Customer service has changed over the years.  From the days of having one on one relationships with customers, bank managers, restaurant staff, doctors, pharmacists to a virtually faceless, nameless and disconnected (not in the technological sense) society.  The waste management industry has not been immune from these changes.

While change in any industry is inevitable the change should be seamless and inconsequential for the customer.  The waste and recycling industry has gone through a significant consolidation in recent years.  From smaller businesses to publicly traded international conglomerates.  The effects of this consolidation have negatively affected many areas of the industry but particularly in the ability to service customers in a bespoke fashion.

While the waste and recycling industry is a sweeping general term, we use it to refer to diversion and disposal of a particular clients refuse from factories, construction, demolition, restoration, and other sectors using various methods (Bins, Dumpsters, Luggers, Totes etc.).  In the broader scope of a client’s operations their waste stream can be an afterthought and make up a lesser percentage of their spend; however, we do not believe this should be reason for poor customer service.

The poor service that I refer to may seem insignificant to some but for an operations manager, facility manager, construction executive, contractor and engineer these can lead to a great deal of stress, increased costs and affect efficiency.  Having to deal with call centers, not knowing who to contact in a big organization, disconnected sales and logistics departments leading to onsite delays, dumpsters piling up with rubbish in and around them, odour issues, and even safety issues can arise from poor service.  These issues seem contrary to industry terms such as Eco, Lean, Sustainable and consciousness.

The waste business is primarily a service-based industry.  We do not provide tangible products for consumption (excluding recovered materials for reuse and recycling), but instead we provide a service to our clients.   That service we believe, is not a dumpster rental, recycling or haulage, but a service of reliability, commitment and timing – – peace of mind.  Like every other business, our job is to do our part to make our customers jobs easier. This becomes more difficult in a business that is not as sexy or is void of a tangible value-added component.

Customer service should be:

1. Clear communication
2. Understanding your clients needs
3. Fair and competitive pricing
4. Commitment to timing
5. Reliability delivering on those commitments.

While the tech era has arguably brought with it many conveniences, unfortunately most often it has not translated to a positive customer experience.  It’s clear the days of the whistling mailman and friendly phone clerks are past; however, once the technology plateaus and everyone is offering the same service, the most successful businesses will be those that return to traditional customer service and truly commit to the satisfaction of those very clients that keep the lights on.