February 13, 2020
Dur-A-Flex’s customer service department is here to support our customers in every way possible. We enjoy talking with our customers and hearing about the wins and challenges out in the field. Our goal is to offer world class customer service and foster long term relationships. We appreciate any opportunity you give us to show the Dur-A-Flex difference.
Understanding how busy a day in the life of a flooring contractor can be, we put together this quick list of tips to help you avoid any issues when it comes to receiving your resinous floor systems and cleaning products.
- We have four locations strategically located in major cities across the U.S.A. to ensure our products are available to ship same-day (or next) regardless of the job location. If you are doing a job outside of your territory, please discuss this with customer service. This way we can be sure we have the product available at your closest Dur-A-Flex facility. Cutting down transit time will help you reduce freight charges.
- If you are shipping directly to a job site, discuss delivery requirements up front with your end user. To ensure orders are delivered safely and on time, you will want to confirm your customer understands what and how much they will be receiving, and that they have a space designated to receive and safely store the resinous floor products. Each pallet of product can take approximately 16 sq. ft. of space, depending on the size of the job, this could be a substantial amount of their facility’s space. Also remember climate can come into play. If the location experiences freezing temperatures (or extreme heat), ask them to store the products in a controlled environment.
- While we are on the topic of cold. Did you know we offer protect-from-freeze services and also strategic routing to make sure products are ready to mix once delivered? Epoxy floor systems are the most vulnerable to cold temperatures, but if you think that cold temperatures may be a concern for your shipment regardless of product, let us know and we can discuss your options. Protect-from-freeze services include using heated trucks and facilities that bring shipments inside when they are not in motion. This service does come at an added cost, and is not always available. Another option is for us to strategically route materials so they are constantly in motion. It’s a whole process we go through of checking time zones, climates and transit days, but it is worth it to make certain our contractors’ products are ready for use upon delivery.
- When possible, order products with a couple days lead time. Even though most of our orders ship same day or next, we can’t always control outside factors that can impact delivery. Weather, freight mishaps, construction delays, etc. can hold up your delivery or worse, your project timeline.
- That said, we realize we don’t live in a perfectly timed world. To assist with tight time frames and help deliver orders as fast as possible, we can arrange for same-day deliveries. For those times when things “pop up,” we offer same-day courier and expedited services. No need to send someone off a jobsite to pick up additional materials, when we can assist.
- Combining multiple orders on the same shipment can reduce freight costs significantly. If you know you have multiple upcoming jobs, consider combining multiple orders into one shipment. Transit time, shipment weight and fuel consumption all go into calculating shipping costs. By combining orders, you can reduce both shipment time and fuel consumption to save money and be more profitable.
- Whether you chose to use our freight carriers or yours, we are dedicated to getting your product shipped to you on time. Did you know that it is actually easier for you to have us arrange the freight? When you use our trusted carriers, Dur-A-Flex handles everything from coordination to delivery, and we can also process any claims or issues for you. This ensures you get replacement materials even faster. Delivery is one load we can take off your backs, let us handle the shipping so you can focus on everything else.
- Inspect materials at time of delivery. Take the time to count and inspect your shipment before signing for it. This will help in preventing any future complications or delays. The last thing you want to do is find out during install that you have damaged or missing goods. The sooner we know about any shipping issues the sooner we can assist in getting them resolved.
Making the best shipping arrangements is just a small piece of what customer service does. We are here to assist you and make sure all of your transactions go as smoothly as possible. Contact us to place orders, discuss shipping options, and answer any questions you may have. We are here to make your lives easier and are always just a phone call or email away.
Author: Keith Dumas
Keith is the customer service and logistics manager at Dur-A-Flex. He works diligently to ensure that we offer the highest standards in customer services and satisfaction.