It was a hot and sunny Friday in Houston, and the customer service team had wrapped up work for the weekend when they received an urgent call from an oil and gas producer in Texas that was using a competitor’s gas monitors. Their safety team had noticed a toluene leak and realized that their current equipment wasn’t detecting the hazard. They needed equipment to monitor the leak—and fast.
Situations like this one illustrate the importance of effective customer service and a quick response in the industrial sector; leaks and atmospheric hazards can’t wait for business hours or a call back. When it comes to safety, having the equipment your site needs can make the difference between life and death—for your workers and community.
The service team at our Houston location immediately understood the urgency of the call.
Customer Support in Action
The plant’s safety leaders worked together with our gas detection experts to understand why the personal monitors they use at the plant weren’t responding (the LEL sensors were missing toluene) and identify the best solution for them: four Radius® BZ1 area monitors with LEL and PID sensors.
Our service team in Houston sprang into action to set the plant up with the rental units they needed. Bright and early Saturday morning, the team lead was in the office to prepare and ship the equipment.
With a rush order, the plant received their units by 3pm—less than 24 hours from the call to the service center. This enabled them to set up a hazard perimeter and leak detection around the spill to pick up on information and protect workers. Armored with the right equipment, the plant minimized the impact of the spill.
Despite the extra hours, our service team in Houston went above and beyond to partner with the site to prevent hazard exposure and preserve human life.
The Importance of Customer Service in Safety and Industrial Sectors
Exceptional customer service is especially important in industries that require gas detection for several reasons:
-
Safety concerns: Gas detection is critical for ensuring the safety of workers and surrounding communities. To meet specific safety needs, it's crucial to have access to the right products and services. When gas monitors malfunction or other issues arise, quick responses from customer service teams to resolve the problem can help sites prevent safety incidents and keep their equipment in optimal shape.
-
Technical expertise: Gas monitors can be complex and require specialized knowledge to operate and maintain. Sometimes safety teams need to rely on technical expertise to ensure their equipment is working properly and providing accurate readings.
-
Compliance requirements: Many industries have strict regulations regarding gas detection, and seeking guidance from experts can help avoid costly fines and penalties.
-
Equipment reliability: For gas monitors to be truly effective, they must always perform reliably. In case of an issue with equipment, quick customer service is essential to resolve any problems. And, in the meantime, you may need access to high-quality rentals.
-
Emergency response: In the event of an emergency, customers need to be able to rely on their gas detection equipment. Exceptional customer service can help provide the support needed to respond quickly and effectively.
On the other hand, poor customer service can cause delays in your operations through instrument downtime or disruptions in productivity.
Overall, customer service is vital in the gas detection industry to ensure that sites have the right equipment, knowledge, and support they need to keep their facilities and workers safe.
Resources and Support
Houston is one of two of our service locations in the United States, along with our headquarters in Pittsburgh, PA. Visit our website to learn more about our global factory locations and to find one near you.
Our Houston location doesn’t just serve Texas—they provide rentals and repairs for customers across the country.
A little over half of their support happens though customer repairs operations. In other words, sites send in units they own for repair. The rest of their services cover rental and iNet® Exchange, our automatic, maintenance-free gas detection program that replaces your gas detectors before you even know there's a problem.
If you’re looking for rental gas detection equipment, they’ve got you covered with nearly all Industrial Scientific products on site—and if not, they’ll work with Pittsburgh to stock unique blends and requests. Some of the products they keep in stock include Ventis® MX4, Ventis® Pro5, MX6 iBrid®, GasBadge® Pro, Tango® TX1, Radius® BZ1, RGX® Gateways, and docking stations.
You can purchase some supplies on site like sensors, filters, or gas if you’re short on time. If they don’t have what you need, the team can usually have your equipment in by the next morning. They know that safety can’t wait.
Meet the Houston Service Team
- Amanda Motto - Service Operations Manager
- Jianfeng He - Service Team Lead
- Richard Elmer, Nahum George & Kristen Lawrence - Service Technicians
- D’Lisa Vazquez - Service Processing Specialist (shipping/ receiving)
- Sylvia “Susy” Gomez - Customer Service Associate
Within the last year, the team at Houston has worked together to develop new workflows, allowing them to handle a larger demand from customers without having to increase their capacity. By the end of the summer, they’ll have executed another project. At Industrial Scientific, we are always looking for innovative ways to continue improving our service.
Serving Others is Our Greatest Joy
The service team in Houston demonstrated a key principle for the people at Industrial Scientific: Serving others is our greatest joy. Because we’ve dedicated our careers to eliminating death on the job, we know the stakes. We won’t settle for anything less than the highest quality of support.
Are you interested in learning how Industrial Scientific can help your safety program beyond your expectations? Talk to one of our experts today to get personalized guidance and learn how you can meet the goals of your gas detection program.
How to Reach Our Houston Repair Center
Address:
4744 Vista Road
Pasadena, TX 77505
Phone:
+1-713-475-2000 (opt 4 for repair)
Hours:
8:00am - 5:00pm CST, Mon - Fri