With the amount of new technology entering the fresh produce sphere, growers are now required to know these sometimes unfamiliar technologies along with placing their attention on their main task - growing produce. QA Supplies, which supplies producers with tools to measure and analyze their product quality, said it has recognized this and are in the midst of launching a series of videos demonstrating how to use their instruments. Recently, the company announced a new informational video that aims to convey the mission and purpose of their business. It also demonstrated how to use a few of their products.
"We felt it was a good idea to show customers more about the company and our values," shared Russ Holt of QA Supplies. "Also, we thought it would be helpful to show some of our most popular products in use. As we have recently launched our new logo, this video adds to the new visual identity of our business."
Helping to educate customers about the different products
Videos are one of the tools companies are using to help their customers learn more about their company and products. Holt said that along with this, QA Supplies wants to make sure its staff are well trained to explain to customers how to use the various products.
"All of our customer service representatives are very knowledgeable about the products we offer and what role they play in the produce industry," he said. "We have sent all of our employees to the Postharvest Workshops at UC Davis to make sure they have a firm understanding of the challenges our customers face when growing, packing and shipping fresh produce."
Further to this and to supplement the company's recently launched video, QA Supplies are planning on more videos in the next 12 months. "QA Supplies will kick off a knowledge center on our website in 2019, which will include instructions on how to use most of the products in our line as well as helpful information for all facets of the food industry," Holt shared. "We are also planning a video series to help solve some of the common problems faced by our customers, such as calibrating a thermometer or checking the accuracy of a scale. These tools are becoming increasingly important to us and our customers, which is why we have decided to focus heavily on this in the coming year. Video makes it so much easier for a customer to learn about a product and how it works and in most cases, will help them choose which item is right for the application."
Trade shows also important
Beyond the videos, physically handling and using a product probably helps growers the most when it comes to learning about its functions. Companies say trade shows, such as the New York Produce Show this month, are a great opportunity to connect with customers and introduce products to them.
"In my opinion it makes a huge impact if customers are able to handle a product and see the quality before they make a purchasing decision," Holt said. "Also, we will have over 40 years of combined produce industry experience at the show and we are always happy to help customers with any questions related to growing or selling fresh produce. If we don’t know the answer, we are almost certainly in close contact with someone who does. That’s the benefit of working with a company like ours. Any online store can sell a thermometer, but we can tell you how to use it properly, maintain it accurately, which thermometers works best for bananas kept in cold storage and what the pulp temperature should be before you ship it out."
Holt added that the company will be displaying and demonstrating a range of their testing equipment at the show, including the F-751 Avocado meter for non-destructive quality testing. "Visitors will be able to see and test out our newest products, as well as industry standards such as firmness testers, refractometers, ATP monitor for bacteria detection and our full line of thermometers and data loggers. We will be happy to demo any products we have at the show and also provide advice on which products to use at different points in the supply chain. Some of our products are much easier to understand once you have held it and ran a few tests. The F-751 Avocado meter is a perfect example, as the science behind this unit is fairly complicated, but the instrument itself is very simple to use. We love to meet our customers, old and new, so please stop by to say hello!"
QA Supplies will be at Booth 539 at the New York Produce Show, along with their sister company Catalytic Generators.
For more information:
Russ Holt
QA Supplies, LLC
Ph: +1 (757) 855-3094
russ@qasupplies.com
www.qasupplies.com