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Much like Louisiana’s premier collegiate and professional athletic programs, Gulf Coast Office Products knows the importance of teamwork when striving toward a goal. They also know how challenging it can be to maintain that same level of intensity once they’ve achieved success. “It’s hard to win the Superbowl, but it’s even harder to repeat the next year,” says Trey Beall, president of the company.
Beall says the key, whether in sports or the business world, is consistency in the process. “We’re not so much focused on the end number,” he adds. “If we take care of the customer, they come back, they’re loyal and everybody wins. The rest takes care of itself.”
AT A GLANCE
Top executives: Trey Beall, President
Phone: 225.756.2644
Address: 10424 Plaza Americana Dr., Baton Rouge LA 70816
Website: gcopnet.com
Gulf Coast’s employees are treated like family. That’s why the number of employees with more than five years of service has exploded from 32 to 74 over the last decade. Even their delivery drivers have been with the company for well over 10 years.
Their customers are the beneficiaries, as they’re usually doing business with a familiar face. “We have a lot of boots on the ground,” Beall says, “so we can normally be in a customer’s office in a couple of hours to fix any problem. If you can’t scan, print and copy, you can’t run a law firm or an urgent care center. It’s detrimental to your business.”
TOP SHELF PROFESSIONALISM
Gulf Coast Office Products’ overriding goal is to provide a “five-star experience” for the customer. Every step of the process is conducted in a professional manner, right down to the receptionist answering the phone. Being a single-line dealer of Ricoh printers and copiers makes it possible to continue that professionalism and efficiency during the service experience.
“Our guys are going out and looking at the same manufactured product on every call,” Beall says. “And we have all the parts here on the shelf.”
It has been an indisputably successful formula. Gulf Coast Office Products has become an indispensable resource, as they’ve diversified way beyond copiers since their creation back in 1977.
These days, they’re more integrated into a client’s workflow, enabling them to print, copy, email and manage documents from the cloud. They can be fully connected to any network, with pre-trained technicians on staff offering local expert service.
While the main artery of the business continues to be traditional black and white and color copiers that print, scan and fax, the company is much more than that. GCOP offers software and other services to enable them to store documents in the cloud for document retrieval. They also supply equipment such as interactive whiteboards.
And they’re not standing still. As Beall puts it, “Our customers’ needs are evolving, so we’re always ready to revise the game plan when necessary.”
