| every company discusses, at length, the need for | | | | business. High quality water must be produced and |
| customer service and the significance of supplying | | | | delivered to the customer's location on time and |
| true excellence to its customers. However, very | | | | as ordered. Often enough, customer requests |
| few actually follow through with what it takes to | | | | change without warning, which is one reason why |
| attain this excellence. This is particularly true in the | | | | flexibility is important to the success of the |
| bottled water business since not all providers | | | | bottled water company. |
| share the opinion that customer service is of the | | | | Frequently, the water needs of the customer |
| utmost importance in any business. | | | | exceed original expectations, which causes |
| The bottled water industry services a wide | | | | shortages . However, in order to avoid such a |
| customer base with numerous companies and | | | | situation as this, the supplier would have already |
| individual clients. The industry is characterized by a | | | | invested in the communication and stock |
| small number of very large firms and a substantial | | | | infrastructure to meet all of its clients’ |
| number of relatively small consumers with specific | | | | demands. |
| geographic niches. | | | | For those suppliers who private label water as a |
| The Nature of the Business: | | | | means of customer advertising, the design, |
| The bottled water business consists of the | | | | printing and durability of the label on the bottle is a |
| manufacturing and delivery of spring or purified | | | | critical factor. Therefore, companies creating labels |
| water in small packages or large containers such | | | | of lesser quality in the design and printing of the |
| as 5 gallon bottles. The product is delivered | | | | labels clearly provide a substandard product to |
| directly to the customer’s site in either | | | | their customers. |
| company owned delivery vehicles or through | | | | Communication and the Customer Promise: |
| common carriers. Each individual bottled water | | | | Many bottled water suppliers neglect the reality |
| company provides an implicit promise to its | | | | that proper communication channels serve as the |
| customers that it will manufacture the highest | | | | basis for fulfilling the customer promise. An overall |
| quality product and deliver that product at the | | | | reliance on voicemail and/or e-mail, an inability to |
| agreed upon time. | | | | respond quickly to customer needs and the |
| Many, Many Customers: | | | | absence of true customer service assistance has |
| The customer base in the bottled water industry | | | | created a negative impression of the industry for |
| is very diverse and ranges from individual | | | | many customers. |
| consumers with single bottle requirements to large | | | | A proper communication system has many |
| multi-cooler business accounts with significant | | | | technical elements but it should begin with a |
| water needs. Each client has its own specific | | | | willingness to include human contact in the |
| requirements, which are met by the company | | | | communication link. No customer enjoys being |
| providing the services and product. | | | | dropped into the voicemail void, therefore, the |
| The Customer Service Promise and the History | | | | bottled water suppliers that continue to prosper |
| of the Business: | | | | are the companies that uphold the customer |
| In the past, various bottled water companies | | | | service promises and guarantee personally |
| have focused on process rather than customer | | | | answered customer service calls, which they |
| service. Many firms acted on the belief that the | | | | promptly use to respond to client inquiries and |
| delivery of a superior product completed their | | | | concerns. |
| obligation to the customer. However, the | | | | Accept Responsibility and Do What It Takes to |
| customer service promise includes much more | | | | Provide Customer Satisfaction: |
| than a simple delivery of a quality product and | | | | There are many excuses for failure to perform |
| requires additional services such as on time | | | | but the bottled water suppliers who are truly |
| delivery, proper pricing, responding to additional | | | | world class are those who accept responsibility |
| delivery requests and other specific needs. One of | | | | and persevere with their customer satisfaction |
| the most important customer responsibilities is the | | | | guarantees. This often includes obtaining little or no |
| ability to communicate their concerns not only to | | | | profit on a particular transaction in order to fulfill |
| the customer service departments, but also to | | | | the customer service promise. |
| the heads of each company. | | | | Size is not the determinant in the customer |
| Current Status of the Industry (The Unfulfilled | | | | service equation. Often, smaller companies are |
| Promise): | | | | ready, willing and able to better fulfill the customer |
| Although the bottled water industry may seem | | | | promise. |
| rather simple, in reality, it is a very complex | | | | |