Henry Schein

Natalie Westfall, who leads Henry Schein’s financial services sales team in North America, gives a simple example of how that shared commitment works in reality.

Customer commitment

A few years back, a Henry Schein customer in the Midwest lost his entire office in a fire. Every day that his practice remained closed it was impacting his revenue and cash flow as well as putting his patient base at risk. Confronted by red tape from his insurance company and bank, he turned to Henry Schein for help. Because Natalie and her colleagues wanted to get the doctor up and running again quickly, they looked to their trusted contact at DLL. He pulled out all the stops to get fast internal approval for financing and helped to meet the relieved doctor’s timelines for ordering new equipment. “Basically DLL acted lightning fast, because like us, they appreciated the seriousness of the situation for our customer.”

Special relationship

Given experiences like these, it’s maybe no surprise to hear that Natalie sees the relationship between Henry Schein and DLL as something rather special. "Some of the professional connections between Henry Schein and DLL employees go back over 15 years. We know we’re dealing with sharp, high-quality people. But more importantly, just like our own customers, we want to do business with people who’ll take care of us. When the DLL team visits, it's different than with other suppliers - we feel like our friends have arrived. Certainly, we respect the financial know-how that DLL brings to the table, but we also recognize their ability to connect on a personal level that can’t be replicated."

Real-life decision making

To deliver the best service consistently, it requires a solid infrastructure. The right processes combined with flexibility can make all the difference. "Of course you need policies and guidelines. But you also need people who understand the sector in which businesses operate. DLL people have that." It’s not enough, Natalie argues, just to follow models when evaluating funding applications. "You see companies getting approved when maybe they shouldn’t. More importantly, there are people who don’t hit all the markers but who really should be getting approved - perhaps their specific market is subtly different than the norm. That entrepreneurial spirit, with decision-making that genuinely considers customers’ individual circumstances, really sets DLL apart."

Peace of mind

Especially when practitioners are looking to make major investments, often times requiring a complete office conversion, they want to feel their financial service provider understands the complete picture and is recommending the best option for them. "One client came to us at the height of the global financial crisis. They had a complex organizational structure with multiple partners, none of which made financing any easier. DLL really peeled back the onion to find a way to get the deal done. Working very closely with us at all management levels, they succeeded in helping us find the right solution for our customer. That deal resulted in significant positive growth for us and was a great example of how a funder can step outside the box for their partner."

"At the end of the day, there is a human element that we all employ in managing this partnership," says DLL’s program manager Jennifer Fanz. “This empathetic style spans all touch points with our customer - Sales, Sales Support, Credit, Collections - and we are grateful that it is acknowledged by both our contacts at Henry Schein, as well as our end-user customers."