Discovery is key for Eileen Baker. Getting to know clients and how vendors work is an important part of how she has been providing customer solutions for more than 28 years. She knows all about purchasing, vendor relations and target dates.
She believes getting an idea of what the customer is looking for and then working with manufacturers to recommend the best product at the best price is essential. “Anything I can do to better serve the customer, whether it be pricing, special fabrics or just paying more attention, whatever it takes,” she says. She coordinates between the sales rep and vendors and stays very involved in all phases of the project -- from the drawing stage to scheduling, applying finishes, to final delivery and install.
She maintains real relationships with key manufacturers like HON, AllSteel and Sit-on-it. She appreciates their quick processing and great follow-up. “They are dependable and provide great customer service, just like us,” she says. An example of her customer service was a recent project for an Education industry client where she had to split the order into 13 separate orders. “They needed to install the product by floor so we had to arrange for product delivery floor-by-floor instead of warehousing until the delivery date,” she recalls. “It was a great example of just-in-time delivery and LEAN techniques.”
Eileen has seen plenty of change during her long and successful career and she knows more is coming. “Every year is different,” she notes. “But we have a good group at e4b, a good mix of ages and experience so we help each other.”
It all adds up to giving customers what they want, when they want it and at a price, they can afford.
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"Eileen has been a good partner to work with. I can count on her for her accuracy and attention to detail, adaptability, and being thorough. She likes to keep things fun and is very easy to get along with." - Project Coordinator, Janet Lipp