Tom Bucklar, Caterpillar’s director of IoT and channel solutions, joins the Caterpillar Podcast.
Learn MoreJune 11, 2018
Dave Walton, vice president of Caterpillar Inc. and president of Caterpillar Financial Services Corporation, joins the Caterpillar Podcast to share how Cat Financial serves customers when they need it most. Also hear Dave's soul-searching moment in the This or That segment.
Tell us a bit about Cat Financial and how - different from a bank - it brings value for customers
What we do is provide financing to customers that want to buy Cat equipment. Customers finance with us because we're convenient, because they trust that we'll watch out for them. We're there when customers need us the most - when they're just getting started, while they grow, even when natural disaster strike. But customers also expect us to be a full-fledged finance company.
What are some early career lessons you learned with Cat Financial on working with customers?
My first 15 years I spent working with customers after the sale had been done. One of the building blocks we want all our employees that work with customers to have is a keen understanding of collections and customer service. When you're collecting, you talk to many of the same people each month; you get to know them and you develop a rapport and understanding. It's very important for us to treat customers that are having trouble, consistent with our values. There's an opportunity, even when a customer is past due, to create an exceptional experience that draws them closer to us and builds loyalty.
What types of customer does Cat Financial serve? Is it primarily larger customers?
Our portfolio is filled with customer with one or four machines. we're proud of the fact that when a customer does business with us at Cat Financial, they tend to do business with us for many years. The first-time buyers and borrowers, that's the first time that we have the opportunity to help them when they need us the most. One particular customer started out with a single used bulldozer and then grew to hundreds of machines and employ over 1000 people. Our opportunity to be able to grow with them, and our capability to grow with them because of the size and strength of Cat Financial, it all allows us to be able to help our customers grow.
What is the relationship like of Cat dealers and Cat Financial, both serving the customer?
The dealer relationship is essential to our business model. We want them to believe that they personally will be more successful when their customer finances through Caterpillar than when they finance through a bank or pay cash. That additional touch point for Caterpillar, that opportunity to create an exceptional experience is only made when Caterpillar finances it.
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Listen to or read about other episodes of The Caterpillar Podcast
Tom Bucklar, Caterpillar’s director of IoT and channel solutions, joins the Caterpillar Podcast.
Learn MoreVice President Joe Creed shares how all our employees can contribute to Caterpillar’s – and our customers’ – success.
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