JULABO USA’s Guiding Commitments To How We Approach Business & Treat Others
by Ralph Juchheim, President
This time of year, many of us are focused on improving, changing, and being better. We set goals and put together plans and strategies to achieve those goals in a specific timeframe, including benchmarks to track our progress. We attempt to move forward as best we can proactively, yet sometimes things happen beyond our control to temporarily derail us. Still, part of succeeding in business is knowing what we can control and what we can’t.
At JULABO USA, we’ve created and tracked the customary business plans, goals, and KPIs. And, like you, we’ve also navigated the reactive nature of the pandemic. We’ve learned to adjust as circumstances, conditions, and information change with the ongoing pandemic. We’ve done our best to stay on track while keeping our staff and customers safe. While the nature of business can seem unpredictable and things can appear to be beyond our control, we’ve realized something significant at JULABO USA. We may not be able to control everything, but we can control some of the most important things, like how we treat others.
No matter what happens, the one thing we always have control over is how we conduct ourselves in business, specifically how we treat others.
JULABO USA’s Commitments to Customers and Community
It became clear to us at JULABO USA that to proactively move ahead and remain focused; we’d need to make some conscious decisions around how we approach business. So, to limit distractions, we defined five principles or commitments to guide our interactions with customers and the larger community.
Before we get into the five commitments, it’s important to note that we created the list based on feedback from customers. We pulled them directly from responses to the questions: why did you choose JULABO USA, and what makes us different? So, while we were already doing these things successfully, writing them down, sharing them publicly, and committing to them reinforced their importance.
Personalized Product Recommendations
The focus here is on “personalized.” We know that customers are unique, with unique needs. Our account managers, technical staff, and in-house scientists work together to address a customer’s product choices from every angle. We ask questions that others may not ask as we consider how the product (in our case, a temperature control unit) will affect their workflow, laboratory layout, data management, time constraints, business goals, laboratory reactions, and application results.
To be of greater service, we focus not only on the immediate need or project but also on its impact, what it can do in the long term, and how it will serve the organization at large. For example, will this product also help save energy, reduce water consumption, or make the lab a safer place for all? These are the types of things we ask to make sure we’re providing the very best recommendation.
Intelligent Design
How a product is designed can make or break customer results and satisfaction. Certainly, high-quality products with outstanding design are essential; after all, customers are looking for the best solution. Yet, determining which product is best isn’t always easy. That’s why in addition to personalizing our product recommendations, we work to ensure customers understand how our temperature control units are designed and why specific features make a difference.
You can have the most innovative bells and whistles (which we often do), but if a customer doesn’t understand them, use them, or see their value, they won’t have the impact you want them to. Intelligent design comes with understanding why something is designed the way it is. We’re committed to helping customers understand JULABO’s outstanding product design and how it can improve their scientific and business goals.
Lower Cost of Ownership
There’s the cost of the product, and then there’s the cost of ownership. The overall cost of ownership considers how much a product costs to install, operate, and maintain over its entire lifecycle. Will adding this unit to your facility save you money elsewhere? Can it be used for other applications and projects? Does going with a less expensive alternative mean you’ll have to replace the unit sooner or make additional investments to keep it going?
We’re committed to helping customers understand their product investment and how it will amortize over time. Through extended warranty programs like JULABO Shield and predictive fluid tests with JULABO Crystal, we help keep products running in top form for as long as possible, reducing their overall cost of ownership.
In-Depth Technical Support
Our service team and in-house application scientist have extensive expertise with our products and are available to assist customers before, during, and after a sale. Our team is committed to providing the information, answers, and technical support required to support complex applications, routine maintenance, equipment calibrations, user training, and more.
Our goal is to provide support when needed. For example, our in-house application scientist holds regular, open office hours on Tuesdays and Fridays from 1 pm to 3 pm EST. In addition, our service team offers extended service hours on nights and weekends, and our JULABO USA App provides critical insights into error codes and other helpful information 24/7.
Commitment to Science & Industry
We freely share our knowledge of thermodynamics and process heating and cooling to enhance scientific and industrial endeavors. Our products are used in various research and development applications across numerous industries, including automotive, aerospace, biotechnology, pharma, cannabis, food and beverage, petrochemicals, general chemistry, electronics, semiconductors, academic research, and more. We collaborate extensively with our customers on solutions that will allow them to reach, maintain, and test specific temperature set points and ranges.
Our team produces specific content to enhance our customers’ understanding of thermodynamics, refrigeration, and the role of temperature control units on research, testing, and product quality, yields, and safety. We create white papers, application notes, guides, videos, and more to support science and industry. We recently launched a free online learning platform, JULABO University, as part of our commitment. Additionally, we help our local community and partner with schools and businesses to promote science, engineering, manufacturing, and other initiatives.
Recap & How To Learn More
To recap, JULABO USA defines its key commitments as follows:
Personalized product recommendations to help our customers find the best solution
Intelligent design that makes a difference for a user’s workflow and applications
Lower cost of ownership that makes the most of a customer’s investment
In-depth technical support for installations, service, maintenance and other needs
Commitment to science and industry to enhance progress
By defining these values and creating this list, our team stays focused on how we can best serve our customers and community. While we can’t control things like a pandemic, we can control how we approach our core business and treat others. Having a set of guidelines makes a significant difference in planning, decision-making, and moving forward. We know why our customers come to us, what they’re looking for in exchange, and how to help.
In the coming months, I’ll be sharing more details about these five commitments. Follow along for more information. I’ll also be sharing some of the great content our team has created while focusing on these key commitments.
