Canadian Manufacturers Embrace Service Performance Printer Benchmark
In the fiercely competitive printer industry, the struggle to maintain market share gets tougher every year. So what differentiates one printer manufacturer from another? What drives customers to purchase from the same manufacturer again and again? In addition to product quality, reliability and performance features, many manufacturers are realizing the importance of service after the sale and the impact it has on driving repeat business.
For this reason, astute printer manufacturers are carefully measuring and studying service performance – via a benchmark program developed by CompTIA and administered by SERVICE 800 – in an effort to fully capitalize on the repeat customer segment.
“It’s all about the total customer experience,” said Gordon Pelosse, Director of Channel Services for Hewlett-Packard Canada. “Feedback from the printer benchmark helps us maintain world-class service because we have a constant picture of our service performance, as well as how we perform compared to the competition. That’s powerful information.”
“We break down and analyze information to determine key drivers for satisfaction as well as dissatisfaction,” said Lance Gray, National Manager, ASP Program, Lexmark Canada, Inc. “For example, we break down the data by provider, model, service level, customer, and so on. We then use that information throughout the organization to ensure a positive experience at every customer touch point. More importantly, we share the feedback with our key accounts to let them know that Lexmark stands behind its products 100%.”
“When we saw the benefits our U.S. counterparts were yielding from the benchmark, it prompted us to join the Canadian benchmark program,” said Ron Southall, National Service and Operations Manager-Canada, Oki Data Americas, Inc. “It is great to be able to measure our performance against our Canadian competitors. The benchmark data also allows us to match trends to changes in programs or processes and compare that to what the customer experiences as a result of those changes. We can then take proactive measures to increase training or adjust on-site support, for example, so our customers continue to receive the level of service they are accustomed to,” says Southall.
The timeliness of benchmark information is another factor that drives benchmark participation. The Canadian Printer Benchmark provides participants with daily, weekly and monthly reports and customer comments, allowing them to further analyze and measure the success of the programs, people and processes within the service organization.
Founded in 2002, the Canadian Printer Benchmark program continues to gain popularity. Today, seven major manufacturers, including Brother, Canon, Epson, HP, Lexmark, Oki Printing Solutions, and Sharp Electronics benefit from benchmark participation.