If you’re old enough, you may actually remember this iconic scene from Jerry Maguire… and if you’re young enough, you’ve probably seen this gif floating around the internet a time or two. As the Customer Solutions Manager here at Sheffer, this saying is near and dear to my heart. Whether our reps here are entering your PO, expediting your order, or trying to help you spec and quote a custom cylinder, our ability to help you can be limited by the (lack of) information provided to us. From the initial RFQ to the shipment of your order, here are the top five things you can do to “help us help you".
#5 – REQUESTING A QUOTE: When submitting an RFQ for the replacement of or repair parts for an existing Sheffer cylinder, please provide the S/N or ID number as well as the model number of that cylinder. When requesting a quote for a new application, please provide the following information, along with a drawing if possible:
- Series (Pneumatic cylinder / Hydraulic cylinder)
- PSI Rating
- Single or Double rod
- Bore size
- Mount Style
- Stroke Length
- Rod Diameter
- Rod end style and threads
- Cushioned or Non Cushioned
- Port type, size, and location
- Any other special modifications / requirements not called out above (ie: Electronic Positioning Cylinders, All Stainless Steel Construction, Large Bore Cylinders, etc.)
You can check out our Catalogs, our Online Cylinder Configurator or use our Custom Cylinder Design Data Form to gather the information we will need in order to provide you with a quote.
#4 – SUBMITTING A PO
When placing an order, please be sure to reference quote numbers on your PO’s, if applicable, whether it’s a quote that was provided by your CSR, was done by our Special Quotes department or is a quote that you or someone at your company did using our Mobile Web App. This reduces the risk of error and decreases the time necessary to find the correct information to be able to process the order. Also, if the quote is expired, be sure to request a quote update prior to placing your order so the PO can be processed upon receipt.
#3 – CHECKING OUR WORK
Once your PO has been processed, an Order Acknowledgement will be sent to your company. These acknowledgements should be carefully reviewed for accuracy, so that in the event of an error, corrections can be made before anything gets manufactured or shipped to the customer. It’s much easier to prevent a problem than to correct one!
#2 – SHIPPING YOUR ORDER
Our maximum UPS weight is 75 pounds. Shipments that are over that limit will be required to ship via a freight carrier. Please provide alternate ship methods on all PO’s to eliminate time spent trying to get this information for times when an order is too heavy to ship via UPS or FedEx ground. This is especially important when shipping a cylinder on our Gold Program so that when we have it ready to ship in three days, you’ll be good to go! Also, please note that we do NOT ship freight as Prepay and add. Freight orders must go collect or Third Party Bill. When 3rd party billing is requested for any shipping charges, freight or ground, you must provide the complete name and address of the party to be billed.
#1 – MAKING IT WORK
AND the number one thing you can do to help us help you is to remember that we’re all in this together! We are so grateful for all of you who are out in the field representing The Sheffer Corporation and working hard to sell our products. We want you to know that we’re here to support you and help you increase your cylinder business any way we can! We pride ourselves on being “big enough for your job but small enough to care” so everyone here at Sheffer is in the customer solutions business, from Engineering, to Production, our Sales team, and our President! We are always available to help you with your cylinder needs, so don’t hesitate to call!
