Service and support ethos underpins record sales at Mills CNC

A large percentage of the machines sold will be to its existing customers and Mills, year-on-year, says it makes significant investment in its infrastructure and operations to build customer loyalty and maintain its high retention rates. Investing in a well-resourced, professional customer service and support operation, with the right systems, structures and, above all, people in place is a pre-requisite to sustainable growth and success, the company suggests. "When it comes to service and support, there're never any grey areas. Customers don't forget what you said, and never forget how you made them feel," underlines Nick Frampton, Mills CNC's managing director. "We sell great products, and we back this up with great service. But this doesn't happen by chance. We constantly review and evaluate our service and support operations to make sure they operate efficiently and effectively. When we identify areas that can be improved, we make the investment, which is what our customers would expect us to do," he adds. Such improvements could include recruiting new service engineers or investing in new technology and, in a number of cases, it can include both. Mills employs 71 people, and over 60% of them are involved (directly and indirectly) in delivering customer service and support. The company has 23 regionally-based service engineers that provide quick, rapid-fire response to customers and over £1 million of spare and replacement parts in stock at its facility in Leamington. Also at Leamington are three technical help-desk engineers that man-the-forts and, for customers experiencing any machine issues are, 'the first port of call'. These are joined by two engineers that manage the spare parts operation, two project managers in charge of machine deliveries, three PDI (Pre-Delivery Inspection) engineers, six application engineers and four pre-sales engineers that support customers at the initial machine tool enquiry stage. Continues Mr Frampton: "We have recently revamped our Operations Centre and the facility now looks the part – modern, stylish and more business-like." The Operation Centre's new interior decor and furnishings are certainly attractive, but it's the technology in-place and what it signifies that makes the centre so impressive. "Investment in new technology is critical," Mr Frampton highlights. "We have a large 6 ft wall-mounted screen that displays, in real time, where our engineers are and what they are working on. This provides us with an up-to-the-minute status report on our operations and how we are performing. We always show customers that visit Mills this facility because it demonstrates the importance we place on service and support." Concludes the managing director: "Everybody remembers when they experienced great service. And, the fact you remember it is because it's the exception rather than the rule. At Mills, we strive to make every interaction with customers a positive one, and really will try to go the extra mile to support anyone who has shown faith by investing with us and purchased a Doosan machine tool." Note: Accompanying video shows Mills CNC spares portal