At one time, it was easy for surveyors to order with Berntsen, now “it’s like falling out of bed,” says Clint Engelage, a long-time Berntsen customer.
Berntsen International, Inc., has always been known for above and beyond customer service in addition to high quality survey marker products. “It’s part of our company culture and we enjoy doing it,” says Rhonda Rushing, President. “We’ve made a commitment to consistently increase customer expectations and we play with new ideas to achieve that all the time.”
This time, Berntsen reached out through the Internet with the introduction of Live Chat, an online customer service feature that customers can access at www.berntsen.com. Clicking on Live Chat at the Berntsen site takes you to a space where you can ask a question of a live Berntsen representative (during normal business hours) – and while you get back to your other responsibilities, the rep is getting you an answer. Customer waiting time on the phone disappears.
Live Chat went live in July of this year and customers are finding unexpected time-savings in accessing it. One Berntsen client says, “Actually I was on the phone to a client handling company business during the process. I thought maybe there would be a longer timeframe in waiting for a representative at Berntsen. I was indeed surprised when I received my initial response within about 30 seconds.”
When asked how difficult it is to use Live Chat for the very first time, the response is that it is completely self-explanatory. Clients trying it out found it simple, even enjoyable and said that although they didn’t know exactly what to expect when they first tried it, they would definitely use Live Chat again.
So why did Berntsen add another tool to the customer service toolbox? Rhonda says, “We understand that customers come with lots of varying needs and the more ways we can find to meet those needs, the better. Live Chat works wonderfully for some. Others will continue to want to use the phone. We’re just happy to be able to better serve our customers.”
