According to Brian Pepin, our senior service manager, what differentiates the service at GFI Digital from other companies is our customer-first mentality. He says, “Service excellence has become a way of life for us. Our technicians are highly trained, highly motivated, and passionate about taking care of our customers.” We have earned the recognition and distinction as the #1 independent dealership in the office-imaging industry by Pros Elite 100.
GFI Digital has been certified by Pros Elite 100 since 2009, as well as earning the Ricoh Circle of Excellence and Sharp Platinum Level Service Provider awards. “We are constantly monitored by Pros Elite 100 to make sure we meet and exceed all critical industry benchmarks for performance. We teach every employee in service these critical benchmarks, along with doing in-house factory-certified training on all of the products we sell.”
Our success and reputation for prompt customer service can be attributed to our Total Call Procedure and our desire to build great customer relationships. “The Total Call Procedure, or TCP, is the blueprint on how to properly run a service call. It allows us to get the customer taken care of quickly, on the first call, and keep the equipment running as long as possible between service calls,” Pepin clarifies. The TCP starts off with, “Always make sure the customer is 100% satisfied. If at any point they are not, [our technicians will] immediately notify their manager.” Once a service call is placed, the service technician will contact the customer within 30 minutes to assess the issue and offer suggestions to fix the issue over the phone, if possible. If an onsite fix is needed, the technician will provide a timely ETA that is acceptable to the customer.
At the heart of GFI Digital’s service department is our Service Center, centrally located between our 11 branch locations throughout Missouri and Illinois. This 38,000+ square foot facility is home to our St. Louis service department, field IT team, help desk, set up and refurbishing center, training center, parts department, supplies and equipment, and distribution. “Our Service Center is where it all begins. Every part, supply, and piece of equipment passes through the Service Center. Being centrally located is a huge advantage because we can get our employees and customers anything they need in a timely manner, even on-demand training on all the products we offer.”
Along with the Total Call Procedure, First Call Effectiveness (FCE) is another strategy we practice with dedication. This industry benchmark measures the ability to fix an issue on the first call about a machine and serves as a method to gauge customer satisfaction. This requires adequate training, parts, supply availability, and the desire to deliver great customer service. Our technicians and parts department constantly monitor inventory and usage to ensure we have the right parts on hand to fix a machine on the first call, allowing us to have the industry leading 5.2% incomplete call percentage and 84.3% First Call Effectiveness. “The parts department is the right arm of the service team. They are responsible for restocking roughly $750,000.00 in rolling car stock throughout the company,” states Pepin. Our service reporting technology allows us to record parts used on a call and immediately generate a restocking request to replenish the stock. The efficiency and effectiveness of this system is unmatched in our industry.
One of our Core Values at GFI Digital is “Have Fun,” and our service team takes full advantage of opportunities to live it out. Fun is the reward for hard work! Whether it is taking turns with control over the radio in the service center, hot dog eating contests, bags tournaments, or pancake breakfasts, we like to celebrate success. “We have a great group of service employees at GFI Digital. We try to provide them with the right tools, training, parts, and support to make them successful. They really do enjoy their job.” Like our owner, Bruce Gibbs, always says, “Happy Employees make Happy Customers,” Pepin adds.