by Jeryl Massini-Ryan | Mar 25, 2016 | Customer Service, Service
I don’t know what happened to companies actually wanting your business, rather than turning you away, I really don’t. It’s something that I see more and more of and I just don’t get it. This is the tale of a company (Company “A”) losing business and not even caring. It begins with my search for a task management system to use for a ginormous project that I’m overseeing for a client. I’m working with a client who has a huge project that involves a lot of people and TONS of moving pieces. I am tasked with ensuring that everything goes smoothly, which involves making sure that all of the people on our end are doing what they need to be doing, that all of the people on many other ends are doing what they need to be doing, and that all of the things that need to be happening actually end up happening. You know, the usual day to day superhero kind of stuff. No problem, you just need to have the right tools. And this project is going to take some serious organizational tools. And a cape. Yes, I need a cape. There are lots of team task management programs out there. I’ve worked with some of them. I’ve liked some of them, others not so much. It all depends on what you need and your personal preference. I’ve got to get something into place quick like a bunny, so I contact two companies that I have already worked with. One, Company “A”, I had only worked with a little bit, so I’m not an expert at what they...
by Jeryl Massini-Ryan | Mar 6, 2016 | Productivity
While working with a client recently, I discovered a gem of a resource that they use and I was pretty blown away when I started interacting with them. It takes a lot to impress me, and even more for me to recommend someone to my peeps, so I had a “sit down” with them, in order to find out all about them, and then, after they impressed the hell out of me, to see if I could get a special deal for you guys. (Hint – I did!) So they’re called Ruby Receptionists and they provide an amazing service. Say you’re a one-person show and: You really need to give prospective clients a phone number, but you can’t man your cell phone all day. You don’t want prospective clients going to a voice mailbox, you want them to talk to a real person. You can’t or don’t want to hire staff to man the phones, but you do want people who call to get someone live and in person. That’s where Ruby comes in. They give you a toll free number (good for North America). They answer the calls that come into that number, in the way that you ask them to. (Good morning, Massini-Ryan Services, how can I help you?) Their coverage is 13 hrs a day, 5 days a week. What you do is let them know your availability and when they get a call, they’ll answer and ask the person to hold a moment while they transfer them to you, they’ll call you and tell you who is calling and why. Now you’re ready for the call –...
by Jeryl Massini-Ryan | Mar 2, 2016 | Service
Sitting in the waiting room at the doctor’s office yesterday, way past my appointment time, of course, I started thinking about all the times this has happened. I don’t mind it once in awhile – one person with a big issue who needs extra time with the doctor can throw off the whole schedule, but if that person is having that much trouble, I certainly wouldn’t begrudge them the extra time or get upset with the doctor. So it happens sometimes, and I don’t sweat it at all, from a service standpoint. It’s when it consistently happens with the same office that drives me bat-shit crazy. I realize that, with the way insurance works these days, doctors need to cram in as many appointments as they can during the day in order to make money. I get it, I really do, but things have gotten out of hand. I’m in the waiting room, it’s 10:15, which is 45 minutes past my appointment time and people are huffing and puffing. I asked everyone what time their appointments were scheduled for. Three of them said 9:30. Surely not with the same doctor in the practice as mine? Yep, same doctor. So four people were booked with the same doctor at the same time. This has nothing to do with a patient needing more time with the doctor. They’re setting themselves up to fail from the very first appointment of the day. So I started thinking about my business and how things would fly if I worked like that. Commit to doing a project that will take 8 hours to complete. For...
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