Operating a branch of an environmental services company is exhausting, but rewarding work. For Mark Lofgren of Clean Harbors, managing hazardous waste and providing emergency cleanup services requires his extensive equipment inventory to be operating smoothly. So when his forklifts go down, his job becomes much more difficult.
Clean Harbors is the leading provider of environmental, energy, and industrial services in North America. It is also the largest re-refiner and recycler of used oil.
The Search for Great Service
A typical workday for a Clean Harbors employee involves going into the field to provide environmental services to its customers, making it challenging for them to find a company that will work around their schedule and operations. Mark says:
It’s difficult to find people that will work with you. Companies often get lost in the shuffle and start treating customers like numbers, forgetting that they have feelings.
Clean Harbors found the great customer service they were looking for with Toyota Lift Northwest, but in an effort to save some money switched to a competitor. There they faced billing issues, delays on parts orders, and a brake service that caused their forklift to stop on a dime and jar the driver forward after barely touching the brakes. Frustrated, Clean Harbors decided to return to Toyota Lift Northwest for their service and parts.
Unparalleled Kindness
Toyota Lift Northwest ordered parts quickly for Clean Harbors, even when they were working out of the office. They also got to work on servicing their equipment, sending three technicians to their site. Clean Harbors was amazed how the Toyota Lift Northwest employees assisted them so quickly and kindly.
One day Mark experienced a kindness beyond the usual customer service. While waiting in the parts department, he noticed a toy forklift displayed and asked Martin, Assistant Parts Manager, how much it would cost him for one because his special needs grandson would really like one. Martin told Mark to wait a moment and retrieved a new toy forklift, still in the box for Mark to give to his grandson.
When Mark asked Martin why he gave it to him, Martin replied, “You and your team are really good people. My heart tells me to let you have it so you can give it to your grandson.”
A Technician’s Persistence
When presented with Clean Harbors’ braking issue, Toyota Lift Northwest sent their technician, Brian, to look at the forklift. He spent the time taking it apart and putting it back together again to find the source of the problem.
With no initial solution, Brian and Mark considered that the forklift had been operating in a facility with a lot of concrete dust and decided that Brian should take it apart one last time, measuring everything.
He discovered that the forklift had shoes that, though they fit, were catching on the backing plates. Brian gave the forklift new Toyota genuine parts and it began running properly again. Clean Harbors was in awe at Toyota Lift Northwest’s persistence. Mark states:
Toyota Lift Northwest’s technician never gave up when working on my forklift or blamed anyone else; he just stuck with the problem. The solution didn’t happen overnight, but he never gave up.
Going the Extra Mile
Working with Toyota Lift Northwest has meant that Clean Harbors has properly operating forklifts and that they don’t have to worry about future problems that could cost hours in downtime.
They also know that if anything were to happen, they could call Toyota Lift Northwest for help and that they’d go the extra mile, just like when a technician went back to the shop to make a switch that would work on an aftermarket pallet jack.
When talking about his experience with Toyota Lift Northwest, Mark says:
The people here have integrity, heart, compassion, and empathy. This is what makes this company stand out from the others.
