For years now, we have enjoyed stating in our cover letters that “Handling Specialty doesn’t just build great equipment….we build great relationships too”. Our team recognizes and respects the important role that the relationship plays when delivering customized and complex engineering solutions. We learned long ago that a project’s success would be heavily weighted on the shoulders of “trust”……I mean, is there anything more significant, more impactful or more rewarding than the trust employed in a relationship?
I look at the schematics of a project and see three distinct relationship platforms, all working at the same time; interaction with our customer, interaction within our HS Staff and interaction with our supply chain. Each one of these platforms is critical to the success of a project. I want a client to know that they can trust us. I want a client to feel like we have his best interests at heart, and I want a client to think he can share anything with us without feeling like he is compromising his project.
At HS, experience has taught us to count on each other for great communication and support. We call it “walk a mile in my shoes,” which serves as our way of recognizing that anyone’s job is easy until you do that job and find that there is a lot more to it. As such, we must take care in our communications with one another. Equally, we need to count on our teammates to carry out their responsibilities, and it is here where we are called upon to “trust” the other. This trust will glue the departments together to become whole, and our clients will feel and see this, which in turn cements our relationship with them.
Last, and certainly not least, are the relationships we have with our supply partners. Notice that I did not say supply chain or suppliers….that doesn’t give enough respect to them for the role they play. I always want a solid relationship with my suppliers so that I can call on them to support us when we have equipment challenges or warranty situations. You will always be able to identify the depth and strength of your supply partner’s relationships when something goes wrong, and it involves them. If a supplier trusts Handling Specialty, then they will be quick to respond and assist in the care of our clients. These are the supplier partners that we continue to use, and we can pass on the power of these great relationships to our customers.
Trust, trust, trust…..it is the foundation of good relationships and good business.
