steven n fettig's Jitterin' Thoughts

I experienced something today that reminded me of a customer service snafu we were involved in a month ago with one of our biggest customers.* This really must happen all the time, but I am going to try to emphasize where the problem lies for effect.
Here's the scenario: you have a good customer with whom you have been doing business for some time. Said customer has a tendency to demand what they think and know they want. You have learned that they are right most of the time and it really doesn't make much sense to question what they want.
It is very, very easy in this scenario to forget that because you are the supplier and have the assumed role of knowing all about the product you supply. You hold the unique position of knowing better even though you think they may have already thought of that. In the case of our customer, we assumed that they knew that when a tank is ordered, it doesn't necessarily come with accessory items. In fact, there are cases where a tank is ordered with accessory items that support a product not being shipped; i.e. the accessories are for a different tank. We assumed they understood all of this and when disparate parts were ordered, no one took the time to question whether or not that was what they really wanted.
Who is at fault? From our vantage point, we were only responding to a customer order and had assumed they knew what they were ordering. From their vantage point, we were the supplier and knew better and looked at all orders for completeness and sensibility. We were both at fault. The problem is, even with this being a "no-fault" situation (i.e. 50% of the fault goes to both of us), we are really the ones who take 100% of the blame when it comes to our credibility as a supplier. We may (and do) privately complain about how painful it is to do business with customer xyz, but at the end of the day, we are happy the customer is there and would be unhappy were they to truly go somewhere else (outside of those rare cases where the customer really does need to find another supplier). We take the responsibility, as a supplier, of being the oracle, guiding their actions when it comes to their buying product we produce. Therefore, we take 100% of the responsibility, even when they do something stupid. (Mind you, I am not speaking form a legal standpoint. That is a completely different ball game. If an order lists widget a and b, then we ship them widget a and b - legally speaking.)
Had we taken a moment of our time to question their actions, the worst that could have come of it is being chastised for asking. The best is to have avoided a problem that ended with a higher up in the company feeling we did nothing to help them in their endeavor to buy product from us.
In a situation I encountered today, I was reminded of this same scenario, but with me on the other side of the table. In this case, I had placed an order for some stuff (we'll leave the details out for the vendor's sake) and because of having done business with said vendor for quite some time, I assumed they would help guide me in case I didn't order everything I needed. They didn't do what I had hoped they would and now I'm stuck, months later, waiting another few weeks for a minor item that is placing everything I am trying to finish on hold. As I got off the phone with the rep, I said to myself that I'll never order xyzs from them again. That is all it took.**
Think about that. Because someone, who I assume is a professional at what they do, did not take the time to go through my list of items and ask the question, is this all he needs? That is all it takes to lose a customer - especially when the customer has a lot of options in where they can purchase the product you sell.
The lesson is this: serve the customer by asking them questions. Ask them about what they are using your widget for and how you might help them further. Simply ask. The worst case scenario is that you don't get an answer. That is certainly better than losing their business.

*Not that being a large customer matters. Customer service matters no matter who you are and what you contribute to our overall sales.
**Actually, that is not all it took. This had happened a few times before and this time was enough.

This is one of those posts that could and would better be written as a book, but I'm dead tired and need to get a few thoughts off my chest. I've (we've) been out an HR person since February of this year and it is really starting to hurt. It was fine when we were slow and were actually trying to rid ourselves of dead weight (oh yes, I'm one of those bastard capitalist business owners who sometimes views people as dead weight)* and work on helping the good workers who remained with some overtime and a better work environment. Now, however, we're busy again. Not like last year, but enough so to keep me on my toes and to keep the revolving employment door spinning in both directions.
I let it be known to a select few that I was looking again for help. It is funny, though. The people who are supposed to be in the business of finding you the right candidates for your needs seem to be more interested in hooking someone they know up with a job. Normally, I wouldn't mind this, except it doesn't appear that people ... nay, HR professionals ... are listening to what our needs really are. Right now, I need someone to help with the bureaucracy of HR (i.e. keeping accurate employee records, time card administration, vacation request administration, etc), not doing the heavy lifting of interviewing. I need assistance... you know... like an assistant. Not an HR manager.
Furthermore, I don't know if I want an HR manager. They tend to be guideline and rule driven; not necessarily the think outside the box types. This isn't a criticism, per se, of HR people, but it is when it comes to being the type of person I think we need in our company. I think we need someone who is driven to learn about our firm, our rules and our culture. We don't want another culture imposed on ours only to find it creates undue friction. And I don't want to have that discussion again about how we know what we're doing and once you've been here a while, then start to ask and challenge, but, my little grasshopper... until then, observe.
But, I'll do it for now. I'll interview all of the [friends] who have been recommended. We'll see if anyone of them simply is excited to learn about what we do and see if they can assist. Finding good people is about sitting back and observing. Like in physics, it is difficult, if not impossible, to observe something without affecting it. Wouldn't it be nice if we could actually observe our potential employees without affecting them? That's the goal, though... and that's what so few HR people come close to comprehending.

* Well, when you're paying someone a salary and working towards the long term growth and survival of your company - not only for your sake, but that of the many, possibly hundreds of families that depend on your existence - you tend to take things like people not working while they are supposed to - and being paid for it - somewhat seriously. No, this is not a perfect world, and no, we don't expect people to be scurrying about like lemmings all of the time, but for the most part, our wish is to see product made in a sensible time frame with perfect quality. For that to come to fruition, you can't have dead weight!

I'd love to dive into this topic, but time doesn't permit and I'm writing these thoughts more in honor of the diary nature of this site for me than specific details (at this time):

Red Scarlet (from the founder of Oakley)

Nikon D90 (nothing special until you realize it does 720p video)

D90 is on pre-order in hopes of arriving before our October Germany trip. I'm not convinced yet because I truly love my D3 and D300, but this could end up being the bridge between video and photography I've been looking for. Plus, the idea that I can shoot video and control depth of field is extremely exciting.
After reading the Wired article on Scarlet's big sister, Red One, it is really amazing what someone (i.e. Jim Jannard) can do when they are passionate about a subject and don't buy into the idea that it can't be done (of course, his financial successes haven't hurt, either).