The Specialty Tools & Fasteners Distributors Association (STAFDA) continues to provide the most up-to-date research and information with its series of educational training manuals. Through STAFDA’s ongoing partnership with Dr. Jeanne Hurlbert, she has surveyed members, updated processes and techniques, and created Concierge Customer Service 2.0. 

STAFDA asked Jeanne to revise and expand her first edition of Concierge Customer Service, released in 2018, now that the world is post COVID. In a new business environment where texts are the norm, customer service has become more impersonal and distant. But it doesn’t mean that it has gone away. Creating a great customer service experience is still very important, especially in the construction/industrial channel where personal relationships and demoing tools drives the market.

Jeanne ranked STAFDA member survey input and came up with a list of 14 issues representing members’ greatest priorities and challenges. Here are the top three:

• Retaining a quality work force (96% of respondents)
• Increasing profitability (95% of respondents)
• Retaining existing customers (95% of respondents)

More than 83% of STAFDA members who responded to the survey said they viewed customer acquisition as of highest or high priority. Jeanne details all 14 priorities in Concierge Customer Service 2.0.

All STAFDA members have been mailed one free copy of the handbook with additional copies available at a nominal cost. The manual is available only to STAFDA members.