Customer satisfaction is a top priority for any business. Eventually, the goal is to turn a satisfied customer into a loyal customer.
Trackson Drilling is a construction services company executing commercial, civil and industrial projects across the Queensland, Australia region, and the Trackson team knows how important it is to execute jobs efficiently with minimal disruptions. With over 20 years of experience on horizontal directional drilling, trenching and vacuum excavation jobsites, they are experts in providing high-quality work to surpass client expectations.
Jeff Trackson, owner of Trackson Drilling began a decades-long partnership with Vermeer Australia with the purchase of his first drill in 1997. Since then, he has added 33 Vermeer drills to his fleet – the latest being a D100x140 S3 horizontal directional drill (HDD). In addition to that impressive fleet of HDDs, they have over 100 pieces of support equipment that includes locators, cable locations, mixing systems, cable plows, trenchers, reclaimers and over 30 vacuum excavators.
More than just a machine
For Trackson, his search for high-quality, reliable equipment is what first led him to Vermeer. Equally as important as the equipment he’s running is the support and service after the purchase. Vermeer takes pride in offering customers equipment that is dependable and reliable.
Sales manager Nigel Dobier has been at Vermeer Australia for 14 years and has known Jeff Trackson since his first days working in the spare parts department at the dealership in 2008. Now, their working relationship has lasted for over a decade.
Dobier understands the importance of prioritizing customer support and satisfaction. He has achieved a high standard of service by implementing a hands-on approach, no matter what his role has been throughout the years. “Jeff trusts our company overall, and I’ve been that person, among others, that he trusts. We’ve always maintained the relationship no matter what position I’ve been in,” said Dobier. “It’s been important for us to ensure that Jeff is comfortable working with us. He knows that he can pick up the phone to me or others within our business, and he’s going to be looked after.”
The crews at Trackson Drilling often work in remote areas, and when they need additional support to get back to the job at hand, the Vermeer Australia team has assisted them in a variety of ways.
If a technician is unable to get to the jobsite right away, they will troubleshoot over the phone to help identify the issue and make a plan to get the machine working again. Dobier explained, “It might be a case of us not being close by, but still being able to help them out of trouble over the phone. Once we have identified what the issue might be and how we can fix it, we do our best to get the part or component to them as quickly as possible to get them back up and running.”
Trackson has found that extensive coverage and robust parts inventory has been a gamechanger for his crews. With 29 locations throughout the country, the Vermeer Australia team has been able to provide extensive after-sale support to operators no matter where the work is being done. “With our many locations, we’ve got good coverage across the country. And we’ve got a strong parts inventory, which is very important that we’ve got parts on the ground when customers need them.”
Not only did the yellow iron, quality service and extensive support impress Trackson, but the in-depth equipment knowledge of the Vermeer Australia team was unmatched. “A lot of the guys have been there just as long as I’ve been buying gear, so 20-plus years,” explained Trackson. “I can call a fitter in Adelaide, Australia and he’ll help me get through the problems that we might have with the machine. They’re very good, and very knowledgeable in the machines that they sell. They’re some good guys there that live and breathe Vermeer.”
Building a partnership for years to come
When working with HDD customers, the goal for Dobier — and the rest of the team at Vermeer Australia — is simple: Keep gear running and pipe going into the ground. “At the end of the day, that’s how Jeff can feed his family, and how everyone employed by Trackson can do the same. We don’t take that lightly,” Dobier said. “And the same goes for all of our customers.”
This sentiment is echoed by product specialist Steve Batchelor, who has been working at Vermeer Australia for 30 years and first encountered Trackson early in his career and has worked hard to maintain a close working relationship with the Trackson Drilling team ever since. “I met him when he was a very small operator. I’ve had a lot of out-in-the-field experience with him, and we have a great relationship,” said Batchelor. “Every time he bought a drill, I’ve been there with the installation to train his team, and make sure the machine was in great working condition.”
Together with the rest of the team at Vermeer Australia, Batchelor has stayed informed of Trackson’s expanding business and has guided him through the various equipment groups to help grow their fleet and equipment offerings.
“He’s had a lot of different trencher models and some plows — he’s been a very big end user of our brand. He relies on us because obviously as their fleet numbers grow, they need good support around to maintain them,” Batchelor explained. “He’ll talk to us and communicate what he needs and we’ll let him know what we’ve got coming, what we’ve got second-hand or possibly around the country that might help him fulfill that obligation.”
Looking to the future
Trackson’s most recent addition to his growing fleet is a D100x140 S3 HDD.
Batchelor said this purchase is especially important for the Vermeer Australia team. He explained, “We sell off the back of success, and they’ve come off an older model. We’re eager to see their reaction to a lot of the technology in the new drill that’s going to save them time on the job and more than likely boost their productivity.”
Alongside being proud of the equipment being manufactured and assembled by team members in Pella, Iowa, — just like Dobier, Batchelor and the rest of the team at Vermeer Australia places a great deal of importance on customer service. To them, it’s everything — and it’s no secret why. “It’s the difference between [Jeff] coming back and buying from Vermeer Australia or buying from our opposition. It’s everything.”
Providing exceptional customer service is one of the strongest values the Vermeer Australia team lives by. “It’s one thing selling a customer something, but it speaks volumes when that customer keeps coming back, buying the same brand, time and time again, because there’s plenty of opposition out there, and plenty of options for them to go to,” Dobier explained. “So we have a lot of pride in the fact that he’s been coming back to us for a period of almost 30 years now.”
For more information on how your operation can be elevated by partnering with Vermeer, get in contact with your local dealer today.
This article contains third-party observations, advice or experiences that do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Vermeer Corporation, its affiliates or its dealers. Testimonials and/or endorsements by customers in specific circumstances may not be representative of normal circumstances experienced by all customers.
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