Kevin Mahler of Western Music and Vending in Twin Falls, Idaho, recently contacted RePlay with another observation on the state of service for route operators. Mahler doesn’t name names, but reports a dismal downturn in the quality of customer service and tech support he’s received from some in the industry.
“I have been in this industry for close to 35 years and have had a lot of great experiences that I would not trade for anything. Lately though, it seems to me that customer service or lack thereof has become a problem. Maybe it’s just the fact that we’re a small operator out in rural America – not a big city operator with multiple branches and hundreds of employees – or maybe it’s just me, but more and more, I find calling tech support at a company frustrating.
“Maybe they grew too fast and can’t keep up? That’s understandable, but companies need to do more than just keep us on hold and then tell us to replace the entire machine. I remember the days when a tech would talk over your head in terms of how to fix a game, but nowadays it’s just the shotgun approach: Just start replacing parts until the machine is fixed. There’s not much follow up either from the manufacturer or the distributor. They simply sell you a machine and are gone unless it breaks within the first 30 days. If that happens, then they might cover it.
“It’s not always like this. There are those manufacturers that do care and want to help. I don’t think naming companies is appropriate, as most of you who read this know who’s done a great job and who hasn’t. I hope the right person reads this and at least asks themselves if their company is doing a great job of customer service or not. Fix it if it’s broken.”
Thanks for writing, Kevin. To our other operator readers, have you seen any noticeable change in the quality of tech support or customer service you receive? Feel free to email [email protected] or [email protected] with comments on this or any other topic.
