Deciding to purchase new office equipment and technology is often a great decision. Several common factors go into making this decision, including product selection, brand quality, and pricing. In addition to these factors, choosing the right equipment dealer that meets your organization’s needs is equally as important.
Your office equipment dealer can make or mar your organization’s experience with its technology. As with every business relationship you form, you want to ensure that your office equipment dealer is up to standard, understands your organization’s needs, partners with industry-rated manufacturers, and is an excellent company to build a long-term business relationship with.
How to Compare Office Equipment Dealers
Since a wide selection of dealers in the market sell and service office equipment and technology, it may be overwhelming to scrutinize and compare all of them properly.
Your next question may be, how do I make this process easier and less overwhelming? If this sounds like you, this article is for you. Here are some factors that you should consider when comparing and ultimately choosing an office equipment dealer.
Reputation
An organization’s reputation speaks louder than whatever information they have shared with you. What kind of reputation does the organization have in the community?
Searching online reviews is a great way to start your research to find a reputable office equipment dealer. What are people saying about the dealer? Is it positive or negative? Are the reviews genuine, or do they seem doctored? These are some things you should pay attention to when checking reviews.
Another way to confirm a dealer’s reputation is to reach out to businesses that have worked with them. An organization that has dealt with the dealer first-hand will have insight into their pros and cons, as well as whether they would recommend them.
In addition to this, the dealer’s website can reveal a lot about how seriously they take their reputation and brand. Do they have a website? Does it look professional? Does it have the essential information you need to know about the company and their service, or does it feel like they are holding back information in hopes that you will contact them? While having a nice website doesn’t necessarily mean good quality, it shows that they care about their reputation and customer experience.
At Office Interiors, we take pride in what our customers think about us, and we are happy when we receive positive feedback from them. In our community, we have also been recognized and awarded the Consumer Choice Award as a top-choice office equipment dealer in Nova Scotia for 13 years.
Product Offerings
Most office equipment dealers are known to partner with technology brands and manufacturers to offer their products. However, many of them only work with one brand. While this is okay if they offer great products, it may limit your options when selecting a product. Working with a dealer that partners with several brands gives you more options and provides the dealer with more flexibility when recommending products to you.
In addition to choosing a dealer that partners with several brands, also choosing one that offers other types of office equipment will be helpful. This is because, while doing business with them, your technology needs may change, and you may need to expand and get more services like software, office phone systems etc. Having a single dealer that can accommodate all your needs is much easier than managing orders and service requests from multiple dealers.
Service Coverage
Similar to product offerings, an office equipment dealer’s support and service offerings are equally important. Some questions you should be asking your potential dealer include the following:
- Do they offer equipment service?
- Do they have qualified service technicians that can provide expert advice regarding your equipment?
- Are those service technicians local to your area?
- Will they provide supplies and consumables?
- What does the service and supply process look like?
- Will their service request process work for your needs and schedule, or does it feel like you have to jump through the hoops?
Measurable Customer Service
Customer service sets an excellent dealer apart from regular office equipment dealers. It is easy for every dealer to claim they have excellent customer service but do they have proof to back it up? You want to ensure that the office equipment dealer you decide to work with has measurable customer service.
Are their service calls reviewed and audited to ensure quality and compliance? What method or metrics do they have for measuring their customer satisfaction? Do they survey their customers or gather performance feedback systematically and impartially? Do they have a third-party verification system to ensure transparency? These are some of the questions you should be looking for answers to when choosing a dealer.
A good dealer will be forthcoming and happy to share this information with you. At Office Interiors, we have excellent customer service and data to back that claim. We use a third-party survey system called the Net Promoter Score (NPS). NPS measures customer loyalty by sending a survey to the customer after every service and asking them about the likelihood of recommending the company to their friend. The score can range from -100 to 100. In North America, the average business has a score of 30, while a score over 50 is considered excellent.
Office Interiors has a score of 87 out of 100, which has earned us the “World Class Service” award by NPS Calculator, CEO Juice.
PROs Elite 100 Certification
The PROs Elite 100 is a prestigious certification awarded to office imaging dealers who excel in world-class service. This award is not easy to achieve as it is only given to 100 office imaging dealers in North America.
For a dealer to be awarded this certification, they must have achieved a high-performance level through their organization structure, process, training, follow-up, strategies, and execution. The awardees are continually monitored and audited by the PROs proprietary Performance Improvement Virtual Operations Tool (PIVOT) to ensure customers receive consistent service. If you work with a dealer with this certification, you can be assured that you are getting industry-best service.
Office Interiors is proud to be one of the four recipients of the Pros Elite 100 award and certification in Canada and the only certified dealer in Atlantic Canada.
We Don’t Just Talk; We Walk the Talk
Here at Office Interiors, we offer comprehensive technology solutions to streamline workflows and improve productivity. You can count on our exceptional, industry-leading service and support before, during, and after the sale.
We are ready to guide you through the process of buying your office equipment to ensure that you are getting your organization’s needs met and your money’s worth. If you have more questions regarding purchasing office technology, you can check out our Office Technology Buyer’s Guide or contact our team.
Fola Adedeji
Marketing Coordinator
Office Interiors
