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Here are
some of the more frequently asked questions we receive from
prospective customers:
Q. What
services do you provide?
A: We specialize in providing third-party workforce teams and
support in these areas:
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Logistics
Services
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Reverse
Logistics
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Manufacturing
and Light Assembly
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Investment Recovery
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Productivity
and Process Improvement Strategies
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Customized
Client Programs
Q. What are
the benefits of using your services?
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Lower Operating Expenses for customers
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Seamless startup and conversion process
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Contractual year-over-year productivity commitment
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Elimination of labor-associated administrative costs and
effort
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Proven, systematic operating model
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Intensively trained, high-performance work teams
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Workforce continuity and high employee retention rate
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Customer Satisfaction - Quality and "Supplier of the Year"
awards from multiple customers.
Q. Why
should I use a third-party to perform these services for me if
we can do them ourselves?
A: We tell prospective clients
that if they can do it better, faster and cheaper, then they
don't need us. We will also be candid if we don't see a good fit - for whatever reason - for our services.
The bottom line is: customers who
have chosen Premier have done so because their financial and
operational analysis favors the use of our services in terms of
cost, productivity and service performance. Our record of
success and customer satisfaction indicates that we have met or
outperformed these expectations.
Q. What
makes Premier different from any other outsourcing company?
A: There are several differentiating factors. First and
foremost, our entire leadership team has experience as VP-level
executives at Fortune 50 companies. This gives us unique insight
into what customers want and need from a company like ours. We
understand your budgetary demands; we appreciate the
sensitivities involved with a conversion to a third-party
service; and we are intimately familiar with what you expect on
a day-to-day basis.
Second, we consider what we do to be more insourcing than
outsourcing. We view outsourcing as relegating a business to an
arms-length outsider. Instead, we operate as extension of your
internal team. We work closely and are in constant contact with
you. We assume a sense of ownership by sharing information and
ideas. And we operate according to your practices, processes and
metrics, not ours. In short, outsourcing is a transaction-based service while we see Premier as a relationship-based provider.
We go the extra mile. This is not just rhetoric. For example,
when the South was recently hit hard by tornadoes, a customer
facility was destroyed. Thanks to the 24-7 efforts of the
Premier team there, the site was up with minimal disruption and
loss of service. These efforts were even noted by the CEO in
his webcast with analysts.
Finally, thanks to our experience and portfolio of best
practices, we have a unique operating model that delivers real results and success.
Q. What do
you mean by the "contract-based productivity" referred to on the
Premier website?
A: Based on the
strength of our operating model and management practices, we
have been able to produce cost savings for all our clients.
Thanks to this success, we feel confident that we can produce
similar savings for our new customers. To support this, we
commit in the contract agreement to delivering a percentage
productivity gain for each year over the life of the contract.
Q. Assuming
we have an interest in your services, what are the next steps?
A: We can proceed in a number of ways. Typically, a new customer
prospect will contact us by phone to ask about our services and
capabilities, and to explain their needs. This is usually
followed up with a conference call or an in-person meeting
between our respective teams to discuss the issues in more
depth.
Others prefer to submit an electronic Request for Information or Request for Quote.
Upon receipt, we will follow up by phone to get acquainted and
to make sure we have a full understanding of your RFI/RFP. This
may be followed by an in-person meeting with both teams,
depending on the customer's preference.
Q. Do you
handle hazardous materials?
A: We have not
been asked by our clients to handle them at this time. We would
be happy to discuss the possibility of handling hazmat services.
If we determine that we have the capabilities to meet your
compliance needs, we would be happy to submit a bid.
Q. How can
I be sure that changing to your service won�t result in a risk
or disruption to our business operations?
A: When you choose Premier, we sit down with the appropriate
members of your team to develop a thorough conversion and
startup plan. We will "map" your current processes and then
incorporate this into our workforce training. Our executives
will stay in constant contact prior to and during startup.
During actual startup, a Premier home office manager(s) will be
at the facility to assist our on-site manager and to monitor the
startup process.
Most importantly, by knowing the ropes from our extensive
experience in these types of conversions and startups, we are
confident that your transition to Premier will be seamless and
successful.
Q. How does
your pricing work?
A: We use a simple and straightforward model that is
budget-friendly and easy for our clients to understand. There
are no gimmicks or hidden fees. Essentially it is a two-tier pricing system; i.e., pricing is based on the actual
labor costs and then a management fee is applied. These rates
and fees are negotiated in advance, which gives you cost
certainty and budget predictability.
Our advisory services fees are on a straight time-and-materials
basis.
Q. Are you
an asset-based or non-asset-based services provider?
A. We are primarily non-asset-based. We are pleased, however, to
perform under an asset-based arrangement.
Q. If we're
in an industry that you currently don't serve, how can we be
assured that you can handle our needs?
A: We are a highly focused company. We stick to what we know and
what we are good at doing. Our operating model works. So the
services we provide, along with the associated processes that
support them, are scalable and easily transferable to new
industries, regardless of industry type or product mix. In other
words, our services are industry-neutral. This has been
demonstrated by our service success and satisfied customers
across multiple industries and in diverse operations.
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