Guest Column By Janice Unger
Retired Director of Purchasing & Capital Accounting
East Side Union High School District
"Excellent customer service" is often described as going above and beyond what a customer needs. The concept not only strives to provide exceptional support in a timely fashion but also sets an expectation in the customer service industry to do everything possible to achieve customer satisfaction.
In procurement, the parameters of excellent customer service conveniently all start with the same first letter:
- Professionalism
- Patience
- People-first
One vendor that meets the criteria for excellent customer service is PlanetBids, which has been providing eProcurement solutions for agencies since 2000. PlanetBids continues to successfully assist their customers' outreach efforts to suppliers while gaining greater control and visibility over spend and streamlining many traditional time-consuming procurement practices.
I brought PlanetBids' SaaS solution to East Side Union High School District in 2015 when I was the district's Director of Bond Purchasing & Contracts. Today, the district still relies on PlanetBids, using nearly all of the PB System™'s interconnected modules.
PlanetBids recognizes that providing support is crucial to building a brand and improving customer loyalty. The employees at PlanetBids understand the needs of procurement professionals in the public, private, education, and non-profit sectors because they have extensive experience in the field of procurement and solicitation management. Those in PlanetBids' client support team all have actual experience working in procurement for government agencies.
And they are not the type of eProcurement provider that sells the product, then walks away.
"We define and measure the success of our PB System™ implementation beyond functionality, reporting, technical requirements, etc.," said Alan Zavian, PlanetBids' co-founder. "We measure its true success by making sure all internal users of an organization or agency to utilize the system to its full extent and reap the benefits 100% for many years to come."
While PlanetBids offers many webinars during the year and free monthly workshops designed to help clients utilize the features within the system more effectively, "It's important to note that the staff at PlanetBids is readily available to assist," says Juliette Terry, Senior Manager of Procurement Services for the Sacramento Regional Transit District.
"Bidding can be stressful at times, and one of PlanetBids' staff was very helpful and comforting in a panic situation that I had with one of my bids," says Amir K. Ilkhanipour, Senior Civil Engineer for the City of San Clemente.
PlanetBids not only supports its 550+ clients, but also has support staff for clients' vendors and contractors. All inquiries about using the PB System™ can be accessed by contacting PlanetBids' staff or utilizing their easy-to-use ticketing system.
"What makes the difference between a fair online RFP system and an excellent one is when you need help," says John Tamura, Purchasing and Contracts Director for Long Beach Unified School District. "Instead of waiting days for support or to have a simple question answered, PlanetBids meets and exceeds my expectations, every time. I have my simple questions answered in minutes by email or phone, and any technical issues are resolved in one business day. That is no small feat for any company, large or small, to achieve that level of customer service and support."
PlanetBids has proven that they take customer service very seriously. They listen to their clients. It's part of their business brand. Clients find comfort knowing that PlanetBids will be there every day to assist with whatever needs they have and will give consistent, accurate, and timely service. That certainly was a priority for me in my career as a school business administrator.
Janice Unger was a career school administrator, most recently as Director of Bond Purchasing & Contracts at East Side Union High School District. Upon her retirement in 2020, she has offered her skills as a consultant, including for PlanetBids.
SHARE
