THINKING Ahead By Dave Destiche
Kicking up service during the pandemic was making my way back from the NAWLA Leadership Summit 2020 in March of last year when the COVID-19 pandemic got real, at least for me. Ironically, many of us at the event were downplaying the virus, not realizing the magnitude and gravity it would take on. I was in for a rude awakening, though, which came courtesy of a phone call from Amerhart’s director of HR. A passenger who tested positive had traveled through our small airport a day earlier, she informed me, adding that I would have to quarantine for the next two weeks. I’ve been working from home ever since. The fallout from the health crisis came fast and furious after that, with Amerhart forced to adapt alongside its peers and the rest of the world. We experienced many of the same setbacks and challenges as everyone else; but, all in all, we’re getting through it effectively and with mini-
I
About NAWLA North American Wholesale Lumber Association is the association that delivers unparalleled access to relationships and resources that improve business strategy and performance through sales growth, cost savings, and operational efficiencies for wholesalers and manufacturers of forest products and other building materials that conduct business in North America. Learn how NAWLA can help your business at nawla.org.
30
mal disruption. Indeed, we expect to come out stronger than ever on the other side. A huge part of the reason for our success thus far is our COVID response team, which has spent countless hours sifting tirelessly through piles of information and filtering the accurate and pertinent details to employees. At the same time, a lot of other “chips” have fallen into place. For instance, because one pillar of our strategic plan is technology investment, our teams were well-positioned for the transition to telework. Perhaps one of the biggest factors, however, was customer buy-in to Amerhart’s first-rate online platform that debuted in early 2019. As it turns out, the system would help us further improve our already impeccable service despite the unfortunate circumstances.
n Building Products Digest n March 2021
Bending Over Backwards for the Customer
The e-commerce site lets customers access any information they need, around the clock and without having to speak to their assigned sales rep. They are able to retrieve product specifications, place orders, review invoices, and reconcile billing questions, among other capabilities. The system was intended to make doing business with Amerhart easier; but this is a people-based industry, where face-to-face interaction is preferred, so some resistance was to be expected. As the pandemic deepened and workplace restrictions took effect, acceptance of and appreciation for the platform took off. It subsequently evolved into the invaluable resource
Building-Products.com
