Nancy Friedman

By Nancy Friedman, the Telephone Doctor

Ask most folks and I’m betting the answer you hear will be, “Yes.” Ask us at Telephone Doctor and we’ll tell you, “The customer always thinks they’re right.” It’s the perception of that you need to work with and, as we know, perception is reality.

If you go with our theory that the customer always thinks they are right, handling them and solving their problem will become a bit easier.

When the customer thinks they’re right, they’re right. IN THEIR MIND! And that’s what is key. Instead of arguing with them and telling them they’re wrong, get the mentality that they believe they are right. Think as they do. As we know, many times the customer can be wrong.

True story time and this illustrates the picture pretty well.

We have trees in our backyard. I’ve always wanted to put some lights on a few of them so that they’d show up nicely in the dark. I called the lighting company and was satisfied with their estimate. We made a date for installation and the lighting company came to install the lights while I was as work. When I got home I was excited to see how the lights would look. By the time I got home it was dark out. I couldn’t wait to go out to the backyard and see how pretty the lights were. BUT WAIT; something is wrong. I looked out toward the yard and there were no lights! “Shoot,” I said. “They didn’t show up today.”

I called the lighting company early the next day and asked why they hadn’t come to install the lights in the backyard as they promised. (Yes, I was very nice.) “Oh, they were installed Mrs. Friedman,” the lady said. I came back with: “Yeah, well they’re not lit now. Seems as though, they don’t work at night. Please come fix them.” “Sure will,” I was informed. “First thing tomorrow.”

The next night I came home and peeked outside at the yard. Again, no lights on the trees.

So my next call the following day wasn’t as nice as the first call. “I’m sorry I paid you guys already,” I said. “The lights still don’t work! What’s going on?” I told her I wasn’t a happy camper.

“Well, the lights worked when the guys were there yesterday, Mrs. Friedman,” the frustrated woman said to me. “Well they’re not working now! Please come fix them or I’ll cancel the check.” (Yea, I got testy.) I was assured they’d come a third time to check that the lights worked.

Sure enough, when I got home that third night, no lights. So I immediately called my daughter who lives down the street. I asked her to come over so she could be proof the lights were not on and I wasn’t going crazy.

Linda came over and I said, “Look, do you see any lights? They have been here three times and keep telling me they work. But they must only work in the day time.” Linda looked out and she agreed no lights appeared to be on. She then opened the screen door to go out to the forest area and take a look at the trees up close.

It was dark out but I could see her out there and she bent down to do something. All of a sudden one light came on to one tree. I watched her and she did the same thing with the second tree and then with the third tree. Now all three trees were brightly lit by gosh!

She came back inside and I asked her if she had a magic wand. She smiled and said, “Look, it’s October and the leaves are falling. The leaves fell and covered the tree lights each day. I just wiped off the leaves.”

Wow! Powerful example of the customer is always right. I called the lighting service the next day on bended knee asking to be forgiven. I explained what had happened and they were very nice about it. I thought I was right, but I had been wrong.

Now some of you may be asking why the lighting place didn’t tell me about the leaves the first time they came out. That’s what I thought as well. But then I thought the person who took my call probably wasn’t the person who came out to fix it. That’s when I thought that their own internal communications weren’t very good.

The installer who came out should have told the person who took my call to call me and explain exactly what happened. He knew the leaves covered the lights.

But that’s a whole ‘nother article isn’t it? Bottom line: The customer always thinks they are right. It’s our job to help them see the difference without making them feel badly.

Do you have a story for us about when you thought you were right and you weren’t?
Could end up in my new book: Is the Customer Always Right?
Email us at: press@telephonedoctor.com

Provided by Amber Jackson, CMA Constructions Forms Filing Manager

Summary of changes to CA Civil Code 3084 and 3146 effective 01/01/11

Civil Code section 3084

• Mechanic’s Lien with a proof of service affidavit and “Notice of Mechanic’s Lien” must be served on the owner of the property before the Mechanic’s Lien is recorded [3084(c) (1)];

- Service requirements on the owner are by registered mail, certified mail or first-class mail with a certificate of mailing. Civil Code 3084(c) (1) (A).

• If owner cannot be served, then the original contractor or the lender can be served instead of the owner [3084(c) (1) (B)];

- Service requirements on the original contractor or the lender are by registered mail, certified mail or first-class mail with a certificate of mailing. Civil Code 3084(c) (1) (B) (2).

• Failure to serve the Mechanic’s Lien, including the Notice of Mechanic’s Lien, shall cause the Mechanic’s Lien to be unenforceable as a matter of law [3084(d)];

• A Mechanic’s Lien in proper form, verified and containing all of the information required by Section 3084 shall be accepted for recording by the County Recorder. The information required to be contained on the new Mechanic’s Lien form: (1) Statement of demand after deducting all just credits and offset; (2) name or the property owner or reputed owner; (3) a general statement of the kind of labor, services, equipment or materials furnished; (4) name of the person by whom the claimant was employed or to whom the claimant furnished; (5) a description of the site sufficient for identification; (6) proof of service affidavit; and (7) Notice of Mechanic’s Lien printed in at least 10-point boldface type . The County Recorder will charge additional recording fees for the extra two pages of the new form.

Civil Code section 3146

• If lawsuit filed to foreclose on the Mechanic’s Lien, then after filing the Complaint: - A “Notice of the Pendency of the Proceedings” (or a “Notice of Pending Action” must be recorded on or before 20 days after the filing of the Foreclosure of Mechanic’s Lien claim.

- Only from the time of recordation of the Notice of Pending Action will a purchaser or encumbrance of the affected property be deemed to have constructive notice of the pendency of the action, and in that event, only of the pendency of proceedings against parties designated by their real names.

UTA

As consumers, we’re inundated with all things Internet‐related. Everyone has a web site and we’re all expected to have an e‐mail address. So does that mean that we’re all paying our bills online, too? Today, companies are wrestling with this notion. In theory, electronic billing, presentment, and payment (EBPP) is the ultimate model of efficiency. But is it catching on?
Think about it: Why write a check, buy envelopes and spend the postage on mailing it, when it has become so simple to point, click and pay your bill via the web?
Today, many of your customers want to do the same thing. It’s easy, fast and convenient for them and gives them 24/7 access. It also simplifies your internal process, and can save your company substantial costs. Offering your customers these electronic options may be a huge advantage for you.

Electronic billing solutions have always been more of an operational or cost savings type of decision. But is it really more strategic than that? Cost savings may no longer be the top reason for turning to EBPP. Now, an effort to ensure customer loyalty is slowly replacing cost savings as the main driver.

Customer service and satisfaction are paramount today, in this or any economy. Making it easier to do business with your company is a key strategic consideration. Today it is about gaining a competitive service advantage. This “advantage” often translates to lower invoicing costs, the elimination of “lost” invoices and lowered cost of dispute resolution. Other key benefits include: the ability to reduce days sales outstanding (DSO), improve payment processing and reduce frequency of collections and customer service calls.

Electronic billing can deliver strong marketing and customer retention benefits when implemented as part of an integrated customer communications strategy. Web self‐service is the most obvious value for customers, providing them 24/7 access to their account information online. Online access to bills helps reduce in‐bound calls. Servicing an inquiry via telephone is 15 times more expensive than via a Web self‐ service site, citing research from Forrester.

With that in mind; have you provided your customers with efficient electronic bill choices?

Has your competition?

Please realize that you will always be faced with customers that still want paper bills mailed to them, while others may accept fax or e‐mail and some will opt for advanced web‐based delivery and payment. So it is equally important then, to offer all these delivery methods for your unique customer base. Keeping all these options available and tightly connected can also be a challenge:

• Are you using manual internal personnel or costly equipment? Is a local printer your best option for delivery of your printed and mailed bills? Does your ERP/Accounting system provide for efficient, automated e‐mail and/or fax options?
• Do you really want to assign another project to your overworked, understaffed IT department to design and build an on‐line web portal for presentment and payment?
• Can your staff support all the security and compliance features for the above processes? So how can we address the above problems?

Join us for an upcoming NACM, Electronic Bill Presentment and Payment webinar, to be hosted by United TranzActions (UTA). We will discuss how it is possible to not only streamline your process and save you money, but provide you with a long‐term, strategic solution for both you and your customers for years to come. (Information to follow at the beginning of 2011)

Make it easier for your customers to do business with you!

For more information about Electronic Bill Presentment and Payment, contact your UTA Representative Rudet Fountain at: 800.858.5256 ext. 4802 or rfountain@unitedtranzactions.com

Debbie Lundberg

Article from Debbie Lundberg our closing speaker at the WRCC.

“Not the cry, but the flight of the wild duck, leads the flock to fly and follow.”
~Chinese Saying~

While there are many lists and ideas about leadership, after speaking with a wonderful and talented client about leading during a one-on-one coaching session, I left and really reflected on what we covered, and consolidated the ideas I shared into my ten (perhaps top 10, and definitely current 10) strengths of an effective leader. The list includes (minimally) the ability to:

Envision – Seeing things for what they are and where they can go.

Observe – Looking at things with little bias and an open mind.

Inquire – Asking of others for input, observations, really listen and hear what is being said for feedback without repercussions to the person.

Care – Wanting to know about the people, the teams, the clients/customer and opportunities earned…and missed.

Cheer – Letting someone know he or she can do it. At times, just taking off the title and being a supportive person.

Coach – Being willing and able to meet people where they are and assist them in getting successfully where they are willing and able to go.

Show & Tell – Demonstrating and informing the team of what is behind, in front of and on the horizon for the company/group, and being willing to lead the way in words and actions. These are forms of effective communication.

Reflect – Making time and take time to consider competition, client desires, team interests and what to make of them and how the wins can be developed, and not just expected or taken.

Grow – Knowing others often have the answers and humility and pride can work hand-in-glove when learning and what serves well is top of mind. Being able to own decisions and seize opportunities for self and others.

Share – Being selfish enough to want the best and selfless enough to let others be a part of it. Knowing there is not just one leader, regardless of titles, and that results, victories and overall success in an effort of more than one. Sharing the opportunities and sharing of yourself by giving back in ways that work for you!

How are you, and your fellow leaders doing on these 10 traits? It’s okay, be proud of what you are doing, and hone in on those areas where you’d like to see improvement…after all, you are a life-long learner if you are a true leader of self and others!