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Interface Fall 2022 Customer Survey Results

Interface recently conducted our semi-annual customer survey. We appreciate everyone that took time to share their experience based on collaborating with us over the past year. We prioritize all the individual and collective input and share all feedback and results across our entire company. Customer experience is a top initiative at Interface, and direct feedback is a critical measure of how we are doing to meet and hopefully exceed expectations.

We asked six questions in the latest survey to gather valuable insight and feedback about products, vendor selection, lead times and overall satisfaction. For four years, we have asked the most popular and standard question that measures customer satisfaction and reliability across all industries, “How likely are you to refer Interface to a friend or colleague.

The importance of this question is to measure consistency. The responses to this question tell us how we are performing based on customer loyalty and brand recognition. The results of how people answer this question produce what is known as a Net Promoter Score (NPS). For this past survey, this question resulted in a +52 NPS. We are incredibly pleased to learn that the majority of respondents did select 10, on a scale of 0-10. We value the confidence.

Our trend for the past eight NPS surveys tells us that we are consistent in how we are operating as a company based on the feedback from our customers. Interface remains in the higher rankings of a NPS, where top performing companies are above +30. Most respondents also selected they were “exceedingly satisfied” with Interface when we asked, “How satisfied are you with Interface and your customer experience? to measure overall customer satisfaction. What we also learn in every survey that is there is always room to improve. As a customer-centric company, we are equally focused on being quality-driven as a precision manufacturer of force measurement solutions on which you can depend for accuracy and quality.

We also asked a question related to lead times on products. We learned that the faster we can deliver the products you need, the better. This is helpful as we plan our production for 2023 and beyond. We’ve been manufacturing more of our standard load cell product inventory for availability in our QuickShip48 program. The QS48 program is an online ordering program that guarantees delivery within 48 business hours. We are continually growing stock of these products that do not require any customization. Be sure to check out the QS48 products available here.

Our team also asked the Fall 2022 Customer Satisfaction Survey respondents to tell us what criteria they use for selecting a force measurement product and service company. We asked, “What factors help you decide to continue using Interface as a supplier of force measurement solutions? Here are the top five selected category responses:

  • #1 – Quality of Products
  • #2 – Accuracy Specifications of Measurement Devices
  • #3 – Past Buying Experiences (Relationship)
  • #4 – Services
  • #5 – Breadth of Product Offering

The other selections included: Customization and Modification of Products, Convenience, Lead Times, Product Fit and Test & Measurement Expertise.

Customer experience matters to us. We do value all the input and will use this direct feedback to measure how we do in growing your loyalty and satisfaction in 2023 and beyond.

Results of April 2022 Customer Satisfaction Survey

Interface is committed to listening, learning, and sharing. It is embedded in our mission to go above and beyond to attract and retain customers, invest in our team members, foster innovation, strengthen our brand, and create a partnering and thriving environment.

One of the tools we use to gather feedback is through our semi-annual customer surveys. It is a formal process where we reach out to our customers to ask for their opinions, ideas, and suggestions for improvement. Though this only one of the tools we use, we also gather feedback through our team members and customer interactions every day. As an organization and throughout our global sales network, we value every response and shared experience. It helps inform our team members and provide us with insight into what matters most to our customers.

In our most recent Customer Satisfaction and NPS Survey, conducted throughout April 2022, we asked five questions. The first question, known as Net Promoter Score® identifier, we asked customers How likely is it that you would recommend Interface to a friend or colleague? They were able to select 0-10, with 10 being extremely likely and 0 not at all likely. The percentage of people that answer with a 9 or 10, are considered promoters. Responses that are 6 or less are considered detractors. The NPS rating is decided by the percentage of promoters minus the percentage of detractors. This is how you calculate an NPS rating.

We are incredibly pleased to announce that our NPS rating in April 2022 is +54. According to the creator of the NPS, the average company scores less than +10 on the NPS, while the highest performing organizations are between +50 and +80. These values vary considerably from sector to sector and from culture to culture. Interface recognizes the importance of our customer input through this question and though we have ranked in the highest performing category in six surveys, we do take this as a measure that offers opportunity to continuously improve to exceed expectations.

Additional Spring 2022 Questions

Where do you go to get your technical questions answered related to Interface products or use requirements? We want to ensure we are supplying valuable support resources, so this is an informative question. We learned that most responders either contact Interface directly (41%) or reach out to their local representative (44%). Here are resources that responders use for Interface Technical Support:

How much do disruptions across the global supply chain influence your purchasing decisions today? Interface understands that there are challenges across the entire global supply chain for all industries. It is important that we recognize how this can affect our buyer’s experience. It’s clear that this a concern for most of our customers, with more than 70% stating there are moderately to very concerned and taking actions for advanced planning. Our team members are here to assist with longer planning cycles and help in meeting your future demands.

How satisfied are you with Interface and your customer experience? (5=Extremely Satisfied, 1=Very Unsatisfied) This important customer satisfaction survey helps us to understand how we are doing overall in meeting expectations. With 93% rating they are satisfied and a remarkable 50% saying they are extremely satisfied; we are pleased and optimistic there is opportunity ahead.

What can Interface do that will improve your overall satisfaction with our products or services? Our favorite part of our semi-annual survey is to listen to your ideas, suggestions, and concerns. Every person in our company reviews this feedback. It is that important to us. We want to know what we can do to ensure you get what you need, you are supported, and you find your experience with Interface best-in-class.

We want to thank you for everyone that provided this valuable feedback. It matters.

Most of all, thank you for trusting Interface. We take that responsibility seriously and appreciate you taking time to give us feedback. This survey is an important part of our process; however, it is a floor rather than a ceiling on customer input. We are always happy to receive your observations and suggestions at any time. – Greg Adams, CEO at Interface

We are fully committed to not just listening but applying what we learn. It is an initiative that permeates every part of our company, as customer experience is a team effort. Proven throughout our history starting way back in 1968, our customers define our success and how we meet their expectations is what we work on every day.

If you would like to share your experience, do not wait for a survey. Contact us, we are here to listen.

Interface Fall 2021 NPS and Customer Satisfaction Survey

Interface takes pride in carefully listening to the needs of our customers. It is important in our endless evaluation of our customer’s experience. The value we get from paying attention and learning how we can best serve those that rely on us for our products and services is immense.

One of the ways we formalize our customer experience (CX) feedback process is through our semi-annual customer satisfaction and Net Promoter Score (NPS) surveys. This tool helps us to gather insights first-hand, as well as look into the future for how we can deliver as or more than expected to our customers. If you subscribe to our blog, you know this is a topic we like to write about twice a year.

The first question we ask in our surveys is the Net Promoter Score (NPS) question, “How likely is it that you would recommend Interface to a friend or colleague?” Participants reply by choosing between 0-10 with 10 being extremely likely and 0 not at all likely they would recommend Interface to others. The percentage that selected 9 or 10 are considered promoters of the Interface brand by NPS standards. Those that provide a score of 6 or below is considered a detractor. The percentage of promoters minus the percentage of detractors is how the NPS score is calculated.

It is with great honor that we can report Interface’s NPS rating measured in the Fall 2021 is +58. 

By industry standards, this high rating is top of class. This is important to us as we value quality and accuracy in all that we do. In the survey, we also gathered input on how people are using our products. This bit of data will help us in the development of our materials and future events to ensure we are providing resources that help our customers in their role.

What we found is that most Interface product users classify themselves as using the products for product testing, fatigue testing or in a test lab. More than a third are utilizing the products in calibration equipment and another third are using the products as a component of another product or as OEM parts. We also heard from our customers that a large group are using our products in new designs and engineering solutions, as well as experimentation. We love to be part of these innovations!

There were two other questions in the survey that helped us to understand how we can meet the growing demands and requirements of our customers. One was related to calibration and technical support as measured by turnaround time. It is an important topic as we look to expand our service capabilities in this next year.

The other question we asked helped us understand how we can be the best supplier to our customers, by identifying products they you would like Interface to offer in the future. As we continuously look to expand our catalog beyond the 30,000 product options we have today, it’s important we know what you need.

Our last question in the survey, which we deem as most important was “How satisfied are you with Interface and your customer experience?” We are proud to say that 99% of the customers responded satisfied, with most stating they are exceedingly satisfied.

Even from those that are satisfied, we did get some important feedback on areas that we can focus on in 2022 and beyond to sustain this important distinction. We know satisfaction is earned every day, so we will continue to work as a team and a partner in meeting these expectations going forward.

We would like to thank everyone that participated in this survey and shared their responses. It means the most when it comes from our customers. If you did not get a chance to participate in the survey and would like to share your feedback, please contact us. We are eager to learn more.

Quality is Top Reason Customers Choose Interface

In our latest customer feedback survey, we asked those that rely on Interface why they buy from us. The overwhelming top response was product quality. One of the trademarks of Interface is ensuring that our products meet not only the demand of what is needed in the market for measurement sensors, but that the precision, accuracy, and quality of everything we build is market leading. Best in class.

Our customers drive Interface innovation. We are continuously looking at trends, special requirements and future outlooks to determine what solutions can meet today’s requirements and those in the future. It was noted in the survey that customers depend on Interface for this expertise and experience. That is why it is central in our business strategy and key for Interface’s success to ask, listen and learn from those that rely on our force measurement solutions in their businesses.

A hallmark to our semi-annual survey is the Net Promoter Score (NPS) question that is designed to measure loyalty. We asked again in this latest Spring 2021 survey, “How likely is it that you would recommend Interface to a friend or colleague?” Respondents are then asked to rate their response by selecting 0-10 with 10 being extremely likely and 0 not at all likely. The percentage of those that select 9 or 10 are considered promoters of the Interface brand. Anyone that scores 6 or below is considered by NPS standards to be a detractor. The percentage of promoters minus the percentage of detractors are gives you an NPS score.

We are very excited to announce that Interface’s current Net Promoter Score is +73.

The founders of NPS note that outstanding companies in their class average between a +30 to +50. We are honored by the recognition coming directly from our customers.

“This is a great result! We appreciate the recognition of our team member’s hard work to generate such customer satisfaction and loyalty. Global brands recognized around the world and who are famous NPS power users rarely report scores as high as Interface. We are honored to have such loyal customers, as seen in an outstanding +73 NPS. Remarkably, this came during a period where the customers’ most recent experience likely was influenced by the pandemic strain.” Greg Adams, CEO

We learned from our customers when we asked, “What are the most important reasons why you choose to buy from Interface?”, that product quality matters most, followed next by calibration and repair services, accuracy specifications, experience working with Interface and brand reputation. We also looked at trends in future product demands and the ability to buy online through our QS48 online shopping service.

Our customers were very forthcoming in their preferences for technical support, with phone and email taking top positions. This was followed by using our technical library, video demonstrations and numerous product and technical manuals.

We also gained great insights from our customers when we asked, “How can we improve your overall experience working with Interface?”  All feedback matters to us. It’s what we gain through this transparent and open process that we know where we can look to improve. In fact, we are determined to look at every opportunity presented in the survey to make operational improvements that benefit our customers in all areas from design to shipments.

“Our team performance demonstrates the winning position we are all committed to at Interface. Customer experience is central to what we do and it’s our focus to continuously exceed expectations. As great as this score is today, the better news is that we have the opportunity to improve further and define our future as the market leader by delivering the best for our customers.” Greg Adams, CEO

Our last question in the survey, we asked, “How satisfied are you with Interface and your customer experience?” and we learned that 98% of our customers are satisfied and 83% are very or exceedingly satisfied. We appreciate all those that provided their candid responses in our Spring Customer Satisfaction and NPS Survey. Our work continues to make sure what we do goes above and beyond and delivers on our promise to exceed expectations.

 

Interface Promotes Key Leaders to Expand Services, New Markets and Innovations

Interface, the world’s trusted leader in technology, design, and manufacturing of force measurement solutions, announced this month key leadership changes within the organization. Ian James was promoted to chief operating officer (COO), Brian Peters was promoted to vice president of Global Sales, and the role of Mark Weathers, vice president of Interface’s Mini and 1923 Wireless products, is now leading advanced manufacturing and OEM solutions. These executive promotions are key steps to drive Interface’s sustained growth across multiple product lines, as well as its expansion into new markets and industries.

“Ian, Brian and Mark represent our breadth of leadership within our organization,” said Greg Adams, CEO, Interface. “In alignment with our entire Interface team, they are instrumental in growing our position as the leader in premium, accurate, and reliable force measurement solutions. Our company is fueled by our dedicated employees and I am honored to be part of their continuous efforts and commitment to provide the high-quality products and an exceptional customer experience for all of those we serve.”

Despite disruptions caused by the global pandemic in 2020, Interface continued to find new ways to help customers across multiple industries. The company launched one of its most innovative load cell products to date in ConvexBT, and expanded manufacturing and global sales of its international G Series SI-based load cell product line. Interface also expanded its automation and high volume, engineered-to-order production capabilities, and added manufacturing representatives GenTek and Hill and Company to improve in-market sales support in the U.S.

Ian James is a seasoned senior executive with a background in manufacturing and systems. After spending the early part of his career in the UK military, he held a series of senior roles in GE before founding two successful startups. He has worked with Interface since late 2017, most recently as vice president of sales. In his new role as COO, James sees his primary challenge and opportunity as leading the transformation of operations to a new and robust manufacturing model that will help the company serve its customers with world class products supported by an unbeatable customer experience.

Brian Peters served as a successful regional sales manager before his promotion to vice president of Global Sales. Peters is now responsible for the worldwide sales network for Interface, including U.S. manufacturing representatives and international distributors. Stepping into his new role, Peters looks forward to bringing over a decade of direct experience to steer Interface’s continued efforts of industry leading customer support and targeted market growth in the test and measurement, industrial applications, and OEM markets.

“As we navigate the current dynamic landscape, it’s critical that we remain agile to stay in front of changing market demands and customer requirements,” said Peters. “Our diversification across a wide range of industries has provided us both stability through the pandemic and wide-reaching insight as markets are recovering. Interface has already experienced ramping growth in early 2021, and our ability to outpace and out service our competition will be vital to Interface maintaining the gold standard expectations set by our customers and the force measurement industry as a whole.”

Mark Weathers has extended his leadership role in Interface’s focus on automation and OEM (original equipment manufacturer) business solutions. His expanded role is a result of his continued achievements as vice president of Interface’s Mini and 1923 Wireless production groups, where he has been able to cut lead times for some of Interface’s higher volume products by 50% or more. This title change reflects the company’s new strategic priorities of growing its higher-volume custom OEM business, and the closely related improvement of its technology and manufacturing processes to improve cost and performance.

“The VP of Advanced Manufacturing and OEM products is an extension of my former role as VP of Mini and 1923, which are largely OEM products. My role will be to prepare us to be more competitive by innovating in both product and process, resulting in cost positions that allow us to move into higher volume OEM applications,” said Mark Weathers, vice president of advanced manufacturing and OEM products.

NEWS ARTICLE: Interface Promotes Three, Expanding Roles for Innovations, Services and New Markets

PRESS RELEASE: Force Measurement Solutions Leader Interface Announces Executive Promotions Supporting its Continued Growth and Expansion

Interface Customer Satisfaction Survey Results for October 2020

Two times a year, Interface conducts our formal Interface Customer Satisfaction Survey. The survey is sent to valued customers and partners to listen and learn. The results allows us to prioritize feedback on how we can continuously improve.

It is paramount to Interface that as we engineer and build the world’s leading force measurement solutions, we earn our customer’s confidence by providing high quality products and an exceptional customer experience. To sustain that focus, we have committed to engaging with and learning from all those that depend on us.

Our Fall 2020 Interface Customer Satisfaction Survey concluded in October. It consisted of four questions to gather customer insights, and one question to measure our execution by a Net Promoter® Score (NPS).

The NPS rating is drawn from responses to the question, “How likely is it that you would recommend Interface to a friend or colleague?” Fred Reichheld, the creator of NPS, developed this methodology that uses a single question to drive customer-centric focus within organizations. According to global benchmark data, using NPS data and compiled by SurveyMonkey from more than 150,000 organizations, the average score is +32.

Interface’s NPS score in the Fall 2020 Customer Satisfaction Survey is +62, qualifying us as a top performing company based on the survey responses. Though this gives us great confidence, it does mean we have room to improve. Our average score from this recent survey is 8.9, with most respondents indicating they are extremely likely to recommend Interface products and services to a friend or colleague.

We also asked, “How are we doing?” Of those that participated in the survey, 90% said excellent or better than average. We were also able to gather ideas and suggestions on areas where we can exceed expectations.

It was important for us to learn what types of value-added services are important to our customers. We asked, “What types of extended services can interface offer to improve your experience?” Expedited calibration services and technical product information ranked first and second in all responses, followed by live and real-time technical support services. As is expected with the growing use of the internet, online ordering, product availability and shipment tracking were top requests.  This customer intelligence helps Interface prioritize current and future service offerings.

Living in our new normal, we also wanted to know, “Have you changed your testing, design, or development plans for 2020-2021 due to the pandemic?” We learned that only 15% said it had changed their plans.

All feedback is important to us. Thank you to all those that shared their experience and provided valuable feedback. If you would like to share information with us about your buying experience, you can always contact us directly at 480-948-5555, or through our website at https://www.interfaceforce.com.

Faces of Interface Featuring Chris Brandenburg

Interface Technical Services Manager Chris Brandenburg has not followed the traditional path into the manufacturing and engineering world. Growing up and finishing high school in Illinois, Chris worked a job in retail for a number of years. Looking for a way out of retail, Chris engaged with a family friend who worked for manufacturer that built hydraulic lifts called, Advanced Lifts. Chris was offered a job at Advanced Lifts and spent a few years helping to build these products.

This was Chris’s first foray into the manufacturing world, and while he enjoyed the industry, he quickly realized that he had a greater passion for working with people rather than actually building the machines. This is when he began to explore a career in front-end customer service.

Advanced Lifts offered him a job in a customer support role where he would be helping people troubleshoot their hydraulic lifts. With his years of experience building the product he was able to handle the technical aspect of the job, while the customer support aspect came naturally.

After nine years with Advanced Lifts and more than enough harsh Illinois winters, Chris realized it was time for a change. In 2011, he moved to Arizona on whim and got a job at Shutterfly working in customer service. Over his seven years with Shutterfly, he quickly moved up the ranks and became a customer service supervisor managing a team of more than 30 people.

Chris valued his time at Shutterfly because it helped him learn how to work with and help people of all different backgrounds. During the company’s incredibly busy holiday season, it was Chris’s job to hire more than 150 people for various roles within the company. He says that he became adept at understanding people and figuring out where they would excel in certain customer service positions.

In 2018, Chris embarked on a new journey in an industry he had little experience in at the time, force measurement. Chris was intrigued by the opportunity to join Interface because he would have the opportunity to build a customer service department from the ground up. Prior to Chris joining, Interface employees from various departments shared the role of customer service without an official department.

Chris has since helped to build a high-functioning and compassionate team of customer service professionals dedicated solely to improving the Interface customer experience. He’s also done this while balancing a few different roles simultaneously with customer services duties. He worked for a time as an application engineer, and currently leads customer service for the calibration services department. He is often praised by his colleagues as a a go-to resource to get it done. He is valued for his teamwork and willingness to do whatever it takes.

Chris says that it has been an honor to take on such a critical role in expanding Interface’s customer service function and enjoys the responsibility in helping the company continue to grow and improve every day. However, his favorite thing about working at Interface, as other have also mentioned in this series, is working with the talented people at Interface. Not only are they a kind and hardworking team, so many individuals here have been with the company for a long time and have a wealth of knowledge to share. The ability to leverage this source of insight makes his job working through customer service challenges much easier. It has also helped him develop an expertise in an industry that just two years ago he knew little about and know is an incredible resource to help others.

When Chris isn’t tackling customer service requests, he can be found at home with his fiancé and stepdaughter watching movies or catching an NFL game. Chris is a self-described nerd who loves Marvel and Star Wars movies. His football allegiances lie in his home state of Illinois with the Bears, as well as appreciating the work of the greatest dynasty in NFL history, the New England Patriots.

Authors note: the point on the New England Patriots can be debated, but as a Pats fan myself I stand by it. And Chris did describe himself as a Patriots fan – the author did not fabricate this point!

Interface Customer Insights from Fall 2019 Survey

Twice a year Interface engages our valued customers to formally seek their feedback, insights, and future outlook regarding test and measurement. Our latest survey results show a continued demand in project-based force measurement technology, a growing need for innovation, and complete system and custom solution designs for OEMs.

In our continued commitment to customer experience, we surveyed thousands of Interface buyers to help us understand how we can best serve their needs today and in the future.  What we learned through this process is that accuracy, quality and trust remain constant when determining the types of force measurement products our customers buy and utilize.

Our semi-annual Interface Customer Satisfaction Survey consisted of a single question to measure our performance by a Net Promoter® Score (NPS) with an additional four questions to gather our customer’s direct insights and feedback. Interface utilizes the NPS score to provide predictability and measure overall satisfaction through trending data on how we perform for our customers.

The creator of NPS, Fred Reichheld, noted that the highest-performing companies will score greater than +50, while the average American company rates between +10 to +12 across all industries. When we asked our customers who have purchased Interface solutions over the past 18 months, how likely is it that you would recommend Interface to a friend or colleague, 86% of all those that answered said they are extremely to very likely to recommend Interface to others. The overall NPS rating for Interface based on our 2019 surveys now stands at +54.

Additional Questions from Interface’s Fall 2019 Survey:

QUESTION: What force measurement products do you generally use at your company?  

Not surprising, 100% of our customers noted they are using our most popular products, load cells. Interface customers also rank mini load cells, instrumentation, torque transducers, and calibration systems in the top five products they regularly use.

QUESTION: If applicable, do you calibrate your own load cells or send them to a calibration service provider?

In our survey, 61% of respondents shared they are sending out their load cells for calibration while 21% are doing an in-house calibration. This is aligned to Interface’s continued growth and demand for our expert calibration services.

QUESTION: Is the ability to customize your force measurement products important to you? 

More than half of the participants shared that customization is important in the applications. Interface also sees a growing trend in modified product requests and custom solutions for innovative use cases, as well as in applications with our OEM customers.

The NPS scoring is based on a scale of 0-10 for how likely they would recommend us, zero being least likely and 10 being extremely likely. Our average score from this recent survey is 8.3, with the highest majority of respondents indicating they are extremely likely (10) to recommend Interface products and services to a friend or colleague.

All feedback is important to us and our last question in our survey asks for direct feedback that we can share with our team members. As we focus on continuous improvement, we learn from our customer’s input. It helps us to find better and more innovative ways to ensure we meet and exceed our customer’s expectations. It’s what we strive for every day.

If you are a customer and would like to share information with us about your buying experience, you can always contact us directly or complete our feedback survey here.

Thank you to all our survey participants.  We are grateful and thankful for your business.

Interface Customer Satisfaction Survey and NPS Results for Spring 2019

Interface is well-known for our force measurement expertise. We work hard to earn our customer’s trust by delivering exceptional products and services.

We are also obsessed about customer experience, with a focus on delivering force measurement solutions that exceed expectations in quality, accuracy, and reliability. Precision in all areas of our business is core to who we are today and helped us navigate our business since our founding in 1968.

What helps us maintain our customer-centricity and innovative concentration is our commitment to listen. We constantly look for opportunities to learn from our valued customers, distributors, and representatives about their unique applications.  In our pursuit to gather this direct feedback, we recently conducted our semi-annual Interface Customer Satisfaction Survey. It consisted of four questions to help us gather market intelligence and customer insights, and one question to measure our performance by a Net Promoter® Score (NPS).

An NPS score can vary considerably from industry to industry. NPS is derived from responses to the question, how likely is it that you would recommend Interface to a friend or colleague? The NPS methodology is based on asking customers this single question to predict repurchase and referral, essentially measuring customer loyalty. According to Reichheld, the creator of NPS, the average American company scores a +10. He also suggests that the highest performing organizations typically score between +50 and +80 NPS.

Interface is a high performing organization by NPS standards. Interface’s NPS score for its Spring 2019 Customer Satisfaction Survey is +63.

The NPS scoring is based on a scale of 0-10 for how likely they would recommend us, zero being least likely and 10 being extremely likely. Our average score from this recent survey is 8.9, with the highest majority of respondents indicating they are extremely likely (10) to recommend Interface products and services to a friend or colleague.

In addition to the NPS question, we asked survey participants their top considerations when buying force measurement solutions. Quality ranked number one, followed closely by accuracy, and reliability.  Customer service and technical support rounded out the top five considerations.

We also learned that more than 81% of our buyers will purchase force measurement products, services, or custom solutions in 2019.

We finished our survey with questions that provided valuable feedback about their experiences and expectations.

All feedback is important to us.  If you are a customer and would like to share information with us about your buying experience, you can always contact us directly or complete our feedback survey here. If you would like to learn more about our customer satisfaction and NPS survey, please feel free to reach out to us directly at marketing@interfaceforce.com.