Interview with Brian Joyce, Orbit Tyres, September 2008

What is it that makes Orbit so good at customer service?

Treating the customer with respect means you naturally became good at delivering good customer service.  Our most important underlying principle is respect for the customer.   We demonstrate this by always acting with integrity which in turn generates trust in the company on the part of the customer.

How do you get the customer service message across to all of your staff?

One of the key factors is to try to recruit people with the right attitude so during interviews for new team members, we look for behaviour that demonstrates a natural instinct for dealing with customers.  This can, for example, be seen in the level of politeness and courtesy demonstrated by the interviewee.   We look for people who care about the customer and understand how important customers are to the business. 

And just as we respect our customers, we also demonstrate respect for staff.  They in turn then behave with respect when interacting with customers.  We want to encourage appropriate behaviour from our people at every opportunity so when we’re out at a social event, we expect to see the same standards of behaviour as we see in the depot.   So even if we’re out at the bowling alley, we’ll remind those who behave inappropriately of the standard we expect.

Training sessions are held regularly to focus on customer focused behaviours such as how to empathise with the customer and treat them in a way that’s appropriate to the situation.

It’s important that everyone clearly understands exactly what is required so we make our standards known during the interview.   This includes personal hygiene and presentation.  And we’re not afraid to stand by our principles so shavers are kept in office for those who sometimes forget to shave!

What training do you provide for your people?

Formal technical training is provided as needed with ongoing informal training as required for our apprentice and more experienced team members.   We also run monthly internal sessions focussing on aspects of customer service such what it’s like to be a customer visiting Orbit Tyres – this reinforces our service standards.

What are your guiding principles in giving great service to customers?

The key really is treating others as you want to be treated yourself so stay aware of what’s happening around you and your customer.  NEVER ever, ever, ever  sell anything that the customer doesn’t need and never do anything without the customer’s permission.   We don’t up sell but we do look for ways to add value to our relationship with the customer.   In summary, focus on looking after tomorrow, not today. 

And our own Julia Palmer has firsthand experience of that approach.  Here’s her story -

As we are both self-employed and have a young child it’s essential that we are able to run two cars. My husband works away Monday to Friday and covers high mileage regularly while most of my mileage is local with some long-distance client visits.  Recently we found ourselves in need of Orbit’s help on a Saturday morning when our main car had limped home with defective brakes that needed to be fixed before work on Monday.  While Orbit do not keep the parts for this particular make and model they promised to have them in stock by Tuesday.   Normally we would then just swap cars but my BMW also needed a service.   The service would take more man hours than were left in Orbit’s opening hours but for Ben at Rushden that was no problem!   He simply re-allocated work assigned to the team so that he could put two men on the BMW service and complete it within the time available.  No fuss, no drama and no lectures about allowing both cars to get to this point simultaneously!   And a very satisfied customer.

Who do you most admire for their customer service?

Locally, The Swan in Olney, The Griffin in Higham Ferrers and The Thai Garden in Rothwell.  Nationally, Waitrose has to be one of the best.

Why is customer service so important to your business?

As a family run, local business we know that people talk to each other.   If we give great service then our customers will be talking about their positive experiences and promoting our business to their friends and relatives.  In fact, many of our customers are complete families - from grandparents through to the grandchildren.  Word of mouth is powerful and FREE - we do our best to make sure people are telling great stories about Orbit so that it works well for us.

Where and when did you learn about customer service

For me, customer service is not something you learn but a way of life based on respect for everyone.  I started out wanting to be accountant but found that too boring so I moved in to Sales – throughout this time my Dad was running Orbit.  He asked me a couple of times to join the firm and when I did, I found that my background and experience were suited me to the business.   My drive for customer service stems from those early years in my working life.

How do you recruit people with the right skills?

There’s no complicated approach to this - much of customer service is intuitive and not taught.  And we like to recruit young people if we can so we can mould them to the Orbit approach!   When we interview we’re looking for someone who’s willing to learn and has given us some indication of a positive approach to customers.  And even though my sons are managing our branches in Rushden and Wellingborough, I still like to be involved in the interviews.

On the other hand, one recent recruit was taken on because of his main dealer experience and we wanted to tap into Craig’s additional expertise from that background.  He also has great customer service skills such as an ability to build rapport easily.  Craig recognises the need to match his behaviour with that of the customer so he’s a great asset all round. 

What advice would you give to other companies who want to be known for providing great customer service?

The key is ALWAYS respecting the customer coupled with walking the talk – people take their lead from their bosses so if you follow that line, you won’t go wrong!

Conclusion

In the context of a small family-run business, great customer service should be easy to instil.  Orbit Tyres illustrates this well, particularly with a charismatic figurehead who clearly lives by the values he holds dear and expects his people to share and respect them.

Although physical growth can sometimes be limited by this patriarchal approach, the quality of service will always compensate in the creation of a customer base that is loyal through several generations.