Public Relations Articles

IT WAS ABOUT TWO YEARS ago when my business made the upgrade from a small personal copier to a bulky multifunction, high-speed copier with an equally bulky price tag attached. It was a moment of entrepreneurial joy when the technician removed my weathered prehistoric clunker of a copier and ascended the stairs with my brand new copier, still ensconced in its protective plastic wrap. When the plastic was removed, there she was…in all her glory. I could hardly wait to begin copying and collating…I was 16 again behind the seat of my first car. Well…almost.

Everything seemed perfect for the first few weeks, until my new copier started acting up. At first it was just a paper jam or two, followed by an occasional blurred copy, until one morning just a day shy of her two-month birthday she just gave up on me altogether. A bit disheartened, I called my sales rep, only to find that he was no longer with the company. Instead I was transferred to another new sales rep, who never returned my calls, and gave me no choice but to call a sales manager.

It was then when I realized the seriousness of my errors in making this purchase. Not only was my copier not “new”, the sales manager claimed but, my “like new” reconditioned copier was not covered under any warranty whatsoever. Despite any assurances my sales rep had given at the time of the sale, my copier had been purchased “as is.” I could now purchase a pricey service plan, or could pay for repairs as needed. Either way, I hung up the phone discouraged and without any recourse for the necessary repairs.

The sad truth is that for many companies, the sale is complete immediately after the money changes hands. If you have the unfortunate luck of
doing business with one of these companies, you’ll soon discover that the only service you’ll receive is of the “lip” variety. There are however a few companies that take seriously their commitment to dependability and service. My story has a happy ending because of one such company.

Interact Business Products, a Chicago-area copier and telecommunications and data cabling company, headquartered out of Wood Dale,
Illinois appeared on my radar after several colleagues offered eager commendations and glowing reviews of their business with Interact. Interact offers sales and service of digital copiers, printers, scanners, fax equipment as well as telecom and data systems.

Not only did Interact take care of my copier concerns, they also set up my office with an affordable NEC phone system, and did an amazing job of outfitting our building with the most efficient telecom and data cabling. What I soon discovered about Interact resonated with my referrals,
and caused me to speculate about what makes Interact so special.

What sets Interact apart I would learn, is what sets every exceptional company apart from its competitors. In the end, it boils down to three simple factors: Experience – Support and Service.

In an industry where the average employee measures experience in weeks and months, Interact stands tall with an average of 15 years of experience per employee. From the very first call, it became apparent that the professionals at Interact are at the top of their game. They quickly addressed me by name, and took the time to ask about my business needs and expectations. I felt less like I was talking to a sales person, than I was talking to a trusted business advisor. As I would later learn, the entire staff at Interact is comprised of highly respected
industry professionals that have been hand picked because of their experience, dedication and their willingness to do whatever it takes to ensure that their customers receive the very best.

Whether you’re looking to purchase a new digital copier or telecommunications system, a high quality refurbished model, or hoping to find a qualified repair technician, Interact is unparalleled in the Chicago market. When you come across a company with this level of experience, you can feel confident that the products and services they offer are second to none. In fact, their complete line of Kyocera Mita Copiers as well as NEC and Avaya telecom systems have all received the highest recommendations by independent research groups and major corporate users.

Support:
The number one rule of doing longterm business is to make your customer feel important. The Interact team takes this concept one step further. With Interact, you’ll feel important… because quite simply, you are important. As a small locally owned and operated company, Interact is quick to respond with personal, hands on support, replacing excuses and “quick fixes” with real answers and time-tested solutions. The Interact team realizes your equipment needs to be ready to work when you are. And since no one can predict when you may need some
assistance, Interact makes sure that their support personnel are available all day…every day to give you the support you need.

There’s only one problem with doing business with Interact. You’ll come to expect this same level of support and service from all of your vendors!

Service:
Sooner or later even the best products will need to be serviced. Like me, this is the time when every client comes to realize the value of affordable, quality service. Interact has developed a program called “Total Customer Satisfaction”, which speaks volumes about their belief in offering exceptional client service. In addition to the standard manufacturer warranties, Interact guarantees their products against defects, unreliability and poor quality, and will replace them if necessary. In essence, every purchase made from Interact comes with a “double guarantee.”

No one can afford to have inoperable office equipment. The simple truth is that any time your equipment fails…you lose money. Interact understands this and offers incredibly fast service response times to get you back up and running in no time.

Every now and again, each of us has had the good fortune of finding the right company at the right time; a group of consummate professionals that you can trust with the important details of your business. Interact has been and continues to be just that sort of company for me and for thousands of savvy Chicago-area businesses.