This is the second issue of Superior Endeavors’ Broad Reach newsletter. You can access this and previous versions of our newsletters at
http://www.superior-endeavors.com/news.htm. Your input is appreciated on the format and content. We want this newsletter to be helpful for you and your business.
Address Change: We have decided to change our mailing address to our office address in Saint Louis Park. Our new mailing address is:
Superior Endeavors, Inc.
7407 Wayzata Boulevard
Saint Louis Park, Minnesota 55426
Our new business cards and other marketing materials will reflect this address shortly. Please feel free to stop by and say hello. We always have chocolate in the bowl on the conference table!
July Postcard Survey Results: Thank you to everyone who took the time to give us a ‘shot across the bow’ by providing feedback! As we work to integrate and improve our recently combined organizations (Micro Consulting and Superior Endeavors) we want to make sure the ‘course we set’ exceeds our clients’ expectations along the way. The folks who submitted feedback were entered in a drawing for a ten dollar Caribou Coffee gift card. The winners are:
- Grant Brekke, Brekke Sales Company
- Brian Ingvalson, Ingvalson and Associates, Inc.
- Vicky Martin, Siwek Lumber & Millwork, Inc.
- Linda Arneson, Linden Sweden, Inc.
- Gerry Chapdelaine
- Kathy Nylander, Saint Alphonsus Catholic Church
Congratulations!
The responses we received provided positive and constructive feedback.
Excerpts of some of the responses received are listed below:
- “You guys are the first company I have ever worked with that speaks English instead of ‘computerese’.”
- “Your phone message and total phone menu system <expletive deleted>! It doesn’t give names, just positions. If I want to talk to Dan or someone else, I want to connect to him/her immediately, not go thru some Mickey Mouse menu that gets nowhere fast except to hang up and go to a different vendor.”
- “Mark has gone the extra mile in my book. I have already recommended Superior Endeavors to our neighbors.”
- “My only suggestion is to return phone calls, that is a little lacking.”
- “Weekly invoicing sometimes feels like we are getting too many small bills.”
In looking at the feedback, the theme that stands out is communication, particularly phone communication and its importance in the services we provide. Our phone system has been a challenge for us and some of our customers. It does offer callers the option to transfer incoming calls to our cell phones before leaving a voicemail message. We are working with our phone system provider to add the feature of simultaneous ringing so that both our office phones and cell phones ring at the same time. The goal is to provide our clients a single phone number [(952) 445-8679] to remember. A summary of the current phone menu and extensions is listed below:
SEI Staff Telephone Extensions
- Dan Babineau: Extension 101 or Option 3
- Mark Bury: Extension 102 or Options 2 and 3
- Dianna Denman: Extension 103 or Options 1 and 0
We want our phone system to make it easy for our clients to contact us while maintaining a personal touch and supporting our growth.
Coming Next Month: We also want to address the feedback on our weekly invoicing. Most of our clients fall into the category of “Break/Fix”. This means that when something breaks, our clients contact us and we fix it. We log the time and expense into the service request in ConnectWise and mark the request as complete. The completed requests are invoiced weekly. This process closes the loop quickly between when the service is delivered and when the client receives an invoice. The disadvantage of this business process is that some clients receive multiple invoices per month. Two alternatives to the “Break/Fix” model are a “Maintenance Agreement” or a “Block Time Agreement”. These will be described in detail in September.
Always listening: Please don’t get the impression that we only accept feedback when we ask for it and have a contest. Don’t hesitate to contact any of us with your concerns, questions, and suggestions. We view our relationship with our clients as a partnership, and partnerships thrive when everyone involved is comfortable speaking their mind.
Dan’s Boundary Waters Adventure: Adventure, sounds more like an Odyssey. Dan took his whole family to the BWCA in August. His wife, daughter, and in-laws had the good sense to stay at the entry point in the relative comfort of the camper. Dan ventured into the abyss of mosquito clouds, dirt, and campfire smoke with his sons and nephews. The result was a few fish caught and male bonding.
Dianna’s Social Event of the Season: Dianna and her husband, Paul, got to help throw a birthday party for their one year old grand-daughter, Harriet. This event was attended by more than 70 adults and children and was a casual affair. Harriet got a good introduction to her toddler years while performing the obligatory face plant into her cake.
Mark’s Sailing Regatta: The Inland Lake Yachting Association (ILYA) held their annual championship regatta on Lake Minnetonka. This regatta attracted over 170 boats in four different classes from the Midwest, west, and Canada. Mark crewed on an E Boat and was partially responsible for shredding a spinnaker sail in the second race resulting in a mid fifties finish among the 59 boats participating. Good thing Mark has a day job because he couldn’t make it as a professional sailor. The action can be watched on video at
http://www.ilyamedia.org/coverage/239763-E-Scow-2011-Inland-Championship.
