NSM adds BraunAbility to customer education

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - National Seating & Mobility now has BraunAbility kiosks in three branches as a tool for educating customers on wheelchair accessible vehicles.

The partnership between the two companies, launched in October, also involves in-branch training for customer-facing NSM employees.

“We view this as part of our mission to provide a 360-degree view to our clients of their mobility needs,” said Bill Mixon, CEO of NSM. “It's not just about the wheelchair. It's about the home, vis-a-vis our home access business. This is just a natural extension of that thinking.”

The kiosks, which draw customers in with matching games featuring BraunAbility products and raffles for gift cards, are currently in Houston, Indianapolis and Columbus, Ohio.

The training, provided by BraunAbility, equips NSM employees to answer basic questions for customers about wheelchair accessible vehicles, help them use the kiosk and introduce them to one of the company's 250 dealers.

“We're excited to hear how these relationships are already building,” said Joe Garnett, director of marketing integration for BraunAbility. “I heard from one of our store managers last week how this creates an opportunity to re-engage on a regular basis.”

The partnership, in many ways, formalizes a relationship that already existed between the two companies, stemming from their mutual desire to “bring about the best customer experience,” says Bob Desmarais, vice president of dealer development and demand analytics for BraunAbility.

“We're now just trying to reach first-time buyers more collaboratively,” he said. “We know wheelchair acquisition is the first step with a new disability.”

There are plans to place additional kiosks in additional NSM branches, but not right away.

“We're taking a pause to look at their performance and outcomes,” said Stephanie Buckley, vice president of marketing for NSM. “We'll see if we need to make any adjustments to make this a more favorable program for our clients.”