The return of customer service

Extracted from the Farm Tender weekly Newsletter - Sign up and get the email every Wednesday morning before 5 am. www.farmtender.com.au

By Dwain Duxson.

A week or so ago, I read how travellers are ditching online DIY travel services and heading back to travel agents for more personalised service when making travel arrangements. The chaos around travelling in 2022 means that if you have someone in your corner, and if or when something goes wrong, they, the travel agent, have a much better chance of sorting it out. Try call Booking.com, Wotif or Webjet and see how you go....

I think we are seeing the same in Ag.

Or has it been any different in Ag?

I am positive Ag service providers have lifted their game in this department. We all know that 20-30 years ago, there were a lot more Farmers around and the population servicing those Farmers was higher also.

Everything was more local back then. I even remember the local Fuel distributor dealing in 44 Gallon Drums.

But from where I stand, there was a period between then and now where we lost a bit of that service focus.

Five or so years ago, myself and another person cold called several hundred Ag businesses, and from the stats we collected, something like 30 percent of companies never returned the call. I thought that was a pretty ordinary stat.

Today it's a little different. The effort is there now, and the understanding is that Ag service providers have to engage more with their customers in order to consistently win their business.

We have spoken recently about how Farmers rely more on these service providers than ever before. These people now have more responsibility within a Farm business.

The information or solutions they provide are more sophisticated, and more often lead to better outcomes for the Farmer. The laziness has gone out of it a bit.

Farmers are up to their neck with workloads and don't have time to focus on these specialist areas. A good service provider or group of service providers will be adding 3x, 5x, 10x value in relation to their cost.

We are also entering the digital age of Agriculture, where there is software for better communications and more sophisticated CRM (customer relationship management) systems. These service providers can cover more with less.

And they need to, as finding staff is tough in Ag like in other industries.

One exception and we discussed it the other day about how Ag Banking service has never returned and probably never will.

We all know there are various levels of customer service, some excel at it, and others don't. It's a huge advantage to a Farm business if you can have a good group of service providers around you that are delivering. If you are lacking in one area, keep looking because they are out there, and you will find someone.

Remember, in this day and age they don't have to be local. A good one from miles away will be more valuable to you than a bad one around the corner.

In 2022, where our costs are sky-high, we need every part of the business running as efficiently as possible as mistakes are amplified. Having good people around us providing great advice is essential in the modern Farm business.

I am sure you all have stories about good, and not-so-good customer service in Ag. If you get time, please reply to this newsletter with any.

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