Fernco Places Emphasis on Employee Training

Employee training isn’t only for the new employee. From computer systems to communication and leadership training, Fernco offers its employees many options to increase their knowledge in and out of the business. Continued education throughout an organization leaves employees feeling more confident and comfortable as they further their careers and assist customers.

Recently, the Fernco customer service team received the opportunity to install Fernco parts during a product training session.

“While the Fernco computer system was unavailable for a day for upgrades, we used this time to provide informational training to our customer service associates on all of our product lines, said Don DeWitt, Research and Development Specialist. “They also installed some of our products to provide firsthand experience to serve our customers better.”

The Fernco customer service team works hard to make sure that customers get the right product for their projects on a daily basis. Though they’ve been equipped with training videos and catalogs to help them understand what coupling a customer needs, it still didn’t compare to working with the items right in front of them.  

As easy as installing Fernco products can be, it’s important to note the small nuances that come with using new products as well.

“It is an important process for all employees to go through,” explained Bianca Perez, Customer Service Manager at Fernco. “Reading it off a paper is one thing.”

One product DeWitt focused on was Pow-r Wrap, a quick fix for damaged pipes.

Perez continued, “When you go to wrap it, it has to be counterclockwise. One thing that isn’t noted [in the instructions], is that you get these little bubbles that come out when you do that, but it’s normal. When you actually start applying and doing, those are the details that you will never know until you get hands-on dirty.”

These product training sessions have given the customer service department the certainty that they can assist all customers from start to finish. To be able to say, ‘This is how I installed the product’ creates comfort and confidence for not only the team but customers as well. Fernco will continue these training sessions to increase the knowledge of its staff so they feel empowered to help customers every step of the way.