Total Customer Satisfaction commitment from sensor supplier

Plenty of companies state that they aim to delight customers by providing a high standard of service, but what does PCB Piezotronics mean by Total Customer Satisfaction? For a start, the company's engineers will discuss applications with customers to ensure that the optimum product is ordered. Depending on the requirements, this might mean a subtly different product from the one identified by the customer in order to achieve the specified delivery date; in other cases, discussions might reveal that the customer has not understood fully the nuances of the project requirements, so the application engineer can assist in specifying the right sensor. Sometimes the customer requests that a special be developed, whereas the application engineer can suggest using a standard product that will perform as required while costing less and being available for faster delivery.

If customers require relatively large quantities of sensors for rapid delivery, this cannot always be met from stocks held in Europe or the USA. However, a separate division of PCB Piezotronics provides sensors on a rental basis, which means that larger orders are sometimes best fulfilled by a combination of units being purchased and rented.

Calibration and customisation

For applications in which sensors need to be recalibrated periodically, PCB Piezotronics UK can organise this on behalf of customers. Although the company does not have its own calibration facilities in the UK, it has a close relationship with a calibration house so that customers can send the sensors directly to the calibration house, with invoicing through PCB Piezotronics. Not only does this keep things simple, but it enables a much faster turnaround to be achieved than if the sensors are shipped to the PCB Piezotronics calibration facility in the USA.

Here in the UK, PCB Piezotronics also has a supplier that can fit non-standard terminations to standard sensors. The connectors can either be sourced by PCB Piezotronics or free-issued by the customer. Whichever approach is used, the result is customised sensors delivered faster and more cost-effectively than if a non-standard product had to be manufactured by PCB Piezotronics in the USA. Customers purchasing programmable vibration switches can also take advantage of a cost-effective service that enables batches of switches to be supplied pre-programmed with the customer's specified parameters. This can save the customer considerable time, especially when large numbers of switches are ordered.

Although PCB Piezotronics stocks a small number of sensors in the UK for customers placing regular orders, most UK orders are fulfilled from stocks held in Germany. Using express courier services, this means that most orders are delivered within a few days, plus the invoicing arrangements result in UK customers not being charged VAT - which helps cashflow. Even if products have to be shipped from the USA, deliveries are often fulfilled within days rather than the weeks that used to be the norm with products imported from the USA.

Discounts

Something that PCB Piezotronics does not publicise widely is its Repair and Replacement service. If a sensor sustains damage and can be repaired, this is undertaken at the company's facilities in the USA. However, this takes time and customers are often unable to wait. In order to keep customers' instrumentation systems operational, PCB Piezotronics offers a Repair and Replacement service that enables customers to return the faulty unit and benefit from a substantial discount off the price of a new replacement. Of course, this offer is in addition to the standard one-year warranty against defective materials and workmanship.

If, at any time, existing or new customers need to speak with a customer services representative, PCB Piezotronics has a 24-hour SensorLine that operates seven days per week. Depending on the time, calls are answered by someone in one of the company's offices around the world in order that questions can be answered authoritatively as quickly as possible.

PCB Piezotronics has a written Total Customer Satisfaction commitment that says products will be repaired, replaced or exchanged if, at any time, the customer is not completely satisfied. And if no products are suitable, the customer will be refunded in full during the first year. Since PCB Piezotronics opened its UK office over four years ago, some sensors have been exchanged for alternative models but no customer has requested a refund - which illustrates the lengths to which the company will go to ensure that customers are genuinely satisfied. Visit the PCB Piezotronics website to see the company's product range and find out more about the services available.