Frustrated

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brian john

brian john

Senior Member
Location
Leesburg, VA
I was wondering if any body else, ever questions the real benefit of, cell phones, pagers, and PCs, laptops and other high tech gadgets.

When we first started this business a customer might call the office at 7:00 AM, with the low tech business in those days they might get a call back by lunch and be happy. Now a customer calls (non emergency) at 7:00 AM and at 7:15 AM they are wondering why they have not received a return call, paging us, and calling us. Then there are the calls to the secretary telling her we are not responsive. Now we try to be VERY responsive, returning calls in a timely fashion, but due to non service in parking garages, critical issues at customer sites, ECT it sometimes takes a while to get free to call a customer back or to be in the service area. I also hate to use customer “A’s time (in front of him) to answer customer’s “B” questions, customer "A" is paying for my time and deserves my attention.

Then there is the cost of operating a network system in the office (about half the electricians have laptops), wireless networks issues, PC lock ups, test equipment malfunctions, new high speed cost, new server cost, new laptop cost, new test equipment cost, software upgrades. Then the operating issues,our network guy blames test equipment software, manufacture swears it is an incompetent network guy and the cost go up and I sit and cry as I try to determine the real issue. I spent ? Thursday and most of Friday trying to resolve a PC issue. This cost money that is hard to make up.

Now all this being said I do admit I could not operate without all this “high tech” stuff but I was just curious if anyone else feels this way, frustrated, out money and questioning the real benefits.

Then again without this stuff I would not be able to complain on this site! Correct? Maybe all of you would be better off if I did not have this "stuff".
 
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My business is in what most would consider a fairly rural mountain area. A couple ski resorts, lakes etc. Before cell phones if a contractor didn't call me the night before or early the next morning it was to late. My day was planned. Some guys had pagers but that didn't help. On remote jobs there wouldn't be a phone to make a call back anyway. I'm not sure if that was better or not. Today everything is instant. Cell phones so customers have quicker access to me, plus we are able to call supply house on the fly. Lap top for programing ONQ/HAI etc., plus various info and pictures, NEC, journal. If I only had a transporter I would be at each job instantly. Maybe that would make everyone happier. nah They would want to know why I wasn't there yesterday.
 
Learn to own these tools, rather than having the tools own you.

Think about bidding; you can bid a reasonable price, one that you can live with, let your customers know that you do quality work, etc... or you can chase the low bid, lose a bit of money on each job, and hope to make it up on volume :)

Using the phone is essential to business. But answering calls all the time, and expecting the phone to 'trump' everything else is an unprofitable and sometimes _dangerous_ attitude. The phone should not be permitted to interrupt more important tasks.

For example, IMHO you shouldn't be taking and returning calls from one customer while having discussions with another customer, and it is arguable weather or not you should be taking calls from one customer while doing a job for another customer. You certainly shouldn't be taking calls from one customer while on the clock with another.

You should have a clear policy that taking and returning calls will not be permitted to interrupt at certain times, and make it clear to your customers that this is for their benefit. When you are focused on working for them, you won't be distracted by your phone. At the same time, you need to be clear that when it is time to return calls, you will call them back!

Take a look at the following article about how the Amish use telephones. I don't think that their approach would work for me; the point is that they make a conscious effort to own the telephone and relegate it to the proper place in their lives. I keep phones in my house, and carry a cell phone. I also turn my phone off very frequently, and pointedly ignore the ringing phone when it would interrupt things higher on the priority list. You will need to set your own priorities, and will come to different solutions for how to treat the phone...but the thing is a tool, not your master.
http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/7.01/amish.html

-Jon
 
Winnie:

Using the tools isn't always the problem...Getting them to work and the cost of working was one of my issues. I have accepted technology as the way to go, just get frustrated with it sometimes.
 
Brian,

I feel you. Even when you hire an IT guy, it seems that you are still getting dragged into the solution process. But even if you aren't, it's an expense that you wouldn't have without all the technology.

Not to mention the recurring monthly costs of cellphones, wireless internet cards, licensing fees for programs, etc.

Your only hope is that the costs of all this technology is less than the money you save and/or generate by using the technology.

But I would love to get rid of the cell all the time.
 
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