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Blog · Behind the Scenes · 6 min read

Why We Do Not Have a Phone Number, and the Email-First SLA

We work email-only on purpose. Here is why, what response times to expect, and how it actually serves customers better than a call queue ever would.

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Tell us a bit about what you need. We respond within one business day. No phone tag — we work email-first.

Email-first · 1 business day
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US or Canada only · format: (555) 123-4567
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By Riley MarchettiJanuary 26, 2024Behind the Scenes

New customers occasionally email asking why our site has no phone number. The honest answer is that we tried it and it was worse for everyone. A small reconditioning operation with two people in the wash bay and one person on logistics cannot run a real phone queue without either dropping calls, doing a bad job in the bay, or hiring a full-time switchboard that the unit pricing would have to absorb. Email-first lets us run lean and respond carefully, and it serves the buyer better in almost every dimension that matters.

The actual response SLA

We answer every inbound email at least once per business day, usually within four working hours during the 7 AM to 5 PM Central window. Quotes on standard pallet quantities go out within one business day. Quotes that need a wash record pulled, photos taken, or a freight lane re-checked sometimes take two. If something is going to take longer, we send a holding note rather than letting it sit silent.

  • Standard quote requests: same business day
  • Quotes needing photos or wash records: 1 to 2 business days
  • Freight re-quotes on changed lanes: 1 business day
  • Order acknowledgments after deposit: within 2 hours during business window
  • Post-delivery follow-up: within 1 business day of confirmed delivery

Why this actually helps the buyer

An email conversation about an IBC purchase ends with a written record of exactly what was promised — grade, quantity, prior contents, valve type, delivery date, total cost. We have watched call-based deals turn into he-said-she-said disputes more times than we like. The written trail protects the buyer at least as much as it protects us. It also means the technical questions get answered by the person who actually knows the answer, not whoever happened to pick up.

When email genuinely is not enough

For complex multi-load projects, we will schedule a video call by email appointment. That covers the rare case where someone needs to talk through a 200-unit phased delivery or a custom reconditioning spec. For everything else — and that is well over 95 percent of orders — email is faster, clearer, and cheaper for the customer in the only number that matters: the per-tote landed cost.

The cheapest way to give a customer a good price is to not pay for a phone queue. The most reliable way to ship the right tote is to put the spec in writing.

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