 years old and we farm parts of each other's blocks just for cattle feed.  I use his gear he uses mine and guess what ... NO ONE EVER has what we need, and that's ok, its old gear, but that doesn't mean we can't make it fit if the parts person on the other end is willing and has the time to try.

I have never had to throw a piece of old gear away, we have gear that's 100 years old with today's parts on it still working and still doing the job.  We have ploughs and rakes and mowers that came off the ark with parts that are close but not the same so we made it work.

Farmers do this all the time, sometimes because no one took the time or cared enough to help them ... it's not worth it, its old and is more costly to look for than to help.

Most parts people will say, Jason you idiot, throw it away and just get something a bit newer.  Well I like working with my old neighbour and I love learning from him and guess what, my 6810 John Deere hardly gets a look in when we are working the ground.

My point here is, we get so focussed on rushing to the next customer or sale we forget why we are here and who pays the bills.

I will help my people stay focussed on the customer, with a smile and passion, and most of all the focus to care and understand what and why you need what you called for and we will try to have the right parts here, at the right time, when you need them.

Knowledge, maturity, understanding for the industry will come.

If you feel you would like to contact me about ways we can better our service to you and its within our power to do so, call me, I've taken many calls before and I always act on them.

If you feel like youd like to tell me about particular staff that do everything they can within their power to help you, please do that as well.  The staff get a kick out of it when I send it to all the people in the company.

We are here to help you ... it's not just a job ... we love what we do.

In closing I want to pat someone on the back, we have a guy in Toowoomba we call the CHEF!  His name is Dan Stapleton, he just started with little to no knowledge about parts ... I've watched him closely and he tries, he tries very hard, he will always ask a customer or fellow staff member if they need help lifting a part or doing a job, he even comes in on his own time to learn the mechanics of pulling down a machine.  Its a daunting experience talking to a customer on the phone with little to no knowledge but the CHEF try's hard and goes the extra mile, well done Chef!

We have many people within this company that do that and I can honestly say that it is a culture at Neil's to give! give to the customer, give to the staff and give to the business ... we all make mistakes but we all try to succeed.

The passion is for the customer, whether you are a dealer, a farmer or a contractor.  Neil's people don't come to work because they need the job, they come to work because they love what they do!

Thanks again for being a customer of Neil's, without you we wouldn't get to do this on a daily basis ... but also, help us help you.