Many Sabre owners; whether it’s a sailboat or powerboat, old or new, have had the opportunity to speak with a member of the Sabre Customer Service Team. With well over 55 years of experience between the two of them, Glen Chaplin, known to many as Chappy, and Tucker Thompson have been the voices, faces and personalities behind your phone calls, visits, video calls and emails. The wealth of knowledge that these two individuals share is invaluable to Sabre, Sabre dealers and Sabre owners.
Chappy began his career at Sabre 35 years ago. He spent 6 months in Gelcoat repair and then transferred to the Deck Department installing hardware. For about 3 years he was the Supervisor for the Deck Department and then moved over to Shipping and Receiving for a couple of years. From there he moved to the woodshop, building cabinets, and then finally to assembly doing inside trim work until 1998 when he was awarded the position of Customer Service Representative. Tucker has been with Sabre for 23 years and has been a Customer Service Representative since he began with the company.
How does a company, like Sabre, designate which customer service representative is assigned to which customer or boat? When Tucker first joined the team, he handled all boats within their first year of ownership and from there, they were transferred to Chappy. In today’s production, Chappy handles the customer service for the 43’s & 45’s while Tucker handles the 48’s & 58’s. They also have extensive knowledge in retired models including the massive amount of Sabre sailboats still sailing around the world. Both Tucker and Chappy feel that the current arrangement has more benefits as they are able to follow the boat from the first owner and beyond and already have an experience and timeline on the specific vessel.
We asked them both about the worst part of their jobs. Chappy said that during the spring and early summer months, it is SO busy that they cannot help everyone in a timely manner and that can be overwhelming. Tucker’s response, without any hesitation, is PAPERWORK!!!
When asked about the best part of the job, Chappy responded, “Working with Tucker! Besides that, it is rewarding when you can help a customer with an issue, to provide them with a better experience of owning a boat and enjoying it as intended.” Tucker immediately jumped in and said, “Glen said working with me is the best part of his job and I agree, I enjoy working with me as well 😊. Our customers are buying into a lifestyle where they can enjoy time with family and friends and not just a boat. With that in mind I enjoy getting to know our customers as best as I can to see how they run their boat. Are they day trippers? Are they cruisers? Do they enjoy meals on board or like to go to their favorite restaurants? Do they have kids, grand kids, pets? By knowing the person on the other end of the phone or email helps me address their concerns better. This customer service position is different from large corporations where you are discouraged from talking to a customer about anything other than the questions they ask.”
We asked Chappy if he had anything else he’d like to share and his response was, “Sabre’s been a good company to work for. I came here in 1985 not knowing really anything about boats, and the company has taught me over the years. There are challenges, as with any job, but its rewarding at the same time.” Tucker’s final thoughts are, ” I started at Sabre in November in 1999 after being “downsized” in the group medical insurance business for 11 years. My plans were to accept this position at Sabre for six months or so until I find something back in the medical insurance world again. That was 23 years ago!! We frequently greet new boat owners, or new to them boat owners with “welcome to the family”. Sabre is like an extended family for me. Seeing our boats on the water, whether it’s a Sabre 28 or a Sabre 58, and people enjoying themselves onboard. I am grateful to be a part of this family.”
The DiMillo’s Team would like to thank the Sabre Customer Service Team for all of their support to us and Sabre owners over the years!
