Garage door industry magazine for garage door dealers, garage door manufacturers, garage door distributors, garage door installers, loading docks, garage door operators and openers, gates, and tools for the door industry.
Issue link: https://idoi.epubxp.com/i/78039
TECHNICAL (continued from page 29) Effective communication can help eliminate some of the silly mistakes that cost your company time and money. and move on to the next one. Back in those days, I don't remember having to fi gure up the charges for the work and collect payment. The offi ce just sent them a bill. Wow, have times changed! From there we advanced to carrying a Pager. I felt really important carrying that little device around on my hip. When that thing went off, I felt special! I knew that I was needed, so I would call back to the offi ce just as soon as I could to fi nd out why I got beeped. Now fast forward to today. Here's how we communicate with our customers or our staff. Everyone these days has access to a computer, smart phone, Blackberry or other wireless device that has the capabilities of accepting and creating many different types of electronic messaging. We all carry cell phones – right? However, instead of using them to talk, we text, e-mail, or we instant message or tweet. Our communication has become an electronic version of what used to be something much more personal. It is easier to do it this way and it does save time. But, I ask, what are we missing out on by not having verbal communication? Sending e-mails creates documentation of a conversation, very helpful and benefi cial for sure. Sending a text message is quick and easy, but verbal communication creates the personal one-on-one conversation. 30 On the residential side of things, are you still making that personal phone call to confi rm the appointment or are you doing it by e-mail? What about the service call you are about to schedule for your technician? Are you calling him on the phone or sending him a text message? Do your technicians introduce themselves to the customer in a polite manner? Are they communicating as they should when they get to a job or is it something less than that? Whatever the case may be, we do not speak to each other and communicate verbally as we used to. It has gotten too easy just to type on a keyboard what you want to say in a couple of sentences and send the message on its way. I can speak to many first-hand experiences where if I would have taken the few extra minutes to fully communicate with a technician before the start of a job, it could have eliminated a mistake that ended up costing the company profit dollars on the job. Call me old school, but I believe our lack of verbal communication has had an impact on the effectiveness of our business to operate as smoothly as it should. Furthermore, effective communication can help eliminate some of the silly mistakes that cost your company time and money. International Door & Operator Industry™ Please do not misunderstand. There is no question that electronic communication has changed our lives for the better in many ways. We will never go back to the way it was years ago, but I can say that we had more personality about us then. Part of that is because of the way we communicated with our customers. Depending on how big your offi ce is and how many trucks you have on the road, the owner of the business has to decide which is the most effective way to communicate both internally and externally. But all should remember the key words of the defi nition: "to impart to another or others". Take the time to explain what you are wanting and what the expectations are verbally. There's a lot that can be left out in the translation when we don't look at each other eye-to-eye. Gary Lombard is spokesman for Denco Marketing Co. located in Millersburg, OH. Denco is a supplier to the door and gate industry. Gary also serves as general manager of the Denver branch of D.H. Pace Door Services. He may be reached for comment at (303) 356-1763 or gary.lombard@dhpace.com.