Service for customers

"That permeates our company today"

A penchant for good service has always been part of Anni Tolstrup-Christensen's DNA. A purchase from STETOSKOP.DK and Seagull Healthcare should be a great experience for the customer.
18 years is a long time. Even for a company. And STETOSKOP.DK and Seagull Healthcare are certainly not the same size as they were back in 2002, when a fundamentally good idea became the beginning of a small adventure.

Back then, it was primarily about selling high-quality stethoscopes at a price far below what Danish doctors were used to in their clinics. Price is still a focus in 2020, partly through price matching, but with Anni Tolstrup-Christensen joining the company 15 years ago, service – specifically the good, well-qualified kind – has become increasingly central to STETOSKOP.DK and Seagull Healthcare. In fact, one could argue that a high level of service and qualified advice, ensuring customers make the right decisions, is absolutely central.

"Stripped to the bone, you could say that our focus is to make our customers' work or everyday life better. That permeates our company today," says Anni Tolstrup-Christensen, who, when asked why it has become this way, must again take a trip back in time to 1970s Herning, where her father, Johs Tolstrup, established himself as a successful hardware merchant. In addition to seeing opportunities in collaborating with other stores on purchasing and good business practices in a broad sense, the patriarch had also decided that customers who walked through the door should have a good experience. Because happy customers come back and might bring others with them, was the analysis.

Anni Tolstrup-Christensen helped out behind the counter, but the teenage daughter also absorbed everything: "That thing about good service has just always come naturally to me ever since. I actually hate it when I can't help a customer." "And from a business perspective, it is obviously the way forward for a company like ours. We are not a giant with a huge marketing budget, or one that can just rely on customer loyalty after a 100-year history.

No, we live off good experiences for our customers. Then they come back again, and perhaps along the way they have told a colleague or friend about us and what we can do when it comes to high-quality medical equipment at the right price," says Anni Tolstrup-Christensen.

The simple recipe

It sounds simple, and perhaps it is: Accessible, expert advice combined with low prices and fairness is Anni Tolstrup-Christensen's recipe for satisfied customers.
"And satisfied customers buy more and often return. It's that simple," the owner of STETOSKOP.DK and Seagull Healthcare notes.
Expert advice and – not least – top-class service are the tools.
It sounds easy, but surely it isn't?
"Yes, it's actually quite simple. We have practically no conflicts with customers, and I believe that is due to the personal contact. That we are accessible and helpful from the very first inquiry. For example, through our chat function on the website or simply over the phone. Who doesn't know the frustration of not being able to reach competent people when shopping online?" says Anni Tolstrup-Christensen.
"When you communicate with each other, you build trust and avoid misunderstandings. And I would also like to add, in all modesty, that we know our products and know what we are talking about. That obviously means a lot, too," says the business owner from Slagelse, who has been selling medical equipment to both healthcare professionals and private customers for more than 15 years.

At STETOSKOP.DK and Seagull Healthcare, good service also means price matching, a return policy, and flexible, fast delivery. If a customer finds a lower price online, they get it for the same price.
"Good service is more than just competent, friendly service. As a customer, it's also about being in a universe where you don't pay too much, where the rules of the game are simple and fair, and where you get what you ordered quickly and easily," says Anni Tolstrup-Christensen, who also provides service in a broader sense at her company, which now offers over 5,000 items to customers looking for medical equipment.
"For example, when I put together attractive bulk deals for those just starting medical school. They can all get a high-quality stethoscope at a low price, for instance. In my book, that is also good service."