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Our standards of customer satisfaction are not being set by our competitors or ourselves. They’re being established by companies such as Disney, Fed-Ex and Mercedes Benz. The experiences our clients have with these and similar companies establish a deeper understanding and expectation for customer service. Our Success Story article this month is about Ru-
dolph/Libbe Inc. The Walbridge, Ohio-based contractor serves the national market and has achieved success throughout its 57 years of operation by focusing on and learning what the customer wants. Many metal building products serve markets
with very, very tight margins and edge toward com- modity status. So how do contractors, suppliers and manufacturers in the metal construction industry differentiate themselves from their competitors? (And competitors are not just those offering similar products, but those offering alternative products performing the same function.) There is only one way to compete in a tough
market with tight margins and high customer expec- tations. We have to deliver superior service. If there has been any good about the devastating economic slowdown it is that the people within our companies have learned not to take customers for granted. Those people who did are searching for new jobs, probably in different industries. Let’s keep this trend of great customer service rolling as we build our way out of the recession.