An Extraordinary Commitment to Customer Service Drives Teak Isle’s Relationship with Everglades Boats

Background

“Teak Isle does a lot for us,” says Emily Schwab, a buyer with Everglades Boats, a Central Florida builder of high-end, semi-custom center consoles from 24 to 45 feet. “They’re our sole supplier of poly and acrylic parts like tackle boxes, rod lockers, storage units, livewell lids, dash panels and grab rails. They supply at least 30 percent of the manufactured parts we purchase.”

Coming Through In the Clutch

“The quality of their product is incredible,” Schwab says, but even more remarkable is Teak Isle’s response to inevitable accidents and mistakes. Sometimes Everglades orders the wrong part or the wrong quantity. Sometimes there’s a miscue on Teak Isle’s end. Sometimes parts get damaged or broken in transit or during installation. Sometimes dealers or customers change their specs at the last minute.

Whatever the specifics, the result is that Everglades needs a part much faster than Teak Isle’s normal three-week lead time. And it’s in those situations, says Schwab, that Teak Isle truly shines: “They have never failed us on the customer service side of things,” she says. “There have been instances where I’ve called at 8 in the morning and said, ‘Is there any chance I could pick this part up this afternoon?’ Or I’ll email and say, ‘We should have these in stock, but it turns out we don’t and I need them in two days.’ And they make it happen.”

In fact, says Schwab, Teak Isle has even stepped up when other vendors have slipped. Recently, Everglades started seeing quality issues with specific parts supplied by another longtime vendor. When that vendor didn’t address the issues to Everglades’ satisfaction, Schwab called Teak Isle, which she knew had the capability to produce the same parts. “Within two hours,” she says, “they had a quote sent over and were in contact with our engineers. They just hopped in and took care of things.”

Customer Service Partners

Teak Isle’s commitment to customer service also benefits Everglades’ own customer service team. “We’ll get a picture of something from a dealer or customer and send it over to Teak Isle,” says Schwab. “They’ll get right on it, ID the part, send back a drawing, work with our CSRs to figure out exactly what’s needed, provide pricing, and drop ship to wherever the boat is, in the U.S. or not.” That not only frees up Everglades’ resources to do what they do best — build boats — but also helps the company grow its reputation for superior service.

“The quality of not only their product but also their people is better than any other vendor I work with,” says Schwab.