BPMS is a CASE in point for excellent customer service
Earthmoving equipment sales have long been regarded as a good barometer of the economic climate, but the underlying business ethos is also critical.
So for an insight into good practice and how things are fairing in 2016 we looked to Claire Smith, the Commercial Director and one of the owners of BPMS.
This CASE dealership, based in Otterbourne near Winchester, Hampshire, has gone from strength to strength over the past few years and has just been named the winner of the CASE groups’ ‘Pinnacle Achievement’ Award.
Up against 360 other of the OEM’s dealers from right across its EMEA (Europe, Middle East, Africa) region, BPMS was the only one to achieve advanced Pinnacle status.
“The dealership had ‘lost its way’ when I got involved in the business back in 2012,” explained Claire.
“It was experiencing the trough of the last recession, had a large second-hand inventory and little enthusiasm for change from the previous owners.
“The priority therefore was to get customers back on side, restructure operations to improve profitability plus instil a true sense of value across the business.”
Having evaluated each of the main departments Claire refocused operations towards new sales, delivering unparalleled customer support and service plus a programme of investment.
Having inherited a good team of hardworking, loyal and experienced staff, a core focus was on training, with all staff being encouraged to go on all relevant courses to ensure they had all the necessary knowledge and experienced available to deliver the best service possible.
“This was a huge investment, both financial and in terms of time, but one that is truly delivering rewards now. Being pro-active and really getting to know what our customers want and then delivering it was and is paramount; only then do we have a long-term platform on which to build.
“Having enthusiastic staff that are appropriately rewarded and prepared to consistently deliver 110 per cent is important when providing a first rate service and we’ve achieved this as well as recruited additional staff within parts, service and sales plus set-up a viable admin operation.”
Another area that sets BPMS apart is that it both fabricates and adapts machines to ensure they meet any customers’ specialist requirements.
This can include adding a hi-rise cab, long reach arms, special buckets, or whatever fabrication is needed and its work is fully guaranteed.
“We specialise on working with bespoke customer applications and work alongside our customers to deliver exactly what they want – and it’s this that has made the real difference.”
Machines like the CX80, CX130 and CX210 have been the popular backbone of the CASE range over recent years and that’s why BPMS holds good stock of each to meet customer demand.
While the manufacturer has built a reputation for reliability and performance, they have also been regarded by many as being a premium product.
The new ‘D’ series of excavators launched last April marked a step-change, improving operability still further but also closing the price gap with competitive machines.
“The new CASE ‘D’ series is having a real market impact as it’s a fantastic next generation excavator,” enthuses Claire.
“The product of extensive research and a massive development programme over the past couple of years, it is a versatile series that is proven to have negligible warranty issues, delivers improved responsiveness and multifunctional control, has superior fuel efficiency and is keenly priced against competitive alternatives.”
In addition to stocking the main range, plus holding a large inventory of parts and consumables, BPMS also stocks and support other complementary, prestige machines.
These include the Japanese manufactured Hanix range of mini excavators; The Avant loader range which offers massive flexibility for smaller operators with its 100+ different kind of attachments; Dieci telehandlers; and the extensive Ausa range including Dumpers.
This combination means BPMS can supply customers with a quality solution for almost any operation.
“We are extremely proud that we have quality machines, quality service and quality staff. Minimising any downtime for our customers is very important and we strive for a first visit fix policy which further supports our unwavering approach to customer service and satisfaction.
“This winning formula has been ‘the secret’ of our new success and an approach that any dealer could successfully adopt.”
So to answer how things are fairing in 2016 Claire concluded: “Having grown sales by over 150 per cent in the last three years, with a forecast to add a further 35 per cent this year, and having been recognised with the ‘Pinnacle Achievement’ for our ethos towards all aspects of the business and customer service we can proudly say that from our perspective the future is looking excellent.”
For more information visit www.casece.com
