TAS Case Study: Restaurant Supply Company
Curtis Kadlec, owner of the Kadlec Restaurant Supply Company, started his company twenty years ago.
He began selling equipment to schools, hospitals, restaurants, and lounges by traveling throughout the state, meeting with customers one-on-one.
Two years later, he added a small catalog to his marketing mix and distributed it to prospects in adjoining states.
By providing excellent customer service and high-quality products, Curtis’s business grew. Soon, he dropped his sales route and concentrated on his mail order business.
He hired a receptionist and an inside salesperson to handle phone orders. Each year, he expanded his catalog and added more states to the mailing list.
“We were comfortable working 8 to 5 Monday through Friday,” said Curtis.
“We started on a shoestring, so we’ve been frugal with our cash outlays—our phone system was basic. After hours we’d turn on the answering machine. I’d come in each morning to check for calls. We’d always have messages, but most were incomplete. Hang-ups were even worse. Occasionally we’d have an order, but usually people wouldn’t leave their credit card number. It was so frustrating.”
When the company launched its website, Curtis recognized that technology was going to play a big role in his company’s future. Online orders were coming in around the clock, seven days a week, not just during business hours.
“That was an eye-opener. Our catalog was going to all fifty states, but I hadn’t realized how many orders came in after our office closed. What if those folks had a question or needed help to complete their order? We had nothing for them. I knew we needed to extend our staff schedule to cover all domestic time zones.”
After investigating all his options and the associated cost, Curtis—consistent with his business style—chose the most cost-effective solution. He hired an answering service to handle after-hours calls and order questions.
Within a few weeks, the number of orders quadrupled, and the average dollar volume per sale increased.
“I was shocked. I had no idea how many orders we’d been missing. Plus, this saved us from hiring more staff to cover the extra hours. With our answering service we’re saving money, keeping our head count down, and taking more orders each week.”
Read more in Peter Lyle DeHaan’s book The Profitable Answering Service.
With over three decades of industry experience, Peter is the publisher and editor-in-chief of TAS Trader, covering the telephone answering service industry.