Lincoln Electric Adopts Industry-Best Customer Service Standards
Cleveland - In an ongoing effort to further enhance customer service, The Lincoln Electric Company has incorporated new, industry-leading service standards, benchmarked from some of the most successful companies in the world.
Lincoln, the world leader in the design, development and manufacture of arc welding products, underwent a substantial reorganization of its customer service department to include a wide range of best practices from a variety of service industries.
The yearlong process incorporated operating practices from Six Sigma, training principles from Dale Carnegie®, as well as a host of leading procedures, methods and measurable reliability standards.
An enhanced team of technically knowledgeable customer service representatives now handle incoming calls to help immediately with cross-functional issues. Call topics range from technical support and welding application problem-solving, to distribution, warranty issues and product selection/purchasing questions. Personnel are equipped with the latest customer support technology and are empowered to make customer-focused decisions to speed inquiry and warranty processing.
LINCOLN ELECTRIC ADOPTS INDUSTRY-BEST CUSTOMER SERVICE STANDARDS
"We are leading the welding industry with product solutions that customers need to improve productivity, quality and safety. In concert with our products and application expertise, it's crucial that we enhance our support with improved customer service," said Richard Seif, senior vice president of sales and marketing. "Our customers expect nothing less."
Service calls are strictly monitored to prevent incorrect transfers, drops and voicemail. Follow up by service representatives also is monitored for closure, timeliness and effectiveness. Random surveys are conducted to ensure ongoing customer satisfaction.
"We set out to create a world-class service center, and we now are performing with some of the best in the world, including many companies with whom we benchmarked our performance," Seif said. "This was a particular challenge in an industry that requires so much technical knowledge."
The Lincoln Electric Company, headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, is the world leader in the design, development and manufacture of arc welding products, robotic arc-welding systems, plasma and oxyfuel cutting equipment and has a leading global position in the brazing and soldering alloys market. For more information, visit www.lincolnelectric.com.
