SeFUice Call

Help Desk proves valuable dealer tool

Information $eruices for LBM 0ealers

The old adage that'knowledge is powef is especially pedinent in difficult times like these, when every bit of news, data and information can become criticalto competitive advantage. As the leading voice ol the North Amedcan slruclural wood panel and engineered wood products industry, APA can becorne a valuable information clearinghouse for building material retailers who sellthose producls.

Here's how: trvodunlveraity.org fVoodUniveriity.org is an online engineered wood product training resource. Several courses are offered and more will be added in lhe future. Ol partictlar value to retailers is Course 10:1, Unit 2Selling Engineered Wood, which is particulady well suited to new sales employees. WoodUniversity courses are free.

BuildaBetterHome.org

The BuildaBetterHome site provides construction details and tips to prevent moisture intrusion and resulting problems in residenlial construction. The site is designed for design and construclbn professionals and includes links to APA publications on tho sutiect than can be used as valueadded tods by dealers. A related sito, FreeFromMold.org, is designed specifically lor homeowners and otfers tips on how to maintain a mobture-free home environnent. t

Dealer Training Semimrc

EWP specialists fron'APA's Field Services stafi are available to conduct training meetingc and seminars tailored to he sales tlaining needs of building material retailers. tlsually conducted in cooperation with local or regional dealer assoeiations, these events can be invaluable for both new emphyees andseasoned veterans.

PerformancePanels.com

PerformancePanel.eom is an APA site devoted exclusively to products and applications for thg industrial markel, from upholstered lurnilure and kitchen cabinets to crates, pallets, boats and slgnage, Dealers selling to industrial customers can profitably use this site to enhance their value-added services, The sile includas links lo man= ufacturers that produce panels for industrial apflications,

Product Literature & Application Tipe

APA maintains a comprehensive library of product and appliee. tion literalure, including a series of problem-prevention Builder ?ips that can be incorporated by dealers into their customer service pro gram. Most APA publications can be downloaded free from the *PA website.

Environmental & Grcen Building Inlo

The Green Topics sec'tion of APA's website includgs a variety of information in suppoil of the environmental merits of wood products, including facts and figures on sustainable forest management, th6 life cycle advantages of wood, the low formaldehyde emissions ot EWP, and links to other valuable information resources.

ll /JERRITT Kline jokes about his first few days as the IYIguy in charge of APA's brand new Product Support Help Desk. "There was a desk, a phone, and stacks of engineered wood product information, but that was about it," he recalls now, nearly 13 years removed from that day back in October 1996, when the help desk opened for business.

One of the first help desks in the wood products industry, the function today is an indispensable part of the association's technical and market support program. "I can remember when we didn't have it," says long-time APA senior engineer Ed Keith. "And I don't know how we got along without it. It's a huge time-saver for the engineers and scientists who used to have to field routine inquiries. And it's a great service to users, specifiers, building material retailers, distributors and others because they receive immediate answers and assistance."

The help desk was created on models taken from the burgeoning computer software industry, which found itself flooded with myriad and sometimes complicated questions from product users.

APA's help desk operated from its inception with software that helped manage information storage and transfer. But in those early days, the help desk ran without the benefit of what by today's standards are vital tools-the Internet, email and electronic documents. Incoming calls went through a switchboard, and "we relied on photocopies and faxing of paper documents for information transfer," recalls Kline. "We were still wearing ties to work then, too," he adds with a smile.

The latest technology, including an automatic call distribution system and Internet capabilities, was soon added.

An even bigger challenge, Kline recalls, was simply "learning the range of information resources available and developing a logical system for cataloguing those resources so they could be put to best use. I thought setting up the help desk software would be the major obstacle in getting the operation off the ground. But knowing where to look for information was the hardest part."

The desk, which operates as part of APA's Technical Services Division, receives approximately 12,000 inquiries annually. About two-thirds are phone calls, with most of the remaining arriving via email. A few letters, faxes and occasionally even visitors come in. The phone number (253-620-7400) and email address (help@apawood.org) are featured in all APA publications, news releases, and advertising. In addition, some 40 APA member mills include the number with their panel or engineered wood trademarks.

The value of the service continues to grow over time because all calls are logged into a database, adding to a quick-recall info source. "The 'knowledge tree' now contains more than 2,700 unique entries, so in most cases we can find an answer to a question very quickly because it has been asked before," Kline notes.

The database also permits tracking calls by vanous user groups. The largest number of inquiries-167o-is from engineers, for example. Builders, dealers and architects each represent lo-ll%; followed by homeowners and distributors (7-8Vo\ and APA members. d-i-vers and subcon- tractors (about 57o each). Lesser call volumes come from code officials, manufacturers, treaters, building or marketing consultants, associations, property owners, developers, academia, media, designers, government officials, etc.

Data also is kept by product line and by market. Structural panels account for about 7O7o of product-specific inquiries, and more questions relate to residential construction than to any other market. In addition to plywood, OSB, glulam, wood l-joists, LVL, and rim board-products manufactured by APA members-the help desk also fields calls relating to southem pine lumber under an agreement with the Southern Forest Products Association.

In addition to APA's own product literature, technical reports and website, the help desk relies on a number of other tools and sources for answers to questions, including building code documents, the Forest Products Laboratory's Wood Handbook, and the American Forest & Paper Association's National Design Specification for Wood Construction, which contains enginecred wood design information provided by APA.

A small number of inquiries-about 4Vo-still require the help of an APA engineer or scientist. In some cases, calls are refened to staff in other divisions, such as market research or communications.

Most calls, Kline notes, are "straightforward and involve good questions." He adds that many also point to the ongoing need for marketplace education on proper product specification and application. The lack of understanding of basic recommendations among many product users and specifiers is often surprising, Kline observes. "Things that might seem very elementary, such as panel edge spacing, blocking requirements, or the meaning of a span rating, often are not understood out there in the field."

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