In my last post I posed two questions. The first was "How do you know your print shop is doing a good job?" I argued that management may not have a clear understanding of what the print shop does and why it’s important. This question also deals with the kinds of reporting you do as a manager. We’re going to talk more about that later.
Today let’s talk about the second question: “How do you know your print shop is not doing a good job?” In a sense, we’re dealing with different sides of the same issue. What we’re really talking about here are perceptions, that is, what do your customers and the managers in your organization think about you? What’s your image? Are you the guys they think of first—the "go-to" guys—or is your shop just someplace people have to go? There’s a big difference.
The second question is an important one because it questions peoples’ assumptions. “How do you know your print shop is not doing a good job?” challenges people to identify specific areas of poor performance. Like how you screwed up their last job. Or how you missed a deadline. Never mind that it was 10 years ago and you have new equipment or have extensively cross-trained your staff. If you had a problem with a job and haven’t done something to correct that negative perception, the perception will persist.
Here’s an example of what I’m talking about. I was in a class not too long ago, and we were each discussing our dissertation plans. When I said that I was studying outsourcing printing, you should have heard the comments—from students! One said we should get rid of it. Another said that printing charges too much. Another said they take forever. These were students who had little contact with the print shop, so you have to wonder what caused them to form those perceptions. The important thing is that they had them and they were real.
One of the things we’re talking about here is image management. What’s your image? How are you perceived by your customers? By management? By your boss? People’s perceptions are formed by what they see and hear. What do you show them or tell them, and how do you do it?
Clearly the first part of image building is doing good work. You have to do it right the first time, and do it on time. And you have to put your customers first. We all know that.
But there is more. You also have to tell people why what you do is important to the overall success of the organization. If you’re in education, the documents you produce may have something to do with creating and storing knowledge or attracting new students or contributions. If you are in manufacturing, your documents may describe product features, provide packaging or teach people how to use your product. Insurance documents may explain benefits or facilitate claims. Government documents may clarify policy or pending legislation. Most of the work we do supports the organization, but sometimes that linkage isn’t clear. So we have to tell people.
You can also do a lot to build your image by communicating with customers. Most of the managers I work with in my assessments don’t spend enough face time with their clients. The only time they talk to a customer is when the customer calls. They get wrapped up in putting out the fires in their own shops and don’t spend the time they should with their customers. They don’t take time to update their Web sites, or think about how to maximize the sites' value to customers. They don’t take time to publish a newsletter or develop a Printing 101 workshop to teach customers what they need to know about printing and mailing. And they don’t tell people about their successes, or about presentations made, awards won, or new equipment installed.
If you want people to have positive perceptions about your shop and the service you provide, you need to tell them. And you need to use every tool at your disposal.
What have you done to build your image lately?
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- Business Management - In-plant Justification
Ray Chambers, CGCM, MBA, has invested over 30 years managing and directing printing plants, copy centers, mail centers and award-winning document management facilities in higher education and government.
Most recently, Chambers served as vice president and chief information officer at Juniata College. Chambers is currently a doctoral candidate studying Higher Education Administration at the Pennsylvania State University (PSU). His research interests include outsourcing in higher education and its impact on support services in higher education and managing support services. He also consults (Chambers Management Group) with leaders in both the public and private sectors to help them understand and improve in-plant printing and document services operations.