The Customer Service Philosophy

Included in this month’s newsletter is an article written by Century Business Products owner Brett Gildemaster about our Service department. Brett has been with Century for 29 years.

As some of you may know, it’s a big year for Century Business Products; 2014 marks our 30th year in business. To each and every one of our valued customers that has been a part of the last 30 years, I sincerely thank you.

I have seen many changes in my 29 years here:

• Our location
• The addition of 6 branch offices
• Several acquisitions including Toner Plus (2008), the equipment side of Central Business Supply (2009), and AB Dick Products of Siouxland in 2011
• A change in ownership (my business partners and myself became owners in 2004)
• Frequently changing technology! 

Through it all, one thing has remained constant: our dedication to service.

In an industry like ours, customers rely on us to provide equipment they need to run their business. When our products fail, we fail, and our customers and their businesses are directly affected. We recognize the importance of this role and continually take measures to ensure we are meeting and exceeding your expectations every day.

How?

We’re in your neighborhood
Currently, we employ service technicians in over 15 cities across South Dakota and Iowa. We stay local so we can quickly dispatch the technician that’s in your area to get your equipment back up and running. Thanks to our investment in the top dispatch technology available, we are able to meet our guaranteed service response times.

Factory Training
New service technicians are required to spend months training on Kyocera and Konica product lines before they are certified to service your devices. All technicians attend factory training courses in Dallas, Chicago, and New Jersey, returning to Century as product line experts. These courses train technicians on preventative maintenance measures, equipment and network diagnostics, and advanced troubleshooting techniques.

Continuing education
Our technicians’ training never really ends. Technicians are required to stay current on product releases, patches, and updates by successfully passing Kyocera-given online testing. Kyocera also tests Century throughout the year to ensure our technicians are up to speed on all the new products and technologies. Less than 10% of Kyocera Dealers nationwide pass this testing. Through our continuous training efforts, Century is proud to say that we have maintained this top Kyocera Service Solution Provider designation for the past 14 years.

Certifications
Century technicians hold certifications in many different areas of the IT world including Network+, A+, Cisco, CDIA+ and Microsoft certification. Our techs are also experienced in network administration, electronics, and customer service.

Longevity
Our technicians have over 300 years of combined experience. Aberdeen technician Dale Smid has been a technician with Century for 30 years! Many of our technicians have already been with us for over 10 years.

 National Recognition
We are extremely proud of the recent success of our technicians in Kyocera’s Best Technician in America Contest. This contest tests mechanical technical ability, network knowledge, and problem solving skills of Kyocera technicians across the country. Craig Doeden won the inaugural competition in 2009 and Todd Gordon took home the top prize in 2012. Lance Roberts took home 5th place in 2010 and 4th place in 2013. Nationwide, no other Kyocera dealer has qualified as many technicians for the regional competition as Century. We are the only company to send multiple technicians to the national competition (and win)!

Service Matters
We know that customer service is the key to maintaining customer loyalty so we strive to provide the best service in the industry. By investing in new technologies and employee product training, our customers directly benefit with better equipment uptime, prolonged longevity of their office equipment investment, and the best overall experience available.

Thank you for your past, present, and future business. We look forward to serving you for another 30 years! 

Brett Gildemaster
Owner, Century Business Products