Get to Know Bending Branches’ Customer Service Team & Values
10-minute read
Without you—our customer—we wouldn’t be here. That’s why we place such a high value on the service we provide, whether you’re a brand-new paddler looking for your first paddle or our top-selling retail partner.
Susie, Micah and Brian—Bending Branches’ customer service team
Because of that, our customer service team is central to our day-to-day operations. You may have already been in touch with one or more of them yourself.
We thought we’d take the time to introduce them to you and hear more about the principles and values they live by in serving Bending Branches customers worldwide.
Meet the Team
Every team member helps with answering the phones, answering emails and jumping onto online chats. Each is also responsible for direct sales in specific territories.
Micah DeLong supports our retailer networks on the American West Coast, East Coast and Southeast. He also supports sales in the Midwest, our own backyard. Micah started with us in production in 2022, which gave him an insightful look into how our paddles are made. He transitioned to the customer service team in 2024.
Susie Kadlec is responsible for supporting our retailers in the US mountain states (including Alaska), Canada and everything outside of North America. She’s been with us in the customer service department since 2018.
Brian Boyea started in customer service in 2015. In 2022 he partnered with Jason Eccles and Cory Novinska to buy the company from former owner, Ed Vater. Now Brian is co-owner, VP of Sales and oversees the customer service and sales area.
We want you to hear in their own words how this team operates and why they’re passionate about what they do:
Why are we so focused on providing over-the-top service to our customers?
Micah said, “One of our core values is Elevate the Experience. That entails how we understand the importance of our products and what they offer to that customer in terms of getting out on the water and creating memories. Living that lifestyle they want to live.
“That starts with how we answer the phone and how we answer an email from each individual. That then impacts how they view the company. So it starts even before they get a paddle in their hands.”
(Photo courtesy of Brandon Born)
Susie added, “My dad used to tell me, ‘You only get one reputation.’ He said that to me as a teenager but it very much applies here in that we value our reputation. We’re seen as a leader in the industry, and you really only get one chance to make that first impression.
“But then we want to perpetuate that strong reputation whether a customer comes to us from a place of positivity in their first contact with us or negativity because they bought a paddle and broke it. Our goal is to end every interaction on a positive note.
“Without customers, we don’t exist. We’ve unfortunately seen other brands go out of business in recent history. Without giving customers those positive experiences, we don’t have a brand. So we like to maintain that good, healthy relationship.
“And we’re also consumers ourselves. You never forget a customer service interaction whether it’s a positive or negative experience. We want it to be the former.”
Brian said, “We all [the Bending Branches team] have a passion for the outdoors whether it’s paddling or hunting or fishing. And so we all understand why having good gear is important. Why having somebody that backs up that gear is important, and having someone who can help you pick out that gear.
“We understand why that makes a difference because we’ve all seen that in our personal lives. That helps make it super easy to be passionate about it when it comes to business.”
(Photo courtesy of Brandon Mayes)
What surprises customers the most about us?
“Most people are pretty surprised that they get a human being, whether that’s a phone call or the chat,” said Susie. “We especially get a lot of people on the chat who will ask point-blank: ‘Are you a bot or are you a real person?’
“We have a polished website, high-end products and a very quick turnaround time for orders. So we give the appearance that we’re a huge company and a big brand, but we’re actually really small. It’s kind of fun to have that conversation with people.
“I once had a conversation with a guy who called about canoe paddles. He said, ‘It’s not like you’ve got a single guy in the back of your factory hand varnishing all your canoe paddles.’ And I said, ‘Funny story, actually—we do!’
“People are surprised at the efficiency and the personal level of care, especially when they realize we’re really small. It’s neat to be the one who sends somebody an email and then also be the same person who picks up the phone when they call later.”
“We try to answer the phone within one ring and that also surprises people.” Micah added, “We just enjoy talking with our customers, truly. I think that sets us apart. Where somewhere else it might be ‘We have to talk to our customers,’ here, it’s ‘We get to talk to them.’ ”
Brian included, “It actually doesn’t matter what your role or title is here. We don’t have a call tree. If the phone rings and Micah is at lunch and Susie’s on the line, you’re getting me. You’re not going to know that I’m a co-owner of the company. Jason, our president, he’s going to pick up if he needs to.
“It doesn’t matter if you’re our largest customer or the guy who’s never paddled before. You’re getting a live human one way or the other and we’re all going to be able to help out.”
What helps you feel confident representing Bending Branches to our customers?
“When I was first hired, I was very nervous about the fact that I didn’t know everything there was to know about paddles,” said Susie. “But when you get hired, you spend a lot of time learning about the process that goes into building them and the assortment we have. And our website is a really great resource. We’re directed to take a look at that, and it helped me get familiar with what I was doing.
“Responding to emails or hopping on the chat gives time to process the question and ask questions of those around us. So you kind of dip your toe in the water of responding to customers.
“We’re supported in the idea that it’s okay to not know the answer. And in my experience, customers resonate with that and actually appreciate that. We have permission to say, ‘I don’t know the answer to that, but let me find somebody who does.’ That releases a lot of pressure.
“So our tiered approach to dealing with customers and then also having the authority to not be an expert has always been really helpful for me.”
Micah said, “Being fairly new to this role—at least compared to Susie and Brian—much like in the rest of the factory, we’re encouraged to make mistakes. Lean Forward is another of our core values. It’s ‘Hey, let’s learn together. We’re going to mess up, but let’s mess up in a way that we can learn from.’
“One of the reasons we’re able to do that is that we have a great core team of the sales and service folks that we can, quite literally, turn our chair to ask a question. We have the autonomy to make decisions but at the same time, if I feel stuck, I have a team to go to for a quick answer. I can turn that around to make it a good experience for the customer.
“I’ll build off my experience on the shop floor where I started—building paddles. We were encouraged to make mistakes on the wood line. Our tagline was: ‘If you’re not making firewood, you’re not learning.’
“That goes in many different areas of the company as well. There’s a sense that we’re humans. We’re making very custom product that is going to be in the hands of customers. We have a high sense of quality standards. But at the same time we know we’re going to learn together, make mistakes along the way, and learn from them to grow as a company.”
Brian said much of this is due to the “top-down/bottom-up” operation of the company. “When you make a super awesome product, it’s easy to be comfortable being in the forefront. I’m fortunate to be the one who gets to interact with the customers. I don’t do anything out back to help us build these awesome products, but when I’m talking to the customers, I get the credit for it.
“All of us make this whole thing tick. Another of our core values is Master Our Machine. Everybody within the factory has their place, their expertise. If any one of those things isn’t working properly, then we all have issues. Because we’re a well-oiled machine it’s easy to be comfortable facing the customer.”
(Photo courtesy of Brooks Beatty)
What are common questions you get from consumers or retailers?
Micah said, “A lot of kayak anglers will call in or chat about finding the right paddle for the variety of boats they have.”
“We get a lot of questions about sizing canoe paddles,” said Susie. “There are so many different ways of sizing. And then people will look at our paddles and see the visual distinction, but maybe not understand why they would choose a certain paddle over another. Or why one would be worth the additional cost.”
She added, “We also get a lot of questions about our company—like why we have two brands (Bending Branches and Aqua Bound). ‘Are they the same company in the same factory?’ We’ve tried to keep the lines pretty clear. Bending Branches is very much canoeists and recreational kayakers—we call them the cabin-goers—and then kayak anglers.”
“The history of Bending Branches lends itself to a different customer,” Micah explained. “We’ll get into a lot of narratives from people who call in, maybe how someone’s grandfather owned a Bending Branches paddle and then passed it down to them. So that lends itself to a different type of conversation. Those stories are fun to hear.
“As far as our retailers, they’re really knowledgeable. They’re the experts in their specific part of the world. They know what their customers need and in that sense, we’re here to help. It’s less of a question of size or what type of paddle and more, ‘How quickly can I get it or can I add it to my order?’ It’s more order support.”
(Photo courtesy of Jameson Redding)
Susie said, “The other piece we talk to retailers about would be if consumers come back to them with some sort of paddle issue. Then most of them will reach out to us directly and we’ll try to work with them to get their customer taken care of. We want to support that triangulation between the customer, the retailer and us when we can.”
“Our goal is to make it easy for all parties—consumers, retailers, guides, outfitters, everybody,” said Brian. “You’re calling us because you’re excited about getting out on the water. We want to help you do that as quickly and comfortably as possible.”
Any final words you’d like our readers to know?
“Not all of us paddle as much as our customers,” Micah said. “But at the same time, we know why our products make a difference in their lives. Every conversation we have is centered around that, even internally.
“We make paddles—we don’t make medical devices, right? We know that, but it’s still important stuff for peoples’ lives. A woman called me last year who was buying another paddle. She told me paddling is what’s helped with her mental health over the last few years.
“Those are the types of stories that remind us we’re allowing someone to experience life to their fullest. To have a good quality of life. It might not be a pacemaker, but it’s also important.”
(Photo courtesy of And We Roam)
We hope you won’t hesitate to reach out to Micah, Susie or Brian the next time you have a question or issue.
What paddling questions can our friendly Customer Service team help you with? Contact us today at 715-755-3405 or bbinfo@bendingbranches.com, or use the online chat feature here on the website.
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