Ken Renker – Director of Sales
For most of us, taking pride in what we do is an important part of our personal makeup. Doing a good job isn’t just something we’re supposed to do; it’s what we want to do. Hopefully, it’s encouraged…and even rewarded…where we work. I’m convinced these two things are “joined at the hip”. It’s like you can’t have one without the other. Without being a part of your company’s (and your personal) DNA, it’s difficult to ever really deliver world-class customer service.
For example, do you remember the last time you called a vendor and, rather than connecting with a person, you got stuck in voice mail limbo, unable to navigate through the maze? How did you feel about that experience? The odds are you didn’t like it, and they’re even better that you won’t go back.
Does this say anything about the sense of pride that company instills in their people? And, by the way, why does every computer message always include the ubiquitous phrase…”please listen carefully, because our menu items have changed”?
The flip side is that we all know companies that are great at customer service. You call with a question or problem, and the (live) person on the other end listens and responds to your situation. If needed, your item is returned with no hassle. My wife and I shop at a major retailer and one reason we are ‘customers for life’ is their return policy. They just know how to make it right.
At Optimum we work hard to provide the same level of service. Our goal is to deliver the best customer service in our industry. We believe it’s one thing that differentiates us from everyone else. That’s why if you call us, a person (and not a computer) will answer….and listen to what you have to say.
I’ve told the following story before, but I think it captures the essence of why taking pride in what you do is so important. Here goes...
For the record, I have never been a big fan of mowing my lawn. I would agree (sort of) that there is a sense of accomplishment to gaze back at a neatly trimmed yard…to both see, and smell, the fruits of your labor. I guess my problem is I simply got my fill of this when I was young and made a silent vow that someday, I would be able to afford to pay someone to do this for me.
Back in the late 1990’s I got my wish and took the plunge. I signed up for lawn service with one of those big, brand name companies. You know, the ones with the giant, extreme monster machines, with jet-propelled engines that sound like rush hour on the runway at O’Hare?
Every week, during the mowing season, you could hear them swarm through the neighborhood, the noise growing to a din, until they landed like bees returning to the hive. Seven minutes later, with grass cut, trimmed, bagged and blown, they left as quickly as they arrived. The problem was that while they were fast, quality was lacking, they missed spots and gouged the yard with their equipment. More importantly, no one ever taught the jet engine jockeys about customer service. It simply wasn’t their job and they didn’t have the time to listen anyway.
My solution was to do what I should have done in the first place. Check with the neighbors (especially the most finicky ones) and find out who they used. I found the perfect fit.
Jim had a small lawn mowing service that he ran to supplement his income from his normal day job. Jim knew about customer service. He knew it would differentiate him. He knew what I considered to be a ‘good’ job….because he asked me. He knew certain yards could only handle smaller equipment (no jet engines please…). If I happened to be there, after he was done mowing the lawn, he would ask what I thought. Was his effort meeting my expectations?
Early on, it was clear to me that Jim took tremendous pride in what he did. The best example occurred one Saturday, when his pick up truck pulled in my driveway and he got out and rang my doorbell. I asked what was wrong since he had just mowed my yard a few days prior. He pointed to his truck and said, “Oh nothing. I was just driving around in the neighborhood with my daughter, showing her some of the yards I cut. Would you mind if she got out and walked around with me? I’d like her to see the back and how good it looks.” He wanted to begin teaching his daughter that same sense of pride within him. After clearing the lump in my throat, I said, “Of course!”
We all know you lead by example. The man I hired to cut my grass was teaching his daughter, the value in doing a good job, the importance of taking pride in what you do, and the real meaning of delivering customer service. It was a life lesson for her that was just in bred into her father’s work ethic. It was a life lesson for me too.
Like I said, the perfect fit.
**************************************************************************************
To our current Optimum clients…thanks for your business. To everyone else; please give us a call. We will work hard to be your “perfect fit”.
Monday, July 27, 2009
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Can You Hear Me Now? - Print Industry Safety
Optimum Companies recently received this handsome award from the Bureau of Workers’ Compensation for receiving a 100% for outstanding safety performance.
In all industries, but especially in the printing industry, safety is of vital importance. This is why Optimum staff members attend monthly educational seminars conducted by the Safety Council of Greater Columbus. The last seminar was on the subject of Noise Induced Hearing Loss (NIHL) and was conducted by Doctor of Audiology Karen Mitchell.
In the printing industry press operators are surrounded by loud machinery so sharing some tips on NIHL prevention is very important to everyone at Optimum Print Solutions. Did you know that NIHL is 100% preventable when you practice the proper precautions? OSHA will be glad to visit any company to test noise levels, or meters are purchasable for around $50.00 for companies that prefer to perform their own noise level testing.
Once hearing is lost at any degree, it is gone forever. It does not heal like some other parts of the body can. For example, if a smoker stops smoking, the lungs will heal themselves in time to the status of a lifetime non-smoker. In contrast, when the nerves or hair cells in the cochlea (a section of the inner ear) die, they do not regenerate.
There are different sizes of these hair cells in the inner ear which measure different frequencies. The smallest ones are used for high frequencies and since they are more fragile, they are usually the first to be lost. This makes speech difficult to understand. Vowel sounds are about 200hz as opposed to consonants which are a higher frequency at around 800hz. Losing the ability to hear S’s, T’s & D’s make words hard to distinguish. People who are affected by hearing loss usually think their hearing is fine, they just can’t understand why so many people mumble. When in fact, they are mostly only hearing the vowel sounds and struggle to make sense of normal conversation.
A few interesting facts learned from the Safety Meeting include:
There are many different types of hearing plugs and noise reduction devices on the marketing. This particular model, E.A.R. Classic, is the kind we provide here at Optimum Print Solutions. These earplugs have a Noise Reduction Rating (NRR) of 29 decibels when inserted correctly. Because properly installing typical cylindrical earplugs is important to their effectiveness, there are instructions for this procedure listed below:
Step #1: Wash hands.
Step#2: Slowly ROLL & compress it betwixt your thumb & forefingers. DO NOT JUST SMASH IT, ROLL IT!!! Continue rolling with pressure until it is a tiny crease-free spongy rod.
Step #3: Then gently pull your Pinna (top of ear) outward & upward & proceed with the insertion. The pulling of the Pinna straightens out the ear canal, allowing the earplug to go deep enough for a proper fit.
In all industries, but especially in the printing industry, safety is of vital importance. This is why Optimum staff members attend monthly educational seminars conducted by the Safety Council of Greater Columbus. The last seminar was on the subject of Noise Induced Hearing Loss (NIHL) and was conducted by Doctor of Audiology Karen Mitchell.
In the printing industry press operators are surrounded by loud machinery so sharing some tips on NIHL prevention is very important to everyone at Optimum Print Solutions. Did you know that NIHL is 100% preventable when you practice the proper precautions? OSHA will be glad to visit any company to test noise levels, or meters are purchasable for around $50.00 for companies that prefer to perform their own noise level testing.
Once hearing is lost at any degree, it is gone forever. It does not heal like some other parts of the body can. For example, if a smoker stops smoking, the lungs will heal themselves in time to the status of a lifetime non-smoker. In contrast, when the nerves or hair cells in the cochlea (a section of the inner ear) die, they do not regenerate.
There are different sizes of these hair cells in the inner ear which measure different frequencies. The smallest ones are used for high frequencies and since they are more fragile, they are usually the first to be lost. This makes speech difficult to understand. Vowel sounds are about 200hz as opposed to consonants which are a higher frequency at around 800hz. Losing the ability to hear S’s, T’s & D’s make words hard to distinguish. People who are affected by hearing loss usually think their hearing is fine, they just can’t understand why so many people mumble. When in fact, they are mostly only hearing the vowel sounds and struggle to make sense of normal conversation.
A few interesting facts learned from the Safety Meeting include:
- Whereas eyeglasses correct vision and allow you to see sharp, hearing aids only amplify, they don’t clean up the signal or restore hearing to normal.
- A 25 year old carpenter who works without ear protection has the hearing of a 50 year old.
- Bose Noise Cancelation headphones actually WORK and are endorsed by audiologist Karen Mitchell Au. D.
- There are names for each section of your ears. The little knob in front of your ear-hole is called a Tragus, the top of the ear is called the Pinna.
There are many different types of hearing plugs and noise reduction devices on the marketing. This particular model, E.A.R. Classic, is the kind we provide here at Optimum Print Solutions. These earplugs have a Noise Reduction Rating (NRR) of 29 decibels when inserted correctly. Because properly installing typical cylindrical earplugs is important to their effectiveness, there are instructions for this procedure listed below:
Step #1: Wash hands.Step#2: Slowly ROLL & compress it betwixt your thumb & forefingers. DO NOT JUST SMASH IT, ROLL IT!!! Continue rolling with pressure until it is a tiny crease-free spongy rod.
Step #3: Then gently pull your Pinna (top of ear) outward & upward & proceed with the insertion. The pulling of the Pinna straightens out the ear canal, allowing the earplug to go deep enough for a proper fit.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
The right tool for the right job……
Ken Renker – Director of Sales
My father ran his own plumbing and heating business for 40+ years, and was a big believer in having the right tool for the right job. Long before the days of “Home Improvement” and Tim ‘the Tool Man’ Taylor, my Dad’s shop was jammed with the latest gadgets guaranteed to be the envy of any current day Weekend Warrior. At its peak, in order to accommodate all of his ‘stuff’, he needed to add more space and so he decided to expand into the abandoned auto body repair garage next door to his shop.
I was a 12 year old kid that loved to operate equipment and machinery….the bigger and dirtier, all the better…, and to me, this new place was a combination Disneyland & Smithsonian Museum. I experimented with acetylene torches, sheet metal fabricators, soldering equipment, pipe threaders, wrenches, cutters, die machines…and on and on.
Luckily, I never got injured, started any fires, or destroyed anything. More importantly, my mother never found out. As I got older, though, I came to understand that in the hands of real craftsmen, the right tools and the knowledge to use them, make all the difference.
Our toolkit at Optimum is pretty full too. It includes:
We can make it easier for your people to do their job…and give them more time to focus on their customers. We’ll provide the reporting and budget controls needed to improve your bank’s efficiency ratio. And we’ll train everyone, so they know how to use the tools to get you the biggest bang for the buck.
The question is do you have the right tool for the right job …..and do you have the know-how to use them?
Let us know. We can help.
My father ran his own plumbing and heating business for 40+ years, and was a big believer in having the right tool for the right job. Long before the days of “Home Improvement” and Tim ‘the Tool Man’ Taylor, my Dad’s shop was jammed with the latest gadgets guaranteed to be the envy of any current day Weekend Warrior. At its peak, in order to accommodate all of his ‘stuff’, he needed to add more space and so he decided to expand into the abandoned auto body repair garage next door to his shop.
I was a 12 year old kid that loved to operate equipment and machinery….the bigger and dirtier, all the better…, and to me, this new place was a combination Disneyland & Smithsonian Museum. I experimented with acetylene torches, sheet metal fabricators, soldering equipment, pipe threaders, wrenches, cutters, die machines…and on and on.
Luckily, I never got injured, started any fires, or destroyed anything. More importantly, my mother never found out. As I got older, though, I came to understand that in the hands of real craftsmen, the right tools and the knowledge to use them, make all the difference.
Our toolkit at Optimum is pretty full too. It includes:
- Internet ordering capability – a “one stop shop” for all print and supply related needs
- Management reporting – usage and trend analysis
- 25 years of financial market experience:
best practices to remove cost from your processes
subject matter experts to implement those solutions - Cost allocation of expenses – budget monitoring and reporting
- Print on demand capabilities to eliminate inventory and reduce obsolescence
- Warehouse / distribution support
- Graphic design support / on line proofing
We can make it easier for your people to do their job…and give them more time to focus on their customers. We’ll provide the reporting and budget controls needed to improve your bank’s efficiency ratio. And we’ll train everyone, so they know how to use the tools to get you the biggest bang for the buck.
The question is do you have the right tool for the right job …..and do you have the know-how to use them?
Let us know. We can help.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Personal Accountability
Personal accountability is one of the core values at Optimum Companies. That is why our team leaders are all required to read "QBQ" and "Flipping the Switch", books written by author John G. Miller.
QBQ stands for "Question Behind the Question" and is built on the observation that our first reactions are often negative, bringing to mind Incorrect Questions (IQs). But if in each moment of decision we can instead discipline our thoughts to look behind those initial questions and ask better ones (QBQs), the questions themselves will lead us to better results.
Here are some examples of IQ or "incorrect questions" - how often have you heard these before?
“When is that department going to do its job?”
“Why don’t they communicate better?”
“Who dropped the ball?”
“Why do we have to go through all this change?”
“When is someone going to train me?”
These questions put the blame on someone else and are not constructive. QBQ questions are centered around taking personal accountability. Here are a few examples of QBQ questions:
“What can I do to contribute?”
“How can I help solve the problem?”
"How can I communicate better?"
Miller’s book is a quick read that is full of practical methods for putting personal accountability into daily actions. You can tell this difference when you are working with someone from both branches of Optimum Companies, Optimum System Products and Optimum Print Solutions.
QBQ stands for "Question Behind the Question" and is built on the observation that our first reactions are often negative, bringing to mind Incorrect Questions (IQs). But if in each moment of decision we can instead discipline our thoughts to look behind those initial questions and ask better ones (QBQs), the questions themselves will lead us to better results.
Here are some examples of IQ or "incorrect questions" - how often have you heard these before?
“When is that department going to do its job?”
“Why don’t they communicate better?”
“Who dropped the ball?”
“Why do we have to go through all this change?”
“When is someone going to train me?”
These questions put the blame on someone else and are not constructive. QBQ questions are centered around taking personal accountability. Here are a few examples of QBQ questions:
“What can I do to contribute?”
“How can I help solve the problem?”
"How can I communicate better?"
Miller’s book is a quick read that is full of practical methods for putting personal accountability into daily actions. You can tell this difference when you are working with someone from both branches of Optimum Companies, Optimum System Products and Optimum Print Solutions.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
