Taking care of your customers is obviously a big deal, but companies approach it in different ways. Some say “The customer is always right.” At SMC, we tell our customers and prospects we don’t believe that statement, because the customer isn’t always right, and it’s our job to help them get the best answers for their end customer.
Our fifth, and most important principle, is “Delight our customers!” So, what does that mean? We believe that our customer service should not just exceed our customers’ expectations, but should, from time to time, surprise them. WE should do something that makes them say “Wow – I didn’t expect that”.
For instance, we have weekly meetings with many of our customers. Over time, our people generally drive the agenda for the meeting and keep everyone on the same page. For one customer, we develop their sales forecast which, in turn, provides our production forecast. For another who has a vast potential for configuring their products, we have developed an entire configuration software platform to determine the cost for each order, and then simplified this model to fit their buying software.
Just meeting the customer specifications and shipping product is no longer enough. You need to find ways to Delight Your Customers to keep them long term.
About Rob Coats, CEO
Rob brings more than thirty-five years of manufacturing experience to SMC. He spent the first part of his career in manufacturing management with Procter & Gamble before coming to Lexington to manage the operations of a small manufacturer. His first position with ownership was a wire harness company near Lexington. After that business sold, Rob purchased SMC as the majority owner in 1994. Sales grew by 7X over the next thirteen years due to a stellar group of key employees. Rob holds a B.S. in Engineering and a MBA from Virginia Tech.
ABOUT SMC
SMC is a print circuit board assembly manufacturer, custom cable assembly provider, system integration/box build manufacturer that is located in the heart of Kentucky. Our two locations provide quick and easy access for the technology industry in the eastern region.
We specialize and are certified to manufacture products in the medical, security, military/DOD, industrial controls, construction, and transportation industries. To maximize customer support, we have created five separate engineering departments: process, test, customer, system integration, and quality engineering. These departments offer world class engineering support and product development. SMC has the EMS solutions you need to ensure quality electronic products at a competitive cost.
