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Archive for the ‘Business’ Category
Friday, October 16th, 2009
We’ve all had that boss over the years that had no clue what really went on in their business. They spent so much time locked behind their office door that they became extremely removed from the day-to-day happenings of the business they worked so hard to build. It’s an unfortunate situation and one that can usually get way out of control resulting in lost customers, lowered revenue, service failures and disgruntled employees. The sad part is that these bosses usually “open the door” a little too late and spend tons of their time in defensive mode trying to clean up the messes that landed on their plate from “out of nowhere”.
 There is an easy way to fix things like this and even prevent them from happening in the future. The simple fix is to open the door, roll up your sleeves and jump in with the crew. As a boss of a wonderful group of very talented people, it’s extremely easy and enjoyable for me to do this. These great people are a part of my family and I don’t want them to do anything that I can’t do or have not done myself.
To be honest, it’s quite a bit of fun to get back to the basics of your company and deal directly with the front line situations. Recently, I spent the day with the customer service group at my Houston Courier Service, Hot Shot Delivery. I answered calls, tracked packages, took orders, communicated with drivers and talked with tons of customers. It was a great day and I vowed to myself to experience this process more often. In just one day on the front line, I learned about a recurring service request that could turn in to a new service offering. I also learned some quick short cuts when working through our system as well as great insight about what motivates my employees.
I did not stop there – I jumped in with one of our drivers and spent the day making deliveries. That gave me the chance to see a day in the life of our delivery drivers. The traffic problems, their interaction with our customers, the challenges they experience and, again, what motivates them as independent contractors were all witnessed during my delivery day adventure.
As it seems to be in many areas, communication is the key. Opening the lines of communication with your employees can make things so much better for everyone and the way to do that is to walk in their shoes. See what they are going through each day and they are more likely to talk to you about their ideas for improvement and feel like an important part of the team.
Now don’t get me wrong, it is still extremely important for you, as the boss, to work on strategy, marketing and the “big picture” of your company. These are areas that can facilitate long term growth and additional revenue streams. Just find a balance between the two and you will see that your company will benefit greatly.
So, be sure to take some time and figure out how you can get more involved with the team. Your entire organization will notice, appreciate and communicate with you – which is a win-win for everyone!
Until Next Time,
Eric
Tags: Business, courier service, customer service, customers, management
Posted in Business | No Comments »
Tuesday, September 29th, 2009
Lately, I’ve been purchasing a few more things online than I usually do. I guess I’m embracing the convenience of the internet and even more the convenience of receiving all of my purchases to my door instead of leaving to shop around town for hours. What I’ve realized as I buy more online is that I tend to rely on the reviews of products vs. the marketing of those products. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m sure that many websites have fake reviews. Knowing this, I tend to read through things with a doubtful mind, but I often still get the information I need regarding the product or service. This made me realize something that I want to share with others. When you get good service or a great product…
Shout it out to the world!
I won’t go as far as saying it’s our duty to others, but I’m getting very close to feeling that way. People rely on their community to give them honest and accurate feedback about businesses, products and services. It’s our way of weeding through the junk to get to the great stuff. Without this, we will continue to keep people in business that treat their customers poorly, don’t back up their products and cheat people out of their money. If people speak up about the great companies, then the bad ones will lose business in the process.
A little example from my life – I recently had to switch banks due to a poor service issue that I could not ignore. This bank has been a part of my life and my Houston Courier Service, Hot Shot Delivery, for years. The sad thing was, it was an easy decision to finally make the switch. Somewhere in this “bad economy”, this bank forgot the importance of loyalty, customer service and convenience. It became all about numbers and the bottom line for them. I had recommended this bank to my employees, my contractors, my friends and business colleagues. I could not sit by and watch as their new philosophy caused problems, inconveniences and frustration for multiple people. So, I took a stand – changed banks and told others my reasons for leaving.
Good service is not optional!! It’s not a thing of the past, it’s not a choice and it’s definitely not a perk. It’s expected by me – Every Time. And for that matter, I expect my company to provide that good service to our customers. And, if you don’t get it – Tell me about it! I want to know how my company can improve because I want Hot Shot Delivery to be around in the future. I want to provide the level of service that gets shouted out to the world. High quality, high caliber service that people want to recommend to others. That’s when I know I’m successful. Treating customers like they matter, because you know what… they do.
It’s really very easy to let people know how you were treated or how your new product compares to your expectations. If you are worried about putting your active email address out on the internet, it’s simple to create a “review email account”. Email accounts from Google, Yahoo and MSN are all free. Create an account that you use to review products and give feedback. You will be doing your part and helping others with their buying decisions. People need to know when you have found something so great that it’s made your life easier. They also need to know when you have run in to bad service issues so they can avoid the same problems. It’s a way of giving back through your time and your opinion. You are helping people – it will make you feel great!
Think about it for a minute – can you go through and recommend to others a service that you currently work with? Your doctor, your veterinarian, your dry cleaner, your local delivery service (grins) – are these companies so great that you want to shout it out? If so, look them up online and do a local review of their service so that others who are in need of that service can be one step closer to finding that great business experience too.
Do you have any other great ideas about getting the word about great service out to the masses? If so, let’s chat more about it. Comment on this blog and I’ll get back with you shortly.
Until Next Time,
Eric
Tags: courier service, customer service
Posted in Business | No Comments »
Wednesday, July 8th, 2009
I recently had surgery on my shoulder and have been out of commission for the last week or so. Can’t trust my blogging on pain killers, so I decided to take a break to let the healing begin. But, I’m back and have tons to share with the world.
While sitting at home healing, I ran across an old article in Money magazine that got me thinking about what I would label as good uses of your money. The current economy has most people thinking of ways to be smart with their money and not wasteful. Being smart with your money does not mean not spending any of it…it means making the right decisions that will pay off for you financially, for your career or for your future. None of these ideas will make you rich, but they may be able to provide lower risk and a higher probability of success. That’s what I call smart. Most of these ideas are related to your money and your family. It’s by no means the only thing to do with your money, but it’s a start.
5 Things To Do With Your Money:
1. Automate – Your financial life, that is. Don’t rely on your emotions or your memory to put aside money each month towards your investments. Things get put off or moved down the list when you make them a manual action. Contact your bank or your broker to have monthly investments routed from your account each month…automatically. Make investing an afterthought by taking the thought out of it. Do the same thing for all of your monthly bills. It will make life easier, I promise. And, you will never pay late fees again or waste time each month managing the bills and investing. This leaves you more time to do the things that generate profit or income.
2. Every Penny Counts - Get a jar, a bucket, a big cup, whatever…and make a pact with your family to put all stray coins there. Pennies, nickels, dimes, quarters, all of it goes in the jar. Do this for six months and then bring it to a bank that has a coin sorter. Now, for the boring part , don’t spend it. Yes, I said don’t spend it. Open a savings account and put the money there. Let it earn interest as you determine what you will want it to pay for in the future. It’s easy to save hundreds of dollars each year (if not more) effortlessly. This money can eventually pay for a big family vacation, a college education, paying down high-interest debt, etc… The possibilities are endless and the process is fun for the whole family. Kids really get in to this and it’s a great outing when you go to the bank to find out how much the family saved TOGETHER.
3. Invest in College - I can’t stress enough the importance of sending your kids to college. In today’s world, the competition is fierce and the jobs are limited. Save the money, borrow the money, whatever it takes – make sure they go to college. College graduates make 80% more than non-graduates over their lifetime. This adds up to a cool million over their lifetime. Now, that’s a good use of your money.
4. Know your credit score - This is a really important number to know. It can prevent or facilitate the purchase of necessary things in life. Having a bad credit score can haunt you for years and years. Get a reporting agency to give you the credit report for all three bureaus. It will cost you some money, but you will have the number and be able to fix any problem issues before it’s too late. And, many times, mistakes are made and your credit report has someone else’s problems on it. This can take years to fix if you don’t take action quickly. So, please spend the $50 and get a good idea of where things stand in your credit world.
5. Push the limits – Max out your 401(k). Yes, the market is rocky, but it’s still a good place to put your money to invest in your future. Determine your riskyness through your age and the closeness to retirement. Keep things a little more conservative if you can’t afford to have too much fluctuation. Either way, many companies provide 401(k) matching programs, which is free money to you. Take advantage of it and max out your contributions. Putting a few dollars in each month can turn in to thousands of dollars when it comes time to retire. It’s worth pinching the pennies now to have security later in life.
That’s about it for me for this week. I’m finally back at my Houston Courier Service this week and am very busy trying to catch up. I hope everyone enjoyed their 4th of July holiday. Let me know if you have any other great ideas for your money.
Until Next Time,
Eric
Tags: 401k, Business, college, education, Family, Money, Savings
Posted in Business | No Comments »
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