Southern States Corp

Customer Service Success Stories

To Our Valued Customers:

At Southern States, we are committed to providing superior customer service.  Whether you are an agricultural producer, a pet owner or a weekend gardener, we want to exceed your expectations with solutions to your growing needs.  We have invested in training our employees with the agronomic, feed nutrition and product knowledge they need to serve you.  I have also communicated my expectations for top customer service by all employees.  As a result, I want to personally recognize Southern States employees who provide excellent service and who make you want to recommend us to your friends and neighbors.  I welcome you to share your experiences with me so I may recognize our employees who have impressed you.

Sincerely,

Tom Scribner - President and CEO
Southern States Cooperative, Inc.




Page: 1 of 2 


The Service You Need When You Need It:

SSC Statesville, NC Fertilizer Plant

4/29/2010

On somewhat of a lark, I called the fertilizer plant yesterday evening about 6:10 pm in hopes of getting some bulk fertilizer loaded Saturday morning.

I was pleasantly surprised that my call was answered promptly and the employee said he would be happy to load our trucks Saturday morning.

I feel that is service worthy of mention. I would have gotten voice mail late on a Friday afternoon from most other vendors. It's comforting to know that Southern States understands the dynamics of helping dealers accommodate customers while the window of opportunity is open.

Thanks,
Steve Preston
LTD Farm & Garden
King, NC

Working Behind the Scenes:

Midlothian Service

4/29/2010 Midlothian, VA

I would like to recognize Brian Dodd, our warehouse associate, for his performance above and beyond the call. On a Saturday and Sunday - with above average sales figures - Brian managed the warehouse and floor stocking with a rookie crew of 2 and a part-timer. Just knowing the warehouse was being properly managed, made the job of the manager-on-duty less stressful, allowing him time to take care of business - selling!

Mike Carpenter, Assistant Manager.
... Read more for this store >>

When A Business Relationship Leads to a Deep Friendship:

Oneonta Service

3/7/2010 Oneonta, AL

Southern States Agronomist Mel W. had known customer Jacky B. for a number of years, and knew his health was declining, but he still wasn’t prepared for the phone call he got. Jacky explained that he was in the final stages of terminal cancer, and asked if Mel would deliver the eulogy at his funeral. Mel was touched by the request and the depth of friendship that prompted it, and agreed...not realizing that his Jacky would die that night. As promised, Mel spoke at his friend’s funeral that week, and reminisced about their relationship that had developed out of a shared love of farming and growing.

Richard T. District Manager
... Read more for this store >>

Takin Care of Business In the Snow Pt1:

Leesburg Petroleum Service

3/7/2010 Leesburg, VA

We wish to give thanks again to (Leesburg Driver) Dave P. for his efforts to keep us warm – this time for bringing us oil in the aftermath of these two historic storms. We ran out of oil on February 10th (2010) during the second storm. We knew no one would be able to come out during the blizzard on the 10th, but he did make it on the 11th, even though he had to try two different routes to get here. Thank you Dave!

Howard and Beth C.

... Read more for this store >>

The need for feed:

Bedford Coop

2/26/2010 Bedford, VA

I just wanted to drop you a line for praise for some employees, as well as an independent trucker that the feed division has employed. Tonight at 5:40 pm one of our customers, Marvin Crouch called and reported that he was out of dairy feed.

I called Jeff Key, an independent hauler for the feed mill and he reported that he was empty, but that he would be glad to deliver the feed. “It’s Mr. Crouch’s livelihood, we have to get him feed,” Key said.

At that point, I contacted Roanoke mill superintendent Steve Nichols and told him that Jeff was lined up if they could make the feed. Steve called back after contacting Roanoke mill employee Jimmy Carter and said that the feed would be ready for pick up and delivery by 7:30 pm.

The attitude of all three employees is to be admired by all. They happily went the extra mile after hours and did so with a passion to please the customer.

Sam Williams
Bedford Co-Op Manager
... Read more for this store >>

2 Comments
Posted by Southern States . [Moderator] April 9, 2010 12:37 PM
Southern States

Southern States strives to ensure that each customer is satisfied with our products and services. We realize that product returns are a necessary part of customer satisfaction and our return policy is designed to ensure accuracy of returns for both the customer and the store. 

Unfortunately, during this customer experience, an incorrect product inventory number caused confusion when the customer attempted a return.

The local Southern States store manager visited the customer(s) at their home the next business day to apologize and explain what caused the problem. To rectify the situation, the customers were refunded their full purchase price for all returned products along with a Southern States gift card for any inconvenience.

 


Posted by ddSherry M. April 3, 2010 2:58 PM
WORST CUSTOMER SERVICE EXPERIENCE

on Saturday, March 27, 2010, my husband and I went to the Southern State in Clayton, Delaware, we purchased 4 items, today, Saturday , April 3, 2010, we went back to the same store to exchange 2 of the 4 items. We were unable to find our receipt. John, the sales man who helped us on Saturday 03/27, was in the store, the sales help told us they were unable to do an exchange with out the receipt, I explained that they should be able to go back threw there daily receipt for 03/27 and find the receipt with the invoice number, the young lady preceded to tell me she was unable to find the receipt for that day, she could see that they had sold 3 of the 4 items on that day, but the 4 item they were unable to find, and the 3 items that they found were on the same invoice. Well on 03/27, John our sale man rang up 1 item twice and he removed the item, but instead of taking 1 of the 2 items he took the entire purchase for that item off. He stood in front of me and looked me straight in the eye and told me he couldnt recall what happen, but he recalled the entire conversation on selling us the 4 products. I will never purchase another item form southern states as long as I live, I will drive 10 miles out of my way to go to another place to purchase something that I could have purchased from the southern states store that is less than a mile from my home. It was the worst experience of my life dealing with Mr. Kemp the district manager, Mr. Jack Wilson the store owner and the sale rep , Christine and John. IF you live in CLayton, Delaware do not shop at the southerne states store. it is a rip off


Post Your Comments

Login to comment


Find My Store

Postal Code
  OR
Address
City
State
Search Options