Subscribe in a readerNovember 7, 2008
Sales Force Management as a Barrier to Customer Satisfaction
During the first 10 years or so of my programming career, a number of my projects revolved around sales force automation. At Windsor Group, I worked on tools that would make our territory managers more competitive. At GE Capital Consulting, I worked on a couple of client engagements that involved customizing a sales force automation tool called Overquota. Eventually at Solarcom, we built our own tool in house, based on best practices that we had developed over the years of working with these other tools.
One common thread through each of these implementations and customizations was the desire to tag a customer or prospect as belonging to a particular sales rep. For a customer, it was fairly clear that the person who first sold them something would likely own the account. With prospects, a regional approach was generally taken. Here lies the rub - for larger companies, which region do you choose: the region that contacted you, or the region where the company's headquarters is. The response I usually saw was that it was based on the headquarters.
It straight sales organizations, that isn't a tremendous barrier. The cost of on-site sales calls is usually transparent to the customer. In fact - they are built into the margin of the deal. If the rep comes from outside of your office's region, you had better believe you are paying a slight premium to what a local representative would be able to offer.
What if it is not a straight sales engagement? What if professional services are involved? Here is where it gets tricky. I usually have seen it where the partner's local presence is engaged. For a company site in Atlanta with a headquarters on the west coast, this means you as the customer are partnering with a company that is going to provide service from the far side of the country. Every flight, hotel, meal is going to add additional overhead to your engagement.
There needs to be some intelligence employed by vendors and their value added resellers to provide the best value to the customer. Staffing projects requiring onsite resources with those 3,000 miles away does not seem practical - especially when the VAR has a local presence with a presumably local talent pool.
There needs to be a focus on putting the customer's needs first at their office location - ahead of the needs of assigning business within territorial bounds.
Posted by Mike at 8:30 AM | Comments (0)
September 9, 2008
Dear Stupid Driver on Westside Pkwy @ Cumming Street in Alpharetta
Red lights mean stop. Even if you're turning right. I'm not sure what theory of traffic law you misunderstood to mean that you only have to slow down to 45 mph to turn right at a red light. Hopefully you got that as I was yelling at you through the window as you almost mowed me down in the cross walk.
Hopefully you will notice the pedestrians out there in the future and yield to them. Try not to kill me 369 days before my next Ironman. Ok?
Today's run - 1 hour 9 minutes @ a roughly 72% average heart rate. I'm trying something new. I'll let you know how it works.
Posted by Mike at 8:57 AM | Comments (0)
January 8, 2008
Read Your Phone Bill Carefully
Last night was bill paying night at my house. I hate bill paying night. It went smoothly until I opened my AT&T bill for my home phone (I know, I know, how 1990's of me to have a home phone). Anyway, the amount was different than last month - $15 different thanks to a company called ILD Telecom.
According to the information I've found, ILD Telecom is a telecommunications billing clearinghouse. This would be similar to credit card clearinghouses that make it possible for you to swipe your credit card at any merchant, who can use any bank, and the charge end up on your account at any other bank. So, this company enables merchants to bill you through your phone bill and receive services in return. Other than phone sex operators I can't really think of a valid reason for doing this, but surely there must be.
So I called the 800# that appeard next to their name and after entering my home telephone number I was routed to a customer service representative with a company called MyIproducts. After bringing up my account (using just a telephone number) she asked if I knew a "Leah Christensen" and of course I do not. She indicated that this person signed up for their service, which is a voice mail service, and must have entered the wrong phone number. She then asked me what the date of billing was on that I was looking at and I told her. She said there was another bill the following month, but she was cancelling this person's service and crediting my account for the two months that had already been billed. I have her name, employee number, and a confirmation code. I now think this is pretty much worthless information, but I'll hold onto it for giggles. Satisfied, I finished paying bills and went to bed with LSU comfortably leading a repeatedly pitiful Ohio State team.
This morning as I cranked out my yardage in the pool (at 2750 yds maybe I should refer to it as mileage) and thought about the whole scheme and it sounded fishy. First - who is going to use an Internet provider for $15 a month for voice mail?? You can almost get a cell phone w/ voicemail for that. And second - why did she ask me for the first date of billing? Can't you see it? How many people miss this charge for a few months because they actually use their home phone for long distance or something and don't get a credit for that?
Intrigued, I went to their website and poked around. It certainly looks legitimate, but then I decided to explore their products and services further. On this page, they list 4 products. Each with a two line description. I guess they didn't want to overload us with info. Interestingly, there is no pricing information, just a link if you're ready to become an iMail customer. Sure - sounds great to me... I click the link and get a page not found error. There is no way to sign up for the service. The page name it linked to was on their site at /restaurant/restaurant.aspx. RESTAURANT?? HUH?
Based on my personal experiences and investigation, I think it is safe to say that this company is a crammer. They sign people's phone bills up for a charge to appear and collect money from the LEC (local exchange carrier) who in turn bills the customer. They continue to collect money until they are told to stop. I am hoping that they stopped in my case but it will be 2 billing cycles before I know for sure. They only refund what you tell them they billed you, not what they actually billed you.
I did some googling and found some other people with the same "Oh, someone must've misentered their telephone number excuse". Wow - this company must have a marketing list of the clumsiest and most naive people on earth. $15 for voicemail and they can't enter their own number right? Here is some info I found from a purported former employee. I believe him... but I have no way to prove that he ever worked there so I take it with a grain of salt. Although it all adds up.
So You've Been Crammed, What Now?
1) Call the 800# that appears next to the 3rd party billing company's info. Do not get off the phone until you are satisfied that they are removing the charge. Get names and confirmation numbers so you at least feel it is a legitimate claim process. I don't know that I would tell them the billing date you think the first charge appeared - I'd ask what the first date they see is and then go from there. You have a date in mind, but maybe they'll offer up an earlier date (e.g. maybe you missed the charge one month).
2) Call your local phone company. Tell them you've filed the claim with the 3rd party and am paying your bill minus the disputed charge. They told me that was all I had to do, but I think it is best to be on record as calling in to talk about the bill. They are required by law to bill for these companies that present "proof" of your agreeing to be billed in this manner. Note the air quotes around the word proof.
3) Pay your bill, but subtract out the fraudulent charges (this is why you called the phone company in step 2).
4) From here, it is up to you. If you're dealing with the company I've mentioned, I'd say talk to your State Attorney General's Office, and maybe file a consumer complaint with the Federal Trade Commission.
5) Check your bill religiously. Not just to make sure these charges are removed, but to also prevent any further fraudulent charges from being placed.
Yes. I am pissed off. Thanks for noticing. But to AT&T's credit, I don't think it is their fault. My wait time from the moment I pressed 1 for English to getting to talk to someone was under 1 minute, and the representative I talked to was very knowledgeable, friendly, and helpful. Kudos to AT&T.
Posted by Mike at 11:30 AM | Comments (1)
December 21, 2006
Trump v. Rosie
I don't get into this celebrity crap, but it is funny to see them scrap with one another. I think at the end of the day, Trump gave this chick a second chance. She's 21 - it's easy to screw up at 21.
Come to think of it, didn't Barbara Walters essentially give Rosie a second chance by bringing her on The View after Rosie failed to be able to hold down a successful talk show on her own??
Read More -> Trump and O'Donnell in war of words over beauty queen - Yahoo! News
Posted by Mike at 6:32 PM
December 8, 2006
GA 400 Bottleneck at Windward (the traffic continues)
We're at a stand still here as motorists slow to watch the workers pour concrete. Never mind they've been doing the same thibg every day for the past 6 months - each day must be different in these people's rubbernecking lives 'cause they stop and stare daily.
It took 21 minutes to get here from my last picture, which I took 2 miles back at 16:34.
Posted by Mike at 4:55 PM
The new Ga 400 bottleneck
The addition of 2 lanes between Haynes Bridge and Old Milton Pkwy has done nothing to improve traffic on 400 - unless you live off Haynes Bridge or Mansell. The rapid and stupid merge from 4 lanes to 2 has merely shifted the bottleneck a few miles north. Every day I drive through there I see quite a few drivers flipping each other off.
Posted by Mike at 4:36 PM
December 3, 2006
Stupid Post-Game Interviews
Why bother interviewing players and coaches after games?? The answers are always the same. My favorite:
Q: Coach, what did you think of [some player's] performance today??A: Courageous. The way he stepped up and played all four quarters - just courageous.
That's not courage. Fire fighters, police officers, soldiers; these people are courageous. They face hostile environments. Football players do not face truly hostile environments. The field is not flaming. The opponents do not have weapons (at least not on the field - they're not called the Florida State Criminoles for nothing!). There will not be bombs dropped from the sky and the quarterbacks don't have to worry about there being enemy combatants firing at them from the concession stands.
Posted by Mike at 6:00 AM
December 2, 2006
It's OK to Mow Down Bicyclists in Illinois
I linked to the article below. Basically, this dim-wit teenager was downloading ringtones to her phone while driving. She veered far enough to the right of the travel lane to hit a bicyclist traveling in the same direction with the driver's side of the car. The DA did not feel this was reckless behavior.
State's Attorney Julia Rietz made the call not to lodge any more serious charge than improper lane usage against Stark, saying that the legal definition of recklessness, to sustain reckless homicide or reckless driving, did not fit her actions.
I don't get it. Sounds like involuntary manslaughter to me. Maybe the feds should investigate and see if the cyclists civil rights were violated. Yeah, having to live with this would suck, but the perpetrator has several priors. Having to live with it isn't enough.
Read More -> The News-Gazette.com: Woman is sentenced for bicyclist's death
Posted by Mike at 7:52 PM
August 7, 2006
Parents: Use Your Head
I guess this is a case of good research, poor findings. Why do shopping carts, escalators and lawn mowers need to be redesigned when these problems could be minimized by parents teaching their kids to behave and act properly around these and other objects?
Many of the 2,000 annual injuries on escalators occur when a shoe, clothing or a stroller becomes trapped in the space between the moving stairs and the side wall.Reducing that gap would help, as would having caregivers remove children from strollers before taking an escalator, the report said.
I cannot think of a single escalator that did not have a prominent sign saying "No strollers". Heck - the strollers probably say 'Stay off escalators" in their instruction manuals.
Some children got injured when they were trapped in carts, or fell off while riding on the outside or while standing up inside the basket, the report published in the academy's journal, Pediatrics, said.The group urged doctors to support changes in cart designs. Meanwhile, parents ought to consider using strollers or wagons, shopping online from home or encouraging children to walk when they are old enough to do so.
More common sense here - sit down in the buggy. If you are too big to sit, then you need to walk on your own. But by all means parents - if you are this ignorant, please take their advice of staying home to shop. Stay home in general. Don't go outside. A meteor may drop out of the sky and injure you or your child.
Read more of the insanity ->> Parents: beware of shopping carts and escalators - Yahoo! News
Posted by Mike at 9:37 AM
April 13, 2006
More on Grades
Yesterday I wrote about the new grading policy at Georgia State University. One of the oddities I experienced on my day off yesterday was a minivan exiting my subdivision. That is not that odd, but the bumper stickers and license plate frames were. Here's a sampling:
"Grades are for meat and eggs, not for children."
"Schools are for fish"
"More babies prefer to be born at home."
I don't know why people think keeping score or grading performance is detrimental to children. One would think that the earlier you expose people to how real life is, the better equipped they will be to deal with it when their food/clothing/shelter depend on it.
As for the babies being born at home - I would prefer to have my teeth cleaned at home. It would be much more comfortable and convenient for me. I would have preferred to have my wisdom teeth removed at home. But what kind of sense does that make? If something went wrong, would you have to the wide breadth of experience and equipment at your disposal in your house? That's unlikely.
I have no idea who this 'neighbor' of mine is, but I am not sure we would get along too well.
Posted by Mike at 1:00 PM
April 11, 2006
Protests in America
In scenes reminiscent of the student protests in France, hispanic protesters flooded the streets in cities from my hometown of Atlanta to Los Angeles. At issue is tighter immigration laws that would withhold services from those people who are not in the country legally. In large part, the proposed measures at both the state and federal level make sense. It is almost simply a restatement of existing law. It is bad enough that I am currently paying for services that are provided to people who have chosen a different path in life than I have. Our capitalist society has bred a new type of consumer who just sits at home, watches Oprah and Judge Judy all day, and sponges off the hard work of people like me. Granted, this is a minority of America, but it is a burden. Now we have migrant workers who come here, use our healthcare system for free, pay no taxes, and send the bulk of their earnings back to their home country. This helps our economy how?
Many people will point to the fact that American workers don't want these jobs. I say they do - they are just not willing and able to work for $10 a day. I heard somewhere (probably the radio) that the average worker in Mexico makes $5 a day. Why not focus on fixing that situation, rather than flee and come here. It's not like you're being persecuted for religious beliefs or speaking out against your home government (acceptable reasons to allow immigration to the U.S.). In fact - these people love their home country. They were holding up their flags and writing signs in spanish at the first round of protests. They should fix their problems at home rather than running away from them. That is the American way. And until you understand that, you will never be an American.
Read More -> Immigration marches put charge in Hispanic power - Yahoo! News
Posted by Mike at 7:43 AM
March 2, 2006
Chase Bank Visa Card
I guess Chase feels threatened by the new Citi Simplicity card that I wrote about a few months back. Tonight, I fielded a call from one of their telemarketers wanting to send me out some information about optional benefits. The word optional is always a red flag for me. Optional usually means that it will cost me money upfront.
The telemarketer refused to send me the information via mail without reading out this brief section about the benefit that would only take about 45 seconds. He had already explained the protection in case of loss of my ability to work for up to 2 years, the ability to not pay one month as long as I charged food or fuel during that period, and some other benefit that lost my attention. I asked why we had to go through this phone call if it wasn't going to cost me anything and they were going to send out an information packet anyway. He indicated that he had to read this blurb or I wouldn't be enrolled - some people might not like to receive this information. How many pieces of junk mail does Chase send out to people every year trying to get them to sign up for another card or use "convenience" checks. I explained to him that I wasn't interested in anything that required me to listen to verbiage on the phone because that could tacitly imply a verbal agreement. I further explained that if he wanted to send me some information in the mail, I would either read it at my convenience or toss it, but there was no way I was going to listen to 45 more seconds of his shpiel (I don't know how to spell shpiel, but you catch my drift). He opted to end the phone call.
I wish they had opted not to call to begin with. It delayed dinner by 4 minutes.
Posted by Mike at 5:36 PM | Comments (1)
February 3, 2006
Cartoons Depicting Mohammed
I find it interesting that the response to the printing of these cartoons seems to prove the cartoonists right. Rioting and destruction do not seem like they would be concerened tenets of a peaceful religion.
Read More -> Muslims attack Danish embassy building in Jakarta
Posted by Mike at 7:31 AM
December 12, 2005
The Death Penalty in America
They say that the more educated you become, the more liberal you become. Who is they? Some bunch of liberals, I guess. As I have grown older and held more debates, I have wrestled with the idea of the government (being We the People) having the right to take the life away from someone. I'm not sure why everyone is enamored with the gangster Tookie Williams, but this constant pandering by superempowered individuals trying to earn a commuted life sentence has stirred the debate again in my head.
His lethal injection is currently scheduled for 12:01 am on Tuesday, December 13th. A fresh round of appeals have been filed along with a clemency hearing with Governor Schwarzeneger. Somehow I doubt that a round of "fresh evidence" could appear in this case some 25 years after the commission of these heinous crimes. It's sadly interesting that the delay in the governor's announcement has proponents claiming "Williams' supporters seemed disheartened by the delay, which they said was putting severe stress on them and Williams."
Dear Tookie - I'm sorry you feel so much stress. I wonder how much stress the families, friends, and assorted loved ones felt when you murdered those people back in '79. It's nice to know that you changed after all these years. I wonder how your victims would have changed over that time - what might they have done to make themselves or our society better today? We'll never know, will we? Do you see the fallacy in your argument now? Of course you don't. You're only interested in saving your own hide now.
I'm glad I'm not involved in making any of these decisions - this guy just doesn't seem like someone I'd like to meet or get to know.
Posted by Mike at 11:30 AM
December 6, 2005
Being Sick Sucks
Being sick at home during the week really makes you appreciate being healthy and going to work. Yesterday was one of those days where the intestines just didn't want to cooperate mid-day, forcing me to depart work early. I did get to type up a bunch of blog entries that I will be editing and posting later this week, but the rest of the experience just sucked.
Daytime tv is the main reason being home sick sucks so bad. Who watches this crap? Moral Court? What is that? There was a guy on there whose wife brought him to moral court because he likes to get naked at parties. His friends egg him on and he thinks he's the life of the party. Dude - they're not laughing with you, they're laughing at you. It's time to grow up. The lack of respect you showed your wife (not to mention yourself) over this has just jeopardized your future career (unless you're going to become a stripper or male prostitute).
Then there was Cops. The cops came to visit a house because of a disturbance. The lady said her husband was threatening to jump (it was a very small, 2 story house). The cops open the door to the bedroom and dude goes running and jumps out the window. He lands on his back, still alive (it couldn't have been more than a 12 foot drop). The lady (wife, I guess) then gets interviewed and says he's tried to hang himself and has tried to slit his wrists on a few occassions over the last few months.
Officer: "Have either of you sought counseling for him?"
Lady: "No. He just keeps saying he has nothing left to live for."
Nice. Seems like that would be a good trigger to seek professional medical help. From 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., it seems that the only programming on television is what the personal injury attorneys want on television. Between the ambulance chasers and chiropractors, there is no free commercial time available.
Sorry for the incoherent rant - but I think you get my point.
Posted by Mike at 11:30 AM
September 18, 2005
It's Election Day in Germany
By now, the deciding votes have been cast by Germans and it is a matter of time before the counts are in. The future of der Muderland hinges on which policies the people vote for.
The interesting thing to note about these elections, as with those in Afghanistan, Japan, and so many other countries, is that they are being held on a Sunday. Many other countries hold elections during the week, but make election day a national holiday. These are the countries that care about voter turnout and want to make sure that everyone has equal access to the system. The United States of America is not one such country. By holding elections on a work day and only opening polls from 7am to 7pm, this country is successfully quieting the voice of the group of people who fund its programs.
Posted by Mike at 3:03 PM
September 6, 2005
Who are Ray Nagin and Kathleen Babineaux Blanco??
I had to go WAAYYY out of my way today to find out the names of the mayor of New Orleans and the Governor of Louisiana. I'm not sure why this is the case. Their job is to protect the citizens of their city and state. I haven't heard a peep out of or about the governor, and the only thing I've heard out of the mayor is panic and hysteria. Neither traits are very good for re-election. Yet for whatever reason, the President is the one being drug through the mud from over 1100 miles away. He isn't passing the buck and he is not happy with the response thus far. But resolving that matter for the future can only come after we've dealt with the tragic events that are in the present.
Is the news media biased? Are these two getting free rides because they are democrats?
Posted by Mike at 12:56 PM | Comments (1)