The Employee: Steve Tate (Tyler Office)

The Client: Wright Way Services

Steve Tate,  in and out of client offices all day, never forgets to keep smiling.

“A simple smile is a good way to break the ice with customers. That usually starts things off right in a client’s office,” he says. “I’ll ask them about their family, ask them about their kids. Just try to treat them like they’re friends.”

Such simple gestures add up over time, building both trust and client companionship. Sometimes, the best marketers in our organizations are our technicians, touching one client at a time, over, and over, and over again.

Longtime Fans

Steve Tate has been in and out of the offices at Wright Way Services for close to 17 years. Faces have changed, technology has changed, as have the specific services offered by the East Texas construction company.

But the office equipment, by and large, has stayed the same… until recently.

“They’ve had the same Canon device at that location for 11 years or so,” East Texas Service Manager Justin Harper said. “They recently purchased a new Canon MFP, and I can definitely say that Steve’s longtime relationship with that client played a huge role in Wright Way’s decision.”

Over that time frame, from the data that Harper pulled, Tate had been the technician at more than 85 percent of their service-related calls. Within that time frame, his response time averaged under 2.5 hours. Tate says he would often mention to the secretary or the office manager the advantages that come with newer equipment: Automated meter readings, toner replenishment, etc.

Last month, they finally purchased one.

An email sent to Datamax from a contact at Wright Way validates Harper’s sentiment that Steve's ongoing relationship played a big role.

“You might be interested to know, your competitors were less expensive on the machines but more on the maintenance contract… At the end of the day, it was our 15 years of positive experience with our current Canon, and excellent customer service from ET Copy, that made the decision an easy one for us,” the email read.

Raving Fans

“I want to make sure every office I visit, I can make them feel like it’s all going to be fine. Whatever is going with their machine, I’m going to take care of it. No matter what I’ve got to do. They usually sigh a little bit of relief, once they know that.”

Chances are good that they crack a pretty big smile as well.