Services
Verdek™ Customer Service
Verdek values the importance of strong customer service to succeed in a competitive market. We started selling charging stations in 2008 and have built our brand and reputation by providing the best products and a customer-centric approach from a commercial and technical standpoint. Our technical department can manage a station from the customer set up to the station activation. We also arrange customer training on the use of the station and the use of the web portal to retrieve reports, set access policies and pricing. We offer ongoing monitoring of the 6 station for any potential requirement. All our stations have an 800 number on the front of the station so that the EV drivers can call if they need support. The tech support to drivers is available 24/7. Most of the time the calls address issues with the access card and specific issues with the station. We manage all warranty and non-warranty issues deciding with the manufacturers the best approach.
Verdek Project Management
Verdek has a long-term experience of managing multiple projects on an ongoing basis. Every project requires the coordination of various departments to get to a successful conclusion. The advantage of a well-oiled system allows Verdek a high success rate of on time deliveries and repeated orders from current customers. We communicate with our customer on the progress of their project. Verdek customers are all categorized in our Salesforce database and all projects are listed and supervised. For any service issues, we use Zendesk, an online program designed to keep track of open tickets on warranties and non-warranty issue. All actions are linked to a ticket number and all actions that will resolve an issue are recorded by Our technical department and any other person involved such as Operations or Sales Department. The customer is kept informed while the process goes on. The case will be closed when the station is back online and works properly.
Verdek Turnkey Services
This section summarizes the basic steps that Verdek takes when a customer requires a charger and turnkey installation services. Verdek follows a standard procedure to define with its customer the scope of the work (load capacity, station location, power requirements, path from electrical panel to the station location). Through this process, we determine the most effective package including the type of station that best fit the specific requirements and the most economical installation solution.
Here are the steps we follow:
- Site Survey
- Proposal (description of services, pricing and project timeline)
- Order Processing
- Installation Services
- Station Activation
- User Training
- Ongoing station supervision
1. Site Survey
The Site Survey is the first step of all installations. The customer has already decided to purchase one or more chargers. In some cases, the customer has already decided the source of power and the location of the station and in some other cases the customers relies on Verdek’s experience to define the project. During the Site Survey, Verdek finds the lowest cost/most efficient installation solution. We look for the electrical panel/s, we define it there is enough power to feed the chargers. If there is enough power, we chose the panel closest to the location where the charger/s will be installed. If there is not enough power, we suggest alternatives. We define the path for the conduits and wires. Depending on the location the wires are brought along walls/ceilings or by trenching in the grass, cement or asphalt. After a site survey, we use the information provided to prepare a quote.
2. Proposal
The proposal details the job that Verdek will perform including the EV charging station with
related network licenses, extended warranties when apply, the installation costs and a projected installation timeline.
3. Order Processing
POs follow a standard procedure and once processed we send our customer the shipping
notification and tracking numbers.
4. Installation Services
Verdek have listed herewith the steps required to perform an installation:
4.1) City/Town Permitting
4.2) Engineering drawings provided by customer when requested by the City for permitting
4.3) Electrical panel upgrade when necessary
4.4) Wiring from the electrical panel to the final location
4.5) Final installation of the station and connection to the electrical panel
4.1) City/Town permitting is the first step of the process. Speed and cost vary depending on the specific location. In some cases, we can get a permit within the same day of the application; in some other cases, it could take much longer (up to 1 month in our experience) specially if engineering drawings are requested with the permitting submission.
4.2) Engineering drawings are common with larger projects; we receive signed engineering drawings provided by the customer and we submit them to City to get the permit to install.
4.3) Electrical Panels have sufficient power to support additional breakers in more than 65-70% of Verdek’s installations. In the other cases the electrical panel will require an upgrade. The related costs depend on power required and the age of the current electrical panel. Sometimes we replace the panel and in other cases we can add a sub-panel.
4.4) Wiring from the electrical panel varies depending on its distance to the final location;
there will be various options and Verdek always tries to find the cheapest solution. In parking facilities, it is generally possible to bring the wire along walls/ceiling. When the electrical panel is inside a building and the final location is in an open parking lot, trenching will be necessary and costs will vary if it will be done in grass/dirt, concrete or asphalt. The wiring and conduit are another variable related to the distance from the electrical panel to the final location. The farther the distance the larger the wire gauge will be and the installation will be more expensive. When trenching is required, Verdek will re-patch the site to its original conditions.
4.5) Final Installation is common to all stations and they are totally independent from the specific location. All stations need to be anchored to a concrete pad or the wall, connected to the wires coming from the electrical panel, and then activated and tested. Sometime the City will inspect the installation before allowing us to power the station. They verify that all labor, materials meet the local codes. Once we have the final approval we can power the station.
5) Station Activation
Verdek commissioned the first stations at City Hall in Houston in 2009. Since then we have been commissioning approx. 2,000 stations. We are very familiar with the process and our technical department manages this process with the local installer.
6) User Training
Once the station is ready, Verdek arranges the training of the users. If the installed station is networked, Verdek Technical Department will train the administrator and all additional personnel assigning the level of access. Verdek continues monitoring all its installed stations daily. We send report to our customers to show usage and percentage of saturation. When we see that a station needs service, Verdek will arrange for maintenance service and coordinate with the customer the access to the station.
7) Ongoing station supervision
As part of Verdek’s customer service commitment, we continuously monitor all the networked stations that we installed and give feedback to the customer on usage and initiate a service action when the station needs it.
