As complex as the energy industry is, and as sophisticated as the equipment that governs this business may be, there is no reason why customer service should be any less efficient, timely and secure than it is for any other enterprise.
The shopping experience, regardless of the product in question, should be as seamless as purchasing any other asset – be it a book, food, clothing or a gift – with technical support at the ready, should questions arise about price differences between items or the suitability of one brand versus another.
Applying that principle to the energy industry should be a priority for every vendor and technician because, as I can confirm in my role as Operations Manager for FD Johnson, a leading supplier of high-quality lubrication pumps and systems, there are major expectations from companies invested in this matter.
This change is a good thing; it is a chance for vendors to excel, and an opportunity for buyers to enjoy the value associated with a motto based on more than 80 years of pride and integrity: “We keep your machinery running!”
The consumer analogy is an important one because if a site like Amazon.com can successfully bill itself as “The Everything Store,” selling and shipping (without delays or unreliable forecasts) almost every conceivable commodity, then that same degree of consistency, guidance and convenience should be a model for the energy industry to emulate.
And, while Amazon.com is not an authority on the pumps, valves and lubrication systems that are an inseparable part of oil and gas exploration, that does not mean we should set a lower threshold of professionalism for ourselves or the industry as a whole.
On the contrary, this equipment is too vital – the overall stakes are too urgent – for complacency to emerge and for mediocrity to flourish.
It is one thing, therefore, to make the shopping experience user-friendly; it is an undertaking of far greater importance to make the service aspect of this mission equal to or better than the one a consumer enjoys with almost any conventional online retailer.
The latter requires mastery of specific material, overseen by a team of experts, so a particular project can function without interruption. Achieving that goal transcends the more modest ambition of having an easily navigable storefront and a site with a quick checkout.
In this respect, the energy industry can set a new precedent for excellence and customized service.
The ‘Energy’ in E-commerce: The Standard of Success
The principle that should redefine the way energy companies purchase equipment has the potential to reverberate (quite positively) well beyond this one industry. It is the combination of smart technology and wise counsel from skilled teachers and technicians, to ensure that a company’s machinery does, in fact, keep running.
Fulfilling this plan requires the existence of a site that is free of complicated procedures and redundant features. Accomplishing that task should be a given, meaning: The energy industry deserves nothing less than the best of what any one consumer can find with a simple click or tap of their laptop or smartphone.
But the critical difference with this point of comparison involves, again, the degree to which experts will train workers – such as drillers, derrick supervisors, roughnecks, worms and foremen – to handle the equipment that makes extracting oil and gas possible.
That kind of service, in conjunction with an intelligently designed site for the purchase of the items referenced throughout this piece, is available right now.
The energy industry should embrace this symbol of change.
It should inspire other businesses to do likewise.
Brian Robson is an Operations Manager for FD Johnson, a leading provider of lubrication parts, pumps and valve systems that are often used for fracking.
