With all the Pandemic warnings, I thought it would be nice to provide a visualization of the actual data being collected : Here & Here
Beyond the pure hysteria that has been associated with this infection, I find it amazing how we are utilizing new and different tools to educate ourselves.
So as I typically do, I ask you to pose the following question to your peers :
What have we done to gain visibility to "process pandemics?"
It important to understand the metrics that are key performance indicators, but more importantly is distilling those metrics into meaningful dashboards that are useful and user friendly. Because at the end of the day, we need to act on that information to help reduce risk and enhance performance of our troubleshooting teams.
Copyright (c) Veris Associates, Inc. Unauthorized use is strictly prohibited. Comments contents are the opinions of the person posting the comment (commenter) and not necessarily those or endorsed by Veris Associates, Inc. Veris Associates, Inc. reserves the right to remove any and all comments it wishes without any recourse of the commenter. Decision of Veris Associates, Inc. is final.
It’s Mother’s Day on Sunday, May 10. It’s a particularly special one, as my younger sister will be celebrating her very first Mother’s Day. Both my sister and my mom have taught me what it is to be a strong and caring person.
In particular, there are many things I have learned from my mom that apply to how I approach managing projects. Whether she realized it or not, she gave me my first lesson in customer service.
One year, when I was younger, my mom prepared a holiday dinner. She made home-made manicotti, lasagna, meatballs, all the side dishes you can imagine, and a full turkey. It was a feast you might see in a Norman Rockwell painting (well, if Norman Rockwell had been Italian). My family gathered at the table, eager to dig in and enjoy the food.
My grandfather – her father – sat down, tucked a napkin into his shirt, picked up his utensils and surveyed the food in front of him.
My mom took great pride in her feast. That changed when my grandfather furrowed his brow and said,
“What? No ham?”
While my mom was less than thrilled about what he said, my grandfather practically licked his plate clean. To this day, she’ll bring up this story whenever we sit down for a holiday dinner.
The following are customer service nuggets of knowledge I garnered from that incident:
* Low hanging fruits – those projects we view as seemingly non-essential - are sometimes the sweetest to our customers.
* Understanding what is important to the customer takes active listening, observation and, on occasion, patience.
* As much as we strive for perfection, there’s always one person who isn’t going to be happy. If there’s something missing, it’s not the end of the world, and it’s not personal. You learn from the feedback, and deliver the unexpected at the next opportunity.
For all the moms and moms-to-be out there, have a wonderful Mother’s Day!
Interested in learning more about Customer Service? Attend one of our Customer Service Stars classes. These one-day classes will be held on May 20, 2009 and June 4, 2009. Click here for more details.
Copyright (c) Veris Associates, Inc. Unauthorized use is strictly prohibited. Comments contents are the opinions of the person posting the comment (commenter) and not necessarily those or endorsed by Veris Associates, Inc. Veris Associates, Inc. reserves the right to remove any and all comments it wishes without any recourse of the commenter. Decision of Veris Associates, Inc. is final.
Karl Christianson President and CEO Veris Marshwinds Partners
The turbulent economic conditions of the past few months have resulted, in many cases, in the reduction of staff. As conditions begin to improve, many of these open positions will be filled through the hiring of new employees.
The hiring process generally begins with the review of a resume supplied by either an agency or your own internal recruiting process. When reviewing a resume, there are many factors to consider. Your primary goal is to interview and hire the right employee, one that satisfies the needs of the open position. A simple method, which we employ when analyzing a resume, is to rate the candidate based on the following factors
Some of the selection criteria we utilize when reviewing a resume are listed below:
1. Does the candidate's resume reflect exceptional performance at prior jobs? This includes awards, recognition, etc. Are those achievements measurable?
2. Does the candidate display a history of job stability, little job hopping?
3. Why is the candidate seeking a new job? Is the reason justifiable?
4. How long has the candidate been on the job market, and where else has he/she interviewed?
5. How sophisticated are their presentation skills, which can be judged by their past positions and duties?
6. What types of companies have provided them with employment in the past? If your company is a large, sophisticated organization, and the applicant has always worked at smaller organizations, will that applicant have the experience and depth to successfully function in your firm?
The answers to the above questions should be positive and provide you with a feeling that the resume you are reviewing indicates a possible hire. The next step, and possibly the most important, is your initial interview, whether on the telephone or in-person. You should be able to conclude at the end of the initial meeting whether this applicant is the type of individual who is knowledgeable, affable, speaks well, has a pleasant appearance and, in summary, would be a great addition to your organization.
If all of the above factors are positive, you may consider that you have found a low risk applicant, and should move forward with your normal in depth screening procedure, which should include the checking of references. If all subsequent interviews and reference checks are positive, you have probably found a winner whom you should hire. Good luck in filling your next open position.
Veris Associates, Inc. is the premier provider of consulting and training services in the areas of Information Technology and Human Resources. Service Offering Practices include IT Service Management, Project Management, and Corporate Learning.
Veris is a fast-growing, innovative consulting company, with expertise that closes the gap between consulting and training. Our name, taken from the Latin “veritas” (truth), shows our intent—to tell you, the client, the truth about your organization, even when it’s not the best news you’ve ever heard. We’re consultants who believe in telling you the truth. No, seriously.
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