How Lincoln Electric uses innovation to enhance the customer experience

John Stropki
John Stropki, chairman, president and CEO, The Lincoln Electric Co.

Whether you realize it or not, you rely on the customer relationships forged by The Lincoln Electric Co. As a company that provides arc welding products and systems, Lincoln Electric serves customers that build the cars and bridges we use each day and maintain the power plants that provide electricity to our homes and businesses.
In other words, our ability to lead our daily lives is impacted by the customer service Lincoln Electric provides.
Everyone in the company, up to and including Chairman, President and CEO John Stropki, realizes it and is constantly striving to find new ways to better serve their customers.
One of the innovations implemented by Lincoln Electric’s staff include on-site welding process support through the company’s technical sales team, allowing customers’ manufacturing operations to stay efficient and profitable. The company has also introduced industry-leading training materials regarding welding safety, application support for tough manufacturing problems, welding consumables that are engineered for high productivity and advance technology equipment that allows manufacturers to weld quickly and with the highest quality, all while electronically monitoring productivity.
Lincoln Electric’s customer service philosophy is centered on responsiveness. The company’s leaders believe in the philosophy, “what gets measured gets improved.” With that in mind, Stropki and his team place an emphasis on call center phone answer times, e-mail response times, customer surveys and on-time delivery of products.
The proper training is integral to building a responsive staff, and to that end, Lincoln Electric’s sales team spends a year in the classroom with hands-on learning about the company’s products. Once in the field, the sales staff representatives are well versed in applying the company’s guaranteed cost reduction program, ensuring lower-cost and more efficient products for customers.
How to reach: The Lincoln Electric Co., (216) 383-8054 or www.lincolnelectric.com