Customer service is key to success

Jul 17 2007 by Helen Logan, Evening Gazette

WELCOME to our comment column, in which leading figures from the business community in the region present a thought-provoking view on an issue affecting their company or organisation or the wider community. Today it’s the turn of David Bowles, chairman of Entrust a business support company.

THE pace of change within British business just gets faster and faster.

Just blink and something new has happened that will affect your business.

These days it's not enough to be an entrepreneur you have to get the systems and customer service right as well.

Above all else, competitors seem to be everywhere. The UK service sector, in particular, has seen a plethora of companies fighting for their share of the market.

The sector has enjoyed some great times of late and as a result there has been a huge rise in the number of start-ups.

Some offer the market added-value solutions based on the latest technology and processes while others might sell purely on price. It takes all types to create a market!

Meanwhile, the manufacturing sector has to cope with the threat from competitors all around the world.

The task is challenging but for those that are successful the profits can be very good.

So, what does it take to be successful?

On the basis that everyone wants your customer, the key to success is that you must get closer to your customer than any one else does.

You need to ensure that you not only deliver great products or services on time and to the right price, but that you also understand what the customer will need in one, two or three years’ time.

You get to know this because you talk to them, you learn all about the markets they serve and you understand what it is that your customer's customer wants.

You have to work at it but if you get it right, the sky is the limit.

We have some great examples of North-east companies who are performing at the highest levels thanks to their total commitment to the customer.

They are thought-leaders in their sectors, they are forward thinking, totally flexible organisations that put up no barriers and believe that every problem has a solution.

On Teesside I can point to no finer example than Garlands the call centre established by Chey Garland, which continues to grow and to attract a great client base.

It is recognised across the UK as one of the finest organisations in its sector. The call centre sector has been heavily hit by outsourcing to India and other low-wage countries, but this has not deviated Garland's from its growth path.

In the North of the region Gateshead-based Express Engineering has weathered the storm that battered the manufacturing sector in recent years to re-establish itself as one of the most innovative and flexible suppliers to, amongst others, the aerospace sector, where it now counts Lockheed Martin and BAE Systems as some of its major customers.

So, yes, the rise in interest rates will hurt and will force some companies to delay investment decisions.

Yes, some young businesses clearly need working capital to help them grow - and this is where organisation's such as Entrust and Business Link can help - but, overall, I do have great confidence that the North-east is at last becoming more enterprising and outward looking.

Just keep looking after the customers and they will look after you!