Cover Story
Made to spec
How Research Organics Inc. specializes in customer service
Smart Business Cleveland | June 2010
Rob Sternfeld, president and CEO, Research Organics Inc.
Long before Rob Sternfeld grew up to become president and CEO of Research Organics Inc., customer service was ingrained in his DNA. His father Marvin, who founded the company, told young Rob that he had the customer to thank for the food on the dinner table. Rob even met many customers at conventions before he officially worked at the company, which manufactures high purity biochemicals.
Today, customer service is still on the forefront. Because many customers have requirements set by regulations and other industry standards, Research Organics built its manufacturing and quality systems around those guidelines — such as current Good Manufacturing Practices and ISO 9001. The company itself is ISO certified, proving it possesses the operational controls to deliver quality products as promised.
Being continually audited — at least every two to five years — against those guidelines by customers keeps Research Organics continually enhancing and improving their systems and practices.
But there’s still personality behind the customer service. Research Organics strives to become a strategic partner and a synergistic extension of customers’ operations. Customers with special requirements are assigned unique part numbers so that each time they place an order the product is developed to their specific needs. A top customer made a consignment arrangement for their large-volume product: There is always extra material warehoused for when they need it, but they don’t pay until the product is used. That personal attention decreases dock-to-stock time by weeks.
Those systems are only as good as the people running them, so employees are continually trained on how to meet the quality policy. Led by a customer service manager who’s been with the company more than 20 years, customer service reps have their orders double-checked by colleagues outside of their department to ensure accuracy. Errors are corrected both externally and internally to prevent repeats.
How to reach: Research Organics Inc., (216) 883-8025 or www.resorg.com
