Issue link: http://digital.corporatepress.com/i/143540
coin toss Simply making a sample of your services more public can improve perceptions and credibility with customers. developed an appreciation for the result—cleaner paths on which to walk. This is fairly painless yet effective. Increased Visibility of work at night, have utility shutdowns on weekends, perform major projects over schedule breaks, and perform many more services out of sight or with as little disruption as possible – all in the name of efficiency and effectiveness. And yet, our services at times seem underappreciated and undervalued by our customers. I suggest that this is due, in part, to the problem of valuing services by the marginal cost of effort rather than the true full cost. In designing efficient delivery systems for our services we can, inadvertently, set our organizations up to be improperly judged according to visible efforts, instead of invisible expertise and effectiveness. If this is happening on your campus, you need to consider ways to have some of the positive and productive efforts of your employees become visible without becoming disruptive. Simply making a sample of your services more public can improve perceptions and credibility with customers. Here is a small example. On my campus we use blowers to clean off sidewalks daily. We now schedule this activity for early morning, when students and faculty are arriving. This is not very disruptive, it moves fast, and it has the added benefit of being heard as well as being seen. It conveys the impression (and fact) that we are opening for business. We have received some comments about this. As people notice the workers, they have What hidden services do you provide that is seemingly undervalued by your customers? If you have been unsuccessful in convincing them how great and cost effective your services really are, perhaps you should focus on increasing the visibility of the effort. Consider a sample of services that could be performed publicly. While this may not seem rational it could be effective in building trust and credibility with customers, and improving perceptions of your organization. And we all know about perceptions. Joe Whitefield is executive director of facilities services at Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro, TN. He can be reached at joe.whitefield@mtsu.edu. BARTLETT. BECAUSE CUSTOMER SERVICE, JUST LIKE TREES, SHOULD BE A BREATH OF FRESH AIR. We're Bartlett Tree Experts and we've been exceeding our customers' expectations for over 100 years. No matter the size or scope of your tree and shrub needs, our experts bring a rare mix of local service, global resources and innovative tree care practices that makes your landscape thrive. Trees add value to our homes and our lives. And Bartlett adds value to your trees. For the life of your trees. PRUNING . FERTILIZATION . PEST & DISEASE MANAGEMENT . REMOVAL PLEASE CALL 877 BARTLETT 877.227.8538 OR VISIT BARTLETT.COM 22 | july/august 2013 | Facilities Manager