{"id":11586,"date":"2021-03-05T02:04:00","date_gmt":"2021-03-05T07:04:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blue-sea-697d.quartiers047.workers.dev:443\/http\/blog.teachersource.com\/?p=11586"},"modified":"2021-03-05T09:26:42","modified_gmt":"2021-03-05T14:26:42","slug":"custom-science-kit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blue-sea-697d.quartiers047.workers.dev:443\/http\/blog.teachersource.com\/2021\/03\/05\/custom-science-kit\/","title":{"rendered":"Your Custom Idea Is Our Mission!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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By Donna Giachetti<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Even our most devoted customers may not realize that Educational Innovations is a leader when it comes to creating custom science kits upon request.  Sure, we have a catalog<\/a> with hundreds of products, but in truth, there\u2019s no limit to what we can offer our customers.  Have an idea for a hands-on kit featuring feathers, magnets, ping pong balls and pipets?  Sure!  Need delivered to your students\u2019 home?  No problem!<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Our customer service crew are truly the unsung heroes and heroines of Educational Innovations<\/a>.  They listen, ask the right questions and most of all, they help teachers, parents, and science lovers find exactly what they need\u2014all at great prices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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And now, with our custom science kits<\/a>, there\u2019s even more reason for us to praise our crew.  I interviewed Nina H., the veritable queen of customer service.  If you have called us, chances are good that you\u2019ve spoken to Nina. She turns new customers into satisfied converts who wouldn\u2019t think of looking elsewhere for the latest in science materials to inspire young minds. <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

I asked her about our custom kit program, and here\u2019s what she had to say.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you speak to teachers, what reasons do they give for choosing to go the custom kit route?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Sometimes it\u2019s a question of how much time they can devote to shopping and compiling all the materials for their students.  Other times it\u2019s a money thing.  They get in touch because they really love a particular kit that we already have on our shelves, but they don\u2019t necessarily want all the components.  Or they have a budget that won\u2019t cover the whole kit.  We work with them to stay within their budget. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

How long, generally, does it take from the time when a customer first reaches out to when we send them their kits?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

It varies.  Once we have the final order, we tell customers it\u2019s best to plan two to three weeks for us to build and ship the kits.  In reality, we usually do it faster than that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sometimes it takes a while for the customer to nail down the kit specifics.  It\u2019s not unusual for schools to form committees to make their final decision\u2014whether it be questions related to kit items or budget issues.  That kind of group feedback takes the most time, but it assures that the customer will get exactly what they want.  The only other thing that occasionally slows us down is getting a purchase order in hand.  But it all works out in the end!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The good thing is, once a customer\u2014such as Stanford University\u2014has worked with us on their first kit, they are able to make decisions more quickly when they order a second or third kit.\u00a0 They know the routine and they approach us with clear ideas already in place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Do teachers call in already knowing what they want, or do you have to brainstorm together?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019d say it\u2019s a mixed bag.  Some teachers call and they know exactly what they want.  They send us a materials list, we get the pricing, and it\u2019s a done deal.  But just as many times, teachers call with an idea\u2014for instance, \u201cI want my students to build a functioning Ferris wheel\u201d\u2014but they leave it to us to figure out what materials would be most cost-effective and easy-to-use.  That was a fun project.  We developed the kit, and the customer loved it.  In fact, we ended up creating a version that\u2019s now offered on our website, the DIY Ferris Wheel STEM Kit<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Or they may want to adapt some of our existing products.  The Surprising Science for Kids collection<\/a> is very popular for grades 3-8.  Each one has six or seven hands-on activities for kids to do on their own.  There are topics like Electricity<\/a>, Magnets<\/a>, Force and Motion<\/a>, Oceans<\/a>, and more.  Some schools like the idea of using just a few of the activities in a custom kit. <\/p>\n\n\n\n