By Peter Miller, ETB’s Sales Manager On my very first day at ETB, five years ago, it was clear to me right away that this company genuinely cares about customer service excellence. Poor customer service, or poor customer experiences have always been a bugbear of mine. So many companies talk about it, but very few actually live it. I’ve had various roles in my 15-years in the refurbished IT sector, and in every one of them, providing excellent customer experiences has been a top priority. The sales team here at ETB is 11-strong, split into online and offline sales, with some support roles too. Some of the team are very long-serving, and others have been here less than a year, so we have a great mix of established knowledge and fresh ideas.
What does a typical day entail in the sales team?
This is a total cliché, but no two days are ever the same! We do have a routine first thing in the morning, when the online team will begin by processing orders that have come in during the night from customers in different time zones. The offline team will start their day by checking emails for out-of-hours enquiries. We then have a team briefing call across all departments, so everyone knows what is happening on that day, and are aware of any challenges. After that, each day brings us something a little different.
What makes the sales team at ETB different?
Hand on heart, I can say that the dedication to our customers at ETB is very real. One of the things that sets us apart is the team’s in-depth product knowledge. Many of us have been here for years and have genuine expertise in the hardware we are selling. Some of the sales team used to be engineers, and because our products are so technical, having their deep understanding of them is invaluable. Our newer members of staff are given thorough training and can always draw upon the wisdom of their longer-serving colleagues whenever they need to!
One of our key protocols for the team is that our aim is not to make a sale for a sales sake, but to find the very best solution for each customer. The team are encouraged to learn what the customer really needs and then find them the products that best meet those requirements without over-spec'ing – and that relies on the sales team really knowing what they are talking about. Sometimes a customer might come on the phone thinking that they want to upgrade to a 15th gen server, but after a chat with us, they realise that a 14th gen will meet their needs, while costing them less. A customer that realises that we are not needlessly upselling is far more likely to become a repeat customer.
In the words of one of our recent customers: “The sales team were very knowledgeable in regard to my technical requirements and able to provide multiple competitive options to suit.” Another said: “An excellent company to deal with, the sales team experience was flawless, and the customer service and technical department was everything I expected from an IT company.” For me, great customer service isn’t just about how we speak to people, it’s about every touch point, every engagement - whether that’s in person, on the phone or through the website, we want a smooth, easy experience for all.
From an online sales point of view, we try to ensure that the experience on our website matches the high quality of our offline sales process. We keep it as easy as possible for customers to use while also providing all the technical information a customer needs to help them decide on a product, whether that’s our product compare feature, our server configuration tool, or utilising our LiveChat function to chat to an advisor online. we are always looking at new features for our website to make the experience even better. That goes for every aspect of the customer journey at ETB - we’re constantly monitoring the feedback we get from our customers to ensure we’re continually improving to make their lives easier. That, for me, really sums up ‘the ETB difference’.