Reprographic Blasphemy

The construction industry has come a long way over the last few thousand years, from the clay walls of tribal villages to Egyptian Pyramids and the Grand Coliseum of ancient Rome. We’ve seen steel revolutionize buildings and bridges, allowing us to build monstrous skyscrapers into the clouds.

The construction support (reprographics) industry has also transformed— from reproducing plans in the sun to running translucent plastic through hulking ammonia machines. We’ve witnessed the digital age take hand drawings drafted by man and convert them into CAD drawings on computers. Today, our customers are making a monumental shift that will demand both customization and efficiency.

“Eliminate your printer,” they’ll chant as reprographic blasphemy flows off their lips and splashes across their marketing material.

Over the next few years, competitive forces will continue to attack our cherished market and tell our clients stories about eliminating our livelihood. “Eliminate your printer,” they’ll chant as they splash reprographic blasphemy across their marketing materials. If some of these competitors implement solutions in our clients’ offices before we act, we will lose the opportunity to be part of their continued story.

"It's the little things you do that can make a big difference. What are you attempting to accomplish? What little thing can you do today that will make you more effective? You are probably only one step away from greatness!"

Bob Proctor

Effective Workflow Systems

Establishing effective workflow systems is essential to promote productive business. It helps keeps orders on track and maintains correct cash flow. Reviewing each step a job takes from the first customer contact through customer pick-up or delivery helps to streamline production and increase profits. It might take several years to create a system that works smoothly, but is something that must be done. Creating an efficient system can be achieved by sketching out a diagram illustrating the flow of a job. This can expose areas that need to be reorganized. An efficiently setup job flow system makes it quicker and more profitable to produce jobs.

Green Initiatives

What has your company done to promote a more energy efficient working environment? These days, promoting green initiatives is almost as important to customers and employees as how much you contribute and donate to the community. There are significant amounts of information available on how to make your business more environmentally friendly. Simple things can go a long way; for example, turning off all computers at the end of the work day or keeping lights off in conference rooms while not in use. Not only will this help the environment it will help at the bottom line also – by having cheaper electricity bills.

Customer Service = Friendliness

What is one of the biggest and most costly customer service mistakes made? Our employees are not friendly enough! While customers should be treated like guests, they are often treated as an annoyance or interruption during our busy day. How can we make them feel more welcomed? Try bringing your employees together to discuss situations where customers were treated badly and how the situation could have been handled another more positive way. Poor customer service can create negative images for the entire organization no matter how superior your product may be therefore it is imperative that your employees always exemplify FRIENDLY customer service.

End of an Era

With the recent retirement of Bill Gates on July 1st, Microsoft is left with a lasting impression of their co-founder. As with all CEOs and Presidents of companies, there comes a time where a new era must begin. His job was to make his entire executive team good enough to be successors. Ironically, the post-Gates era has actually already begun. Gates spent a full decade executing a painstaking succession plan. Mostly he did it by progressively passing business leadership to colleagues and other high profile employees. Two years ago Gates publicly announced he would be leaving by saying, “I’ve been number two, I haven’t been the decision-maker on anything.” He trusted his colleges and successors to run his company under his watchful eye and then, like a child riding a bicycle for the first time, he let go to watch.

Even though Gates is at the end of one era he is beginning another. He is directing his efforts towards more altruistic pursuits by funding the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Unlike most benefactors, he doesn’t merely want to eradicate malaria and AIDS; he wants to understand the nuances of immunology. He wants to learn about what happens on a molecular scale when a plant’s genes are altered to improve hardiness. Of course, his efforts will be generously funded with the help of long-time friend, Warren Buffett, who will donate a large portion of his fortune to their foundation. Buffett’s advice has had a major influence on Gates business perspective. The Gateses credit Buffett, says Bill, with having "inspired" their thinking about giving money back to society.

The ability to concentrate and to use your time well is everything if you want to succeed in business -- or almost anywhere else for that matter.
- Lee Iacocca

Fees don't fly here!

The airline industry is in turmoil. Oil prices have obviously had a big effect, but the airline industry has been in turmoil for a long time. On a recent Southwest Airlines flight from San Antonio to Dallas, it was reinforced to me why Southwest is the only profitable airline left in the industry.

As we ended our flight the pilot came on the intercom to thank us for our business. Paraphrasing, he said "Thanks for choosing Southwest today and helping make us the only profitable airline left in the industry. We realize that you're the reason that is possible." Amazingly, the passengers began to applause. Wow! Now that's loyalty. (And that's why they are a profitable airline.)

Southwest believes in taking care of their internal customers— their employees— and in turn, their employees take care of their external customers. While the other airlines are feeing us to death, Southwest has a much different philosophy. I have included their most recent ad in USA today to illustrate my point.

Simplicity of Service: Part Two

Before we get too excited, I need to make one clarification. Just solving a customer’s problem is not World-Class Customer Service. Companies solve customer’s problems every day and still hemorrhage profits because they make the path from problem to solution so darn difficult. Ever met a company like this?

In creating a world-class experience we must consider our strategy to approach problems, how we answer questions, the path we take toward the solution, and exceeding the customer’s expectations with the quality, timeliness, and presentation of the solution.

Success

"Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful."

- Herman Cain

Simplicity of Service: Part One

Rather than making customer service a long-winded set of techniques, tricks and platitudes we’re going to give it to you straight. The simplicity of customer service is it all starts with a problem. Sounds incredibly simple but its incredibly true. Customers do business with you for one simple reason - they have a problem.

A problem is a need that requires help to solve. We need to get out of the mind-set that ‘problems’ are always bad and scary. Problems are just a customer in need seeking your help. They need you! In fact, the problem-to-solution experience is where we find some great opportunities for our team to provide World-Class Customer Service. The bigger the problem, the bigger the opportunity.

The New Reprographer

An executive of a major general contractor confided in us to watch for a dramatic shift in technological urgency in the next decade. He reasoned that a number of top executives are about to retire and turn major decisions over to younger executives waiting to make their mark by investing in technological solutions. He went on to say that, with the previous decade’s profit boom and increased stock values, retiring executives do not want to invest millions into solutions that they are uncomfortable with or deem too expensive.

As younger executives assume control of the larger companies, they will bring dramatic new perspectives in technology application.

Positioned correctly, the reprographics industry stands to benefit greatly from this shift. Our goal as an industry has always been to be viewed as a partner to our clients, but the ability to bring solutions to the table that address the new environment our customers are working in will set the new reprographer apart from those who don’t adopt.

Free Downloads and the Reprographer's Future

This week the IRgA releases its latest report "Digital Services and the Reprographer," in which we were honored to collaborate with companies from across the industry. In the report, we are quoted comparing the music industry with the reprographics industry.

“From a digital management perspective, the reprographics industry is experiencing what the music industry faced a few years ago with Napster. Products and services flow freely in a confusing marketplace waiting for someone to establish a trusted portal like iTunes. Whoever can offer an easy-to-use, customizable, hip and community solution will dominate the marketplace.”

Last week, our IRgA friends from Plan Express endorse the report and responded by sending out a plea to the industry that "free downloads to customers (are) a major threat to the viablity of our industry."

We have long agreed, (REPROTRENDS 12.30.06)and believe our industry is still struggling with adjusting to current market trends. Plan Express further adds that they believed that free download's were "just as great a threat to our industry as “Napster” and “Kazaa” were not too long ago."

As you know, the music industry responded aggressively and effectively to “file sharing” systems, and we believe that offering “free downloads” to customers is a major threat to the viability of our industry. (Plan Express)

It' great to see that more companies are beginning to see the future and are reacting with conviction and clarity.

The Vision with Flesh

Even well intentioned visions fail unless they have quality leadership. This means leadership throughout the organization- executive, management, production, drivers ... The only way to develop leadership at all these levels is to teach, coach and empower people consistently and with corporate passion.

“A leader is the vision with flesh.”

A leader is a living representation of the civilization vision. You must be the living example on a daily basis for your people to follow the vision. If they see you doing things that are selfish or irresponsible, then they will lose respect for you, mimic your bad behavior, or find a more respectable person to follow. Vision defines the purpose, leadership guides the civilization to fulfilling the purpose.

REBLOG FROM 10.8.2007

Elimination or Relevancy?

Our customers are not as worried about eliminating printing as they are about eliminating wasteful printing. They also want ways to easily access their documents and pass it to others in a safe, fast and accurate process— printed or digitally. The reality is the "printing" will follow those who can manage the digital information and offer more relevant and customized printing options.

The Moving Tipping Point

Author Malcolm Gladwell has popularized the term “tipping point”: a point at which bleeding edge becomes cutting edge or even mainstream. PC Magazine defines “tipping point” as the “point in time in which technology, procedure, service, or philosophy has reached critical mass and becomes mainstream.” Some try to draw a line in the sand and declare that “now is the time everything changes”. The problem is, in reprographics industry, it appears to be a moving tipping point, tipping in some areas of the country before others, and even tipping differently within companies, projects, workgroups and industries.

The firm or individual that is not acquainted with the latest machinery, methods, processes and requirements of their business is at a decided disadvantage in competition and is not in a position to render efficient service to his customers or clients. — Elgin E. Mott, First President of International Association of Blue Print and Allied Industries (1928)

When it tips for you or your client, you will want to be ready to tip with it, to anticipate new needs and requirements for service. That is the only way we can continue to partner with our clients, rather than simply offer a list of services for those who can still utilize them. We certainly want to listen carefully to our customers, but we must realize they are looking to our industry for solutions. We have to supply answers to their questions or another industry will fill that void.

When it tips for you, or for a project you are working on, or for your client, you will want to be ready to tip with them. That is the only way we can continue to partner with our clients rather than simply offer a list of products and services. We certainly want to listen carefully to our customers, but realize they are looking to our industry for solutions. We must be able to supply the answer before they ask the question if we want to effectively ‘create our future.’ If we are unable to master this concept then other industries will fill that void.

Customer Service Series : MLK and the invisible

Sometimes I think I have adult A.D.D. I can’t sit still very long & boring people about drive me to suicide. Long trips. Rush hour. Emotionless sermons. I can’t stand anything that makes me sit still longer than a few seconds unless it entertains me.

About five years ago, I went to a sales conference that could be categorized as an Alcatraz for ADDers. A middle-aged, well-dressed lady was the prison warden offering the normal torture tactics: false modesty, a monotone voice, overused cliché’s & a bevy of painfully boring stories. I remember drinking massive amounts of water just so I had an excuse to go to the bathroom.

As I drooled on my bottom lip & doodled on a hotel notepad, the ice-pick-my-the-eye boring speaker rambled through a series of irrelevant & over used metaphors about life. I think her goal was to irritate us into being better sales people.With my eyes flickering & attention almost gone, a life-changing quote splashed across the poorly assembled power point presentation.

In a real sense all life is inter-related. All persons are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny: Whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly. I can never be what I ought to be until you are what you ought to be, & you can never be what you ought to be until I am what I ought to be. This is the inter-related structure of reality.

When I first read Martin Luther King’s words, I thought I understood what he was saying about community. He was telling us to comprehend the connection of people around us. Those you see when you walk in a crowd, men of different opinions, races & religions. All the people of the world related together in a single garment of humanity.

I thought I understood, but my initial thought was superficial. It took me five more years to appreciate the expanded meaning of MLK’s discourse and properly apply it to my world. Why is this important to Customer Service? Stay tuned and find out.

To be continued...

Customer Service Series : Defined

In our recent national tour we defined World Class Customer Service as the following:

The art of consistently exceeding internal and external customer expectations by being a problem solver who can see the invisible needs and act with service standards beyond belief.

Customer Service Series : Becoming World Class

As an organization, we have grown dramatically in the last few years. This has required us to recalibrate our efforts in providing service to our internal and external customers. As an organization our leadership teams committed to a nationwide tour to restate our vision, values and mission to "get back to the basics customer service. Visiting every market and speaking to over 90% of our employees we challenged them to take raise their standards and asked for them to join our leadership teams to also working together to reach our lofty "World Class" goals.

We believe this mutual commitment represents the words of Bill Thomas many years ago, when he said to our customers that he wanted us ....

“...to be like a department of your company. Working in concert with your designers to see your job through to completion. Together we will attain your goal.”

Called World Class Customer Service," our national tour was designed to help us all “work in concert” with each other, as well as our great customers. We will follow-up this first session with future specialized learning programs in the areas such as front counter, sales, delivery, and leadership.

The Art of Reprographics

Over the last few years, art has become an important part of my life. It's helped me see the world in much different ways— exploring my surroundings physically, spiritually and intellectually. I've come to realize that without a healthy appreciation of art and the power of creativity our personal growth is severely hindered— in all areas of life. Leadership. Service. Marketing.

In the business world art is called “innovation.” I’m fascinated by the marketplace's artistic explosion. Businessmen, poets, scientists, marketers, researchers, artists, architects, and other disciplines mixing experience and perspective to create dynamic innovation.

There have been hundreds of books published in the last decade trying to get people of their boxes.

I believe the “think outside the box” cliche is an attempt to get people to realize that we sometimes get stuck in our own worlds. There must be a lot of people in boxes because there are people from business, philosophy, psychology, sports, and religion talking about boxes.

Carlos Santana was thinking outside his box when he decided to get a bunch of young hip-hop and rock musicians and make “Supernatural.“ Who would have thought someone who played at Woodstock would have the biggest album of his career thirty years later playing with people that could be his grandkids. Genius.

Part of the musical revolution of the last few years has involved the mixing of cultures, genres, and styles. Linkin Park, Bon Jovi, Justin Timberlake, DC Talk, Eminem, and P.O.D. are some good examples. They combine rock, hip-hop, rap and/or country to create musical combinations once segregated to one section of the record store.

Maybe we could learn a few lessons in creativity from an old rock star.

Recalibrating the Core

One of the struggles our industry is having is adapting to the onslaught of new products and services. I’ve come to believe that success is found in how we manage our core competencies. Fundamental business theory suggests that the further you move from your core competencies the more difficult it is to maintain efficiency, quality and profit.

I think document management has been a frustrating example of our pushing the core to its limits. The first conflict is obvious; our core is to sell printing— document management strives to reduce printing. (Reduce not eliminate : Read My Post "Is Printing Dead"). Second, for successful employees, what motivation do they have to alter their time and effort. Do we really expect someone to jeopardize success selling a product that puts money in their pocket to focus on an abstract product, with questionable compensation, and a chance to ruin customer relationships? (See the Motivational Matrix post.)

“There is a big difference between someone selling a product and someone being qualified to sell that product.”

Recently, I was a witness to an inner-store controversy over why no one responded to a document management related email. The suggestion made was that since many people received the email, surely someone should have responded. This is a classic example of core competency avoidance. It won't matter how many people you "involve" in the process, if you don't establish a "core" person with direct accountability— and ability— then you will live in eternal frustration.

In this story, every individual employee involved was very good at their core job. They focused on what they were assigned and good at. When the email crossed their inbox, human nature kicked in. I'm not telling this story to criticize the parties involved, I'm merely providing an example I have seen repeatedly in multiple organizations. All new products need us to establish a new core.

As we push our core, we have moved to a 1:5:30:+ sales methodology. This allows us to define roles, train effectively and provide our customers better customer service. There are too many distractions to our outstanding "core" employees to expect them to keep up with the another core. We must either find some to specifically fill that role, or recalibrate the job descriptions and expections of our current employees to accommodate accountability and ability.

Revolution?

I know that word revolution is way overused and has become more name brand than descriptor of change. But I can't resist. Revolution is what we need in our industry. Over the years we've been given a pass because many of the construction clients we serve are reluctant to make the technology plunge.

Every generation needs a revolution. — Thomas Jefferson

Our revolution is wrapped around technology. Traveling throughout the country, I've heard the stories and seen first hand how far behind some construction companies have become. Many of them are defiant in sticking with systems that have worked for years. Then there's the other side. Many construction companies are making the plunge and the tipping point for the rest of the industry is not far behind.

For tech companies, this has always created a barrier into the industry. The good ole boys like my family, working with their hands and gang boxes has no real need to infuse any 'process management tools' or 'cost & risk management' software. It was a waste of time and ended up costing more than it was worth... — Tanner Bechtel, ReproMAX.

I've heard many fortunetellers point to the manufacturing industry's 20% allocation on I.T. infrastructure/technology in comparison to the construction industry's measly 2%, as a sign of things to come. Obviously, because we follow our customers, many reprographers are not far behind. The question is, can we be enough ahead to ride the wave when it tips, while maintaining profitable companies that don't over-invest in services our customers aren't ready for.

New Remedies

“He that will not apply new remedies must expect new evils; for time is the greatest innovator.

~Francis Bacon, “On Innovation,” Essays, 1597

Watch your words?

I sometimes think we fail to recognize the power of words. Words flow freely from our lips. Words splash across the pages of memos, emails, and training documents. Words are everywhere, but I think, sometimes we take a line of sequenced letters for granted.

Yesterday, someone told me they are sometimes confused with our document management "language." This someone is a very intelligent and well-respected member of our team. She told me when she goes to conferences or speaks with the "experts" big words float indiscriminately without regard to the listeners understanding. I've noticed a lot of this word arrogance lately. It seems like the more technical knowledge we gain the more temptation we have to use words as way of propping up our confidence. Other times, we innocently speak a speical language forgetting the speed of knowledge absorption often lags behind.

Twenty years ago our pool of words were stationary in time. New words entered the vernacular slowly, and we had time to learn their meaning. Today, words pour into conversations from every direction. It's hard for even the most intelligent to keep up.

Sixth grade is where my love for words began. My admiration coincided with a failing grade on a vocabulary test. My father helped me find this love during a parental tirade that included some R-rated words shared at high volumes. Since then, I've paid special attention to words. Unfortunately, just when I think I've attained a new level of word mastery; a new word enters my world. Some new arrivals include Spiff, Sudoku, Ghostriding, YouTube, or my favorite new word iPhone.

The power of words can move our industry or bog us down in mire of complexity. For those of us on the edge of technology, it is important that build an awareness for the words we push into conversations. Words can create vision, clarity, and focus or words can lead us down a path of confusion, ambiguity, and irrelevance.

“Watch your thoughts, for they become words.
Watch your words, for they become actions.
Watch your actions, for they become habits.
Watch your habits, for they become character.
Watch your character, for it becomes your destiny.”
[Unknown]

“Words may show a man's wit, but actions his meaning" [Benjamin Franklin]

A Tranquil Pause

In my travels, I get the honor of speaking to successful owners and executives from throughout the country. I often ask them questions relating to how they achieved success. I enjoy listening as the initial conversation follows a typical archetypal path of hardship, revelation and windfall.

Eventually, if I dig deep enough I reach the "tranquil pause."

Eventually, if I dig deep enough I reach a "tranquil pause." That slight hesitation in the conversation where profit gives way to the purpose. The entire body language changes as they reflect on how relationships ultimately made it all worth the journey. Dropping the rough exterior they begin to tell me stories about the "good old days." "You know Dale's been with me over 30 years." "I've done business with Scott since the seventies. Our kids are graduating together this year." "Our customer service girl, Susan is the daughter of our first blueline operator."

No matter how fancy the product, it always comes down to the long-term relationship. I hope someday I can share my own "tranquil pause."

Quality Control Series : Leadership

For more than a century companies have been enamored with the notion that if they could improve quality control they could improve their profits. Historically, as well as statistically this has proven out. (Deming. TQM. Six Sigma...)As we've become more technologically advanced, the need for quality has intensified. Not only are products more complex communication, distribution and quality control is much more complex. Often we improve the products but forget to improve the process, or more importantly the communication flow.

The difference between surviving and thriving in today’s competitive market place often comes down to an collection of minutes. Lost in the invisible world of your business employees are making thousands of small but important decisions that as a whole will dramatically effect your success. The decision to check that job for the second time. Small conversations on the front counter with your customers. The way the phone is answered. A note left for the next shift. Hidden conversations between employees that effect morale.

One decision made incorrectly will not kill your business, but the collection of decision making will exponentially effect your future. To often we only think of leadership as managers and executives. As you make strategic plans and set protocol and procedures for your culture, remember the only way to reach success is to help each one of your employees become better decision makers and better leaders.

Quality starts with leadership.