By Hollis Ayres
The Whitetail Institute’s business has grown exponentially
since it was founded more than 30 years ago. The reasons include unsurpassed
product quality and extraordinary customer service, which have helped tens of
thousands of hunters across North America experience their best hunting ever.
Much
has been written about the exhaustive scientific research, development and
testing that the Whitetail Institute devotes to product quality. Here, we’ll
discuss the customer service side of the Whitetail Institute and the in-house
consultants who fulfill this vital part of the
Whitetail Institute recipe for success.
Why does the Whitetail
Institute even have in-house consultants? That’s a valid question. After all, it’s extremely expensive,
and one-on-one conversations don’t seem to be the customer service norm these
days, with more companies relying on computerized customer service systems
such as Internet forms or endless telephone menus. And let me tell you, I hate
those things. One reason is that having to wade through multiple levels of
menus doesn’t always get me to the right service area. The main reason I hate
them, though, is I think they’re downright rude. The way I see it, if I’ve
given my hard-earned money to a company to buy its product, they at least owe
me the basic courtesy of responding to my questions in a way that shows me that
I matter to them as a customer. And that
precisely describes the philosophy that has governed Whitetail Institute
customer service since its beginning. Whitetail Institute founder Ray Scott
explained: “Building a healthy business requires extreme dedication to two
things: product quality and customer service. Providing truly top-quality
customer service takes a lot. When a customer calls, you can’t just consider
that your job is to answer a question. You have to consider that you’re
building a relationship with that customer as a person. And after all, that’s
only fair — he’s giving his business to you, and you owe it to him to give him
the highest quality product you can and then give him timely, useful customer
service support.”
Critical Features of
Whitetail Institute Customer Service
Timely response: Whitetail Institute customer service is
designed to be timely. Take the Whitetail Institute’s toll-free customer
service line, for example. The customer service extension is almost always
answered quickly. The Whitetail Institute is strict about that — so strict, in
fact, that I’ll let you in on a secret: Every office at the Whitetail
Institute has a strobe light mounted on the wall. If the consultant line rings
more than twice during business hours without being answered, the strobe light
in every office automatically goes off, and everyone drops what they are doing
to answer the phone. Folks, customer service doesn’t get more dedicated to
timely response than that.
Knowledgeable people who
are eager to help: The main reason for the
high quality of Whitetail Institute customer service is the people who provide
it. Here, you’ll meet a few of the leaders of the Whitetail Institute’s
in-house consulting staff. As you’ll see, they are a pretty diverse bunch. Even
so, they have much in common. For example, they are hunters, and they have
substantial knowledge and experience in a broad range of matters that pertain
to deer, deer hunting and wildlife and land management. But what sets the
Institute’s consulting staff apart is more than just knowledge and experience.
It’s that each Whitetail Consultant loves his work, and that joy comes from a
sense of excitement each consultant feels about having a job he considers a
pleasure — helping other hunters and managers have more deer, better quality
deer and more enjoyable hunts.
The Whitetail Institute’s
In-House Consultants
John White:
Any introduction of the Institute’s in-house
consulting staff has to begin with the first person to hold the position: John
White, the Whitetail Institute’s national in-house consulting and sales
director. John joined the Whitetail Institute in 1988. Since then, he has
helped Whitetail Institute customers with almost any question or situation you
can imagine. “My favorite questions I’m
asked are, ‘Does this stuff really work?’ and, ‘Why should I buy Whitetail
products when I can get the same thing at my local seed store?’” he said.
“Those questions give me the chance to tell them two things. First, I get to
tell them about what makes our products different — all the scientific
research, the real-world testing, all the hard work we put into our products to
make sure they’re the best we can make them. Second, it gives me a chance to
suggest that they choose any Whitetail Institute product and plant it in the
middle of their food plot, choose some other similar type of seed and plant it
close to the woods, and watch what the deer do. More often than not, the deer
walk through the other stuff to get to the Whitetail Institute product. There’s
nothing more convincing to a customer than seeing that with his own eyes.” John also manages large tracts for local
landowners near his home, and he considers that an important source of his
extensive practical knowledge. You can understand why John is the go-to guy
when other consultants are trying to assist customers with highly complex or unusual
questions and situations. “We don’t get
many calls from unhappy customers, but it does happen, helping them is part of
my job,” he said. “I get a lot of satisfaction from helping solve a customer’s
problems and getting them happy again.” Finally,
John said he really enjoys the relationships he’s built with many customers
through the years. “I love hearing from
longstanding customers who not only call to order products two or three times a
year but also call every now and then just to chew the fat,” he said In addition to helping callers, John also
manages the day-to-day operations of the consulting staff, administers the
in-house sales division and performs many other duties that are continually
added to his plate because of his experience.
John Frank Deese:
John holds a degree in wildlife sciences from
Auburn University and managed properties for private landowners before joining
Whitetail Institute more than 10 years ago. During the years John Frank spent
managing properties, he added substantial practical knowledge to what he had
learned in college and is highly experienced in a wide range of land management
matters, including food plot systems, planting and maintaining food plots, and
conducting controlled burns. In addition, John Frank is also highly knowledgeable
about fruit and mast trees, having maintained close contact with his family’s
tree nursery business. “One of the
things that gives me great pleasure is helping customers who are concerned that
they are facing a major food plot issue,” he said. “In almost all cases, I can
help them think through the problem through a series of specific questions. The
payoff is hearing the relief in the customer’s voice. I can’t tell you how many
times customers have told me that they’re loyal to Whitetail Institute specifically
because of how we treat and serve our customers.” As you can probably guess, customers who turn
to John Frank for assistance often remark that John Frank is extremely
knowledgeable. It’s no surprise that his academic credentials and broad
practical experience have proved to be a superb platform for his consulting
work for the Whitetail Institute. It’s something else they regularly say about
John Frank, though, that, when combined with his knowledge and talent, make him
a perfect fit the Whitetail Institute’s business philosophy: When it comes to
putting knowledge and experience to work helping hunters and managers, you’ll
find no one more eager than John Frank.
Brandon Self:
When it comes to hands-on experience with deer
and food plots, no one has more than Brandon, who has also been with Whitetail
Institute for more than a decade. In fact, you’ll only find him in his office
at the Institute when it’s not deer season. During fall and winter he’s
elsewhere, usually planting food plots, setting up stands and, of course,
hunting. In fact, Brandon has so much practical experience that the only way
the Institute could lure him onto the consulting staff was to make a special
position only during spring and summer. “My
favorite question to be asked is, ‘Why should I plant Whitetail Institute
products instead of something else?’” he said. “I love that question because
it’s answered by Whitetail Institute products themselves — the way they
perform. I also enjoy answering questions about general planting directions and
maintenance for first-time and long-time customers who have struggled in the
past. The most satisfying aspect of my job is when such a customer tells me
they’re glad they can call a human being for an answer and that they appreciate
the time I give them to help them out. No one wants to punch through a phone
keypad to talk to someone and end up talking to no one. I take pride in being
able to actually talk to the customer and work through the situation, and I
know that if I can help them, I will have a customer for life.” Perhaps no other in-house consultant has
developed more long-term one-on-one relationships with Whitetail Institute
customers than Brandon. Reasons include his energy and knowledge, but the
biggest seems to be his skill in helping customers solve real-world issues
that hunters and managers face designing food plots, food plot systems, and
selecting, planting and maintaining forages.
Tyler Holly:
Tyler has also been with Whitetail Institute
for more than 10 years. He brings a wealth of experience in farming, equipment
and land management experience to the consulting team. “The most rewarding part of being a Whitetail
Institute consultant is when a customer you helped years ago or even just a few
weeks ago calls back and asks specifically to speak with me,” he said. “It may
be someone I helped with choosing the right forage product to plant in a
particular food plot. It might be because I helped them with questions about
soil preparation. Some customers that ask for me, do so just because they’re
excited to see that the advice I gave them is paying off. Others that do it say
it’s because I treated them the way they want to be treated and helped them
with good, solid advice. Others even just call to check in and chat because
we’ve developed a friendship over the years.” When you call and speak with a Whitetail
Institute consultant, the call and the service are free. You can reach a
Whitetail Institute consultant from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Central Monday through Friday.
