If it is, your supplier is doing it wrong.

Yeah. I said it.

That has been on my mind this week because I am currently listening to Cayla help a potential customer troubleshoot whether their motor is wired incorrectly, or if they have a cracked terminal block. Will your vendor offer to do a video call to help you or your maintenance team?

This week a new customer was excited enough about my attaching a spare parts breakdown to his quote that he called and told me how great I was to work with.

Guys…

I am not saying that every customer facing employee needs to be able to impress an intern like I did when I pulled out a catalog and a pair of blinders and had him pick a random part out of inventory to describe to me. I told him what it was without looking at it and you would have thought I was magic. (True story by the way. I got so much street cred!) But I don’t think I am giving away a trade secret when I suggest that it is a better experience when a customer can get a copy of a spare parts breakdown. That seems basic.

I don’t expect everyone to do what we do here, but just a breakdown? Really?

I have sent customers custom recommendations for what to stock and replace WITH all the options, pricing comparisons, and reasoning. (Why to go with XLAG 5 plastic screws over XLAH 4×6 rivets or vice versa? Do you know?) If your vendor doesn’t have the knowledge or the time to be able to point out potential gaps in your understanding they are doing it wrong.

We are the experts at FlexLink conveyor components. You shouldn’t have to be.

If you are on the fence about working with Flex-Line Automation, Inc. for your FlexLink conveyor parts orders let me break it down:

Large Inventory: We stock almost $1,000,000.00 of FlexLink conveyor parts, and we can also do factory direct drop shipments.

Quick Turnaround: Most parts quotes are provided over the phone or via email within minutes of your contact. We process most parts orders for shipment the same day (provided the order gets in before UPS picks up, but more on that later).

Fast Set Up: We process credit card orders over the phone, or set you up in our system in minutes, so you aren’t waiting for hours or days to be able to place your PO.

Customization: We customize FlexLink conveyor parts. Examples include pre-bent rails or custom fixtured chain – whatever you and your process needs to flow efficiently.

Experience: We have a lot of knowledge here, and we are happy to share it, as I said earlier we are experts when it comes to FlexLink conveyor parts – you shouldn’t have to be! (Want a fun example of that? Check out this YouTube Short!)

Customer Service: Gather round for the story about renting a plane to fly a gearbox to Tulsa. Or maybe listen to the one about driving to the UPS warehouse with a backseat full of conveyor parts when an order was placed after hours. If you want an engaging tale, our company narrative is replete with examples of going above and beyond. Need us to come in and meet a courier on a Saturday? No problem. That’s what we are here for. “The customer is always right” has been drilled into my head from the time I could walk. While there are some caveats there, that dedication to customer service is a core value here at Flex-Line.

Do you want to know what real customer service feels like?

It doesn’t matter if you are only buying a single t-bolt we are going to give you the same service as someone buying engineered parts or systems. Give us the chance to prove it.

Oh, and if you need any spare parts documents you can find them here!