United Grinding Opts for Live Voice in Call Center 24/7

Believing that "service is apparently not what it used to be," United Grinding Technologies (UGT: Miamisburg, OH) has come to the conclusion that customers would rather be greeted by a live voice when calling in to its customer service Service Call Center.

UGT asked itself the question that has dogged most any of us at one time or another these days: "How many times have you called a company service line only to become tangled in a maze of voice mail?" Push one for service, push two for…and the list goes endlessly (or so it seems) on.

What happened to the real people? UGT opines.

So, 24 hours a day/7 days a week, when customers phone the UGT Service Call Center, they are greeted by a human voice (not an automated answering device). Once a telephone call comes into the call center, staff members match up an inquiry or service problem with the appropriate service engineer.

The UGT Service Call Center was only one facet of United Grinding Technologies' commitment to customer service, outlined by Rodger Pinney, UGT president and CEO, as topping the company's customer service priority list.

"There are many possible definitions for customer service in the machine tool business, and varying levels of service quality being provided by machine tool manufacturers," says Pinney. "How do we know this? In early 1998, we asked our customers—as part of a nationwide telephone contact survey—to rate UGT's service against that of our competitors, and to let us know how we were doing in meeting their needs.

"We learned in many instances that we were providing service above customer expectations, and better than our competitors. But, we also found that we had some real issues needing to be resolved. Better communication, improved responsiveness, 24/7 service capabilities, and shorter parts delivery leadtimes were at the top of our Customer Service priority list."

UGT concluded that its service and support must become Customer-Driven in every aspect of what it does for its customers. The UGT Service Call Center was a direct result. Also, UGT added staff to its Parts Department Team to help customers select the right components for their machines. Also, the company is in the process of decentralizing its service engineers to get them closer to their customers.

United Grinding Technologies, Inc., 510 Earl Blvd, Miamisburg, OH 45342; phone: 937-859-1975