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July 06, 2005
The Personal Touch
Over a decade ago, when I was a young whipper-snapper working for a start-up company that was literally fresh out of the pages of Inc. Magazine, I started a policy which required me to read and answer all e-mails and letters personally. I always felt that intimate contact with customers would make me a better marketer. Sure, there were times when I took some real heat, but for the most part I think people really appreciated the extra effort. I also think it helped the business.
GuardDog customer Bill Akins is workin' hard in his authentic GuardDog Workin' Dog T-Shirt.
As time went on the once small company I worked for was acquired by a multi-national corporation. I still tried to field as many of the calls and e-mails but the layers of bureaucracy tended to get in the way and sometimes even prohibited me from effectively solving the customer???s problem.
Flash forward to today.
When we started GuardDog, one of the first things I did was to make sure all consumer emails crossed my desk. I must say it's one of the best and most-fulfilling parts of my job. I???ve learned a lot so far. Organic vegetable farmer Tim Hogan wrote to offer some product improvement suggestions. Building Contractor Bill Akins (pictured) wrote to get a replacement part and gave me a great source for buying bulk, whole-bean coffee, and Carol McDonald called to explain how the GuardDog could be redesigned to work better for women.
I???d like to thank all who have taken the time to write. It certainly has enriched my experience and hopefully our commitment of service has strengthened our chances for long-term success.
Take care.
Mike
Posted by webdog at July 6, 2005 09:42 PM