Putting the Customer Experience First in Detroit Lakes

For Brian Fulmer, his customers are the number one priority for his team at Lakes Computer in Detroit Lakes, MN. Whether they are fixing equipment or managing services for their clients, their focus is delivering the best possible experience to all they serve.  

“In a small community, you have to have good integrity, otherwise you don't last long,” stated Fulmer. “It's what I’ve worked by and lived by for quite a while. My staff understands it. We emphasize under promising and over delivering. Customers just appreciate that. It's kind of the hometown mentality where in the smaller communities we do what we can to take care of each other.” 

To make sure his customers are getting the best experience possible and that he and his team can live up to expectations, he sought out a tech partner that could deliver on the top two most important items on his must-have list: reliability and customer service.  

Reliability with Midco 

“You just have to have reliability in order to be an efficient business in today's market,” said Fulmer. “And we've been very happy with the Midco service ever since we got it.” 

For Lakes Computer, reliability starts with an internet product that keeps his team connected. 

“The fiber is faster service,” explained Fulmer. “It's more stable service and gives you more options as far as speeds and what you can do over it. I mean, you can run your TV, you can run your VoIP system, your phone system, your internet services, everything over it. It's just a lot more reliable.” 

With his business connected, Fulmer started referring his clients to Midco services as well.  

“With Midco, we've been able to set everybody up on fiber, which has been a huge help,” said Fulmer. “We've switched over maybe half of our customer base now. Being able to work directly with the Midco technicians and the local facility manager has worked out really well. We've been able to help people quickly when they need it. I've been able to go on site with the Midco team to get services installed for customers. We make it a smooth transition for customers, so it works out really well.” 

Fulmer has been so impressed with Midco services that he has even encouraged certain customers to switch from his services to Midco. 

“Sometimes it makes more sense for them to use a Midco service than to use our service,” stated Fulmer. “So, we work hand in hand with each other, and it works out very well, just doing the best we can for our customers. It's the way organizations should work together as far as I'm concerned. There's plenty of customers to go around. If everybody just watches out for the end customer, that makes everything work.” 

Customer Service with Midco 

The second must on Fulmer’s list was customer service, something he takes very seriously as a small business owner. 

“I don't care what industry you're in, it's customer service,” said Fulmer. “If you're talking to your customers, if you're maintaining things, preventing problems, that’s what we try to do.” 

Thankfully, he found Midco is just as passionate about taking care of customers as he is.  

“Working with Midco has just amplified what we do because there just aren't problems,” said Fulmer. “Customers have been very happy with the service, happy with the speeds, happy that they haven't had to call in.  

Another bonus for Fulmer is that Midco understands his unique relationship with his clients.  

“The other thing that's nice about working with them is they understand that we're not the typical customer,” explained Fulmer. “I can just say, ‘Hey, I'm working with so-and-so customer. We're having a problem with internet. I've done this and this and this. Can you help me troubleshoot this a little further?’ And they're more than willing to work with me on it.” 

Fulmer and his team also appreciate the speed in which issues are resolved. 

“When I talk to Midco, typically it's the first person I talk to that ends up being able to answer the question,” stated Fulmer. “With their remote access abilities to the modems, we're able to resolve issues a lot quicker.” 

This partnership has Fulmer excited about the future and what it means for his customers. 

“It's been a breath of fresh air just to be able to work with them because they keep everybody in the loop, keep everybody up to date on what's going on and ultimately makes it very convenient for the customer.”