When it comes to LED displays, technical service is the most important driver of quality.
“A lot of people think that to be better than the competition, they just need better products. That’s not true at all,” says Neil Hawley, director of project management at Prismview. “It’s good technical service. At Prismview we work to continually make things easy for customers, from installation to handoff to ongoing support. That’s what we do differently.”
That’s exactly what helped Prismview win its first NFL contract. The Chicago Bears had been disappointed with their previous supplier. “They would take days to come out and fix something. LEDs would go down and their supplier wouldn’t be able to get it fixed before the game,” Hawley says. “It was incredibly embarrassing for the franchise.”
With an emphasis on superior technical service, Prismview came in and won the Bears’ trust, piquing the interest (and business) of other professional sports teams in the process. How did Prismview accomplish this feat? They delivered the same four tenets of service they offer all customers.
Keeping the conversation going
Project handoff: that crucial time between the completion of the installation and the ongoing maintenance of a display. What seems on paper to be a simple shift of responsibilities is actually a complex transition that can throw some vendors for a loop.
The key to a seamless handoff? Communication, beginning with the project manager.
The Prismview Service and Support Team employs a rigorous process to ensure a smooth transition. Throughout the duration of the installation, a project manager is always on site. “This is what sets Prismview apart. When we’re on site, we want to know everything,” says Hawley. “This is the best way to make the customer happy and to ensure the success of the display.”
Working closely with the project manager is the service technician, who holds the ultimate responsibility for the display’s lifelong maintenance. Working on the ground, the technicians familiarize themselves with the specifications of a given display, all the way from design concepts to parts to details on the actual installation process.
“They’re 100 percent familiar with the exact installation, so that if and when there’s an issue with the display, the customer already knows the technician and the technician already knows the display,” says Hawley.
And that knowledge and information handoff also extends to Prismview’s Network Operations Center (the NOC). A Service Support Representative (SSR) typically visits the job site to get fully onboarded to every piece of the project. Because the last thing the customer wants is to have to explain the display to the SSR down the line.
Staying on their toes
If (and when) a problem arises with the display, the customer wants it resolved as fast as possible. With one call to the NOC, a dedicated Prismview service technician will be on site, fixing any issues quickly and efficiently.
But it’s more than just providing quick fixes. Customers look for long-term solutions in order to build trust.
“Say lightning strikes a board and the system is fried. First things first, we’ll get the display back up and running as fast as possible. But then we’ll make sure it’s working for the long run. Maybe that means adding lightning protection or replacing a part,” says Hawley. “We can’t predict what’s going to happen but we can respond as fast as possible to fix the problem.”
Educating (and re-educating) technicians
LED displays can be complex, and they’re constantly updating as technology advances. To keep pace with innovation and ensure every technician is well-equipped to handle any situation, Prismview thoroughly trains and re-trains employees.
Every year, the team brings field technicians — including the network of contracted technicians — to the Logan headquarters for a focused intensive training session. They go over new products and processes, talk about customer experiences and get hands-on practice with the technology. Supplemental training sessions also take place throughout the year.
“It’s always in our best interest to train, train, train,” says Hawley. “Ongoing education within Prismview is a huge part of what it takes to make customers happier, so we try to get everyone on the same page.”
The company also leans on the technicians for its own education. The field technicians use a reporting system to record what they did each day. This information is then analyzed by Prismview on a weekly basis to help inform and improve production.
“Field techs have boots on the ground and they see a lot of things happening. They always have a voice in how things are put together and we take their input very seriously,” says Hawley.
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Going the extra mile
The emphasis on customer service is foundational to Prismview’s business, and it influences every decision and every employee.
“Just because we’ve won a job, it doesn’t mean we’ve earned the end user’s business,” says Hawley. “How you continue to perform throughout the warranty is key. We treat every customer like they’re number one regardless of what they spend.”
This mindset manifests itself in the level of service on site. “It could be as simple as coming to fix something and then taking the extra step to clean the dust off the product,” says Hawley.
What’s more, Prismview looks to ensure the usability and durability of each product. Before leaving the job site, the team spends time training the end customer on how to use the LED display effectively, and how to fix any minor issues that arise. Then, Prismview sends detailed product manuals, ample spare parts and, when possible, a video recording of the training to each customer.
“It’s important we get them up to speed on things so they can handle certain user error issues themselves,” says Hawley. “Helping them understand how things work so they can diagnose certain issues themselves can maximize the lifecycle of the product, which is really what the customer wants.”
At the end of the day, Prismview’s high level of customer service isn’t about winning business. It’s about keeping customers happy — and their displays working — year after year.
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