6/9/2018 Any consumer will tell you that great customer service is one of the top qualities that they look for when choosing a business to work with, no matter what industry it’s in. That’s because top-notch customer service is the key to a successful professional relationship. At Castaway Technologies, we realize that there’s a lot that goes into these support services, especially here in the field of IT asset disposition.
IT departments in many companies put the majority of their resources into managing currently deployed equipment and obtaining new equipment. There’s often not a lot of extra time or attention that can be devoted to the materials that are no longer in service. Therefore, if an issue arises during the ITAD process, it can be a huge burden on any organization. Luckily, this strain can easily be prevented if you’re working with a customer service-oriented partner like Castaway Technologies.
What doesn’t work
Unfortunately, customer service issues are behind a lot of lost business. In fact, Accenture, a global management consultant company, found that 52% of global consumers have switched service providers in the past year due to poor customer service. In the U.S., that’s an estimated $1.6 trillion per year in lost profits. But what exactly do lackluster customer support services look like, especially in ITAD?
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Poor time management
For starters, let’s talk about basic time management: a crucial aspect of any successful business. Believe it or not, when we asked our clients why they ended up choosing our services at Castaway over their previous ITAD provider, one of the most common customer service complaints we heard related to problems with scheduling. Getting the time or date of a pickup wrong or even showing up to the job late were huge issues that caused unnecessary headaches for a lot of these IT teams.
For example, one global telecommunications client explained that scheduling mishaps were responsible for several inefficiencies that negatively impacted their business. On missed pickups, the company’s loading dock was left open and equipment that hadn’t been picked up on time was taking up space and causing problems with the movement of other shipments. Piled-up equipment created a fire hazard by blocking walkways and doors, while the lack of a designated storage area put the security of their data at risk. The IT staff also had to adjust their daily schedules around these occurrences, moving meetings and redistributing tasks in an effort to accommodate the disruptions.
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Lack of communication
Another common complaint that our clients pointed out to us about their previous providers was a lack of communication. Clearly there was a disconnect happening if crews were showing up at the wrong time, but when these companies called the ITAD providers to troubleshoot the issues, sometimes they wouldn’t even be able to get in touch with someone who could help.
An international technology and robotics company that we work with mentioned that several previous ITAD companies they contacted wouldn’t even return their calls. When they did, they would schedule a walk-through of the job site and then never show up. Getting these unreliable ITAD companies to understand and work with their specific needs and requirements was always a hassle.
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Inflexibility
Not being willing or capable of providing 1:1 service level solutions is another reason why our clients were frustrated with previous ITAD providers. Some ITAD companies would make IT teams allocate their valuable time to preparing shipments of decommissioned items themselves. Instead of supporting their current equipment, they’d have to waste time moving, packaging and writing up reports detailing their old technologies.
In addition, one national financial firm that we work with had to disrupt their daily operations by accommodating a previous vendor that required multiple days onsite in advance of a pickup. Before the actual removal of the technology, the ITAD team had to come in and package the equipment over the course of several days. While this was happening, the client’s IT staff had to constantly unlock secure doors and oversee the removal process, causing more stress.
How Castaway Technologies makes it work
We can’t speak for other ITAD companies, but when it comes to our business practices, our clients’ needs are our priority. No matter what industry we’re working with or what specific needs are required to safely and effectively dispose of decommissioned technology, we’re always available to help our clients tailor customized solutions that reduce the burden of ITAD on their IT teams. Here are just a few ways we ensure our top-tier customer service.
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Reliability
If we say we’re going to do something or be somewhere, you can bet we’re going to do everything in our power to make sure it happens. When that international robotics company first contacted us after being frustrated with other vendors, we set up an on-site visit for the very next day. We went over their recycling and reporting needs, got a handle on the facility we were working with and scheduled a pickup to occur within one week. Castaway’s 1:1 service model ensures that any time this organization needs ongoing pickups, they have a direct point of contact to reach out to in order to discuss evolving needs and future pickups.
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Resources
Castaway has the experience and resources necessary to get the job done right every time. Our trucking capabilities enable us to schedule pickups whenever it’s most convenient for our clients and then stick to the plan. We make sure there’s minimal disruption to our clients’ workdays by working around their schedule, not ours. Plus, our project managers have the right connections and know-how to ensure that all of our client’s needs are met or exceeded for every ITAD project we’re involved with – no matter how nuanced those needs are.
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Attention to detail
Our reporting capabilities go above and beyond our competitors’, meaning our clients know exactly what equipment we’re taking offline, how their crucial data was securely disposed of and where these items ended up. Our environmental impact reporting details how the technology was recycled and reused, and we can even specify what kind of positive impact this has had on the environment. Castaway also follows all of the appropriate standards to ensure our clients’ reputations aren’t tarnished by data security violations or recycling snafus. Whether it’s sticking to a schedule, outlining a customized plan of action or reporting on the efficacy of our ITAD projects, Castaway is always paying attention.
If your organization is through dealing with unreliable ITAD vendors and all of the headaches that come with them, give Castaway Technologies a call. We don’t just say we have great customer service – we show you what we mean.
